Finance committee  We believe that Budget 2013 has established a new base camp for a good relationship for productive discussion between the municipalities and the Government of Canada around the needs of communities.

Finance committee  As I said in my commentary, the solutions for the infrastructure deficit are not in place at the moment, but the progress has been noticeable.

Finance committee  I am not sure I understand what you said. I can understand the interpreters, but I am not sure what the question is. I think that you asked about the cost-sharing programs.

Finance committee  Municipalities borrow money on the market if they need it. With the gas tax, the long-term and predictable funding nature of the gas tax will allow them to borrow in the market on a longer term because they have stable predictable funding against which to borrow. So that is a str

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  If you want to talk specifically, a lot of the below-grade infrastructure relates to water and sewerage, you're correct. Some of the infrastructure is much older, in fact, than what you're indicating. If you look, for example, at the city of Montreal and some of the other older c

Finance committee  Yes. In order for the quality of life that Canadians expect, in order for the kinds of quality communities where investors want to put their resources so we create jobs and productivity in this country, that kind of infrastructure is essential. Whether it's the water systems or s

Finance committee  Well, you have almost answered the question. It's extremely important, and the predictability of it and the long-term nature of it is essential as part of the solution to the municipal infrastructure deficit.

Finance committee  I think there's no question that the cities and towns in this country are the engines of the economy, whether they are big cities like Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, etc., or the smaller towns in the rural areas. They are the places where Canadians are employed. They are the places

Finance committee  I don't think I could characterize one place over another. Every city or town is dealing with their local priorities and their local demands in ways that fit with the needs in their communities. They are all following democratic process and due diligence with respect to the way t

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's really a pleasure to be here this morning. We really appreciate the opportunity to present to this committee. On behalf of some 2,000 members of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, FCM, I am pleased to present our views on Bill C-60, specificall

Government Operations committee  As we've said, it's critical. We can't plan effectively without long-term funding, but to your point about the health care situation, it's pretty simple stuff in one way. You create a long-term framework of 15 or 20 years, and you have five-year increments in which you can have y

Government Operations committee  Yes, those three work. I would also add the note that there should not be conditionality imposed on, in our case, the municipality, in terms of P3s or nothing. As I said earlier, it's a tool in a tool kit. Let's give the municipalities the capacity in terms of knowledge and fis

Government Operations committee  One way to ask your question is to ask if P3s are a failure. Our answer is that, no, they are not a failure. There are some hair-raising experiences along the way, but we are in a process of learning here and we're experimenting here. We as a country are learning things as we go

Government Operations committee  Yes, it is.