Transport committee  Should there be a long-term infrastructure plan and should there be some resources earmarked for such a plan—whether it be a program, indexation of the gas tax or something else—specific resources could be allocated to the municipalities that need them for public transit. However

Transport committee  As we have said, the important thing is that if there is an infrastructure plan with certain principles and resources in place, then municipalities can see long term. The beauty of the gas tax is that municipalities have a stable, predictable resource outside of the property tax,

Transport committee  You want the answers to be brief as well.

Transport committee  The FCM is calling for a long-term infrastructure plan in which transit is an important element and in which there are guiding principles that are national in nature.

Transport committee  That's a very good question. No, we're looking for, as you put it, “omnibus”. We are talking about a long-term infrastructure plan with a financing element to it, into which—

Transport committee  If you think of all the challenges, if you're looking at something like a 20-year plan, then you have time to—

Transport committee  I know. We will get to this kind of question in the dialogue with the feds about the details of a long-term plan, but these are long-term projects and we're not pretending that the fix is there on a short term. We understand the magnitude of the issue we're trying to engage in he

Transport committee  Yes.

Transport committee  Yes.

Transport committee  In some ways we have been, in that we worked very closely with the government on the economic action plan. I think we played a leadership role in helping to shape that with Minister Baird and his office and with your government. As we talk about fulfilling the commitment in the

Transport committee  I would agree that it is not the role of the federal government to tell municipalities to do something. That is why we feel it is important that the federal government play a leadership role at the national level and establish, further to consultation, certain principles to guide

Transport committee  Part of the question is what are the principles that are going to guide the national effort? I named a couple of principles earlier, but one of them is accountability at all orders of government so Canadians understand that what's going on is transparent, and the folks who are ma

Transport committee  I can't give you the figure you asked for in the first part of your question. We don't have that kind of data, and we don't have that historical analysis. I would certainly say that there has been significant federal investment in specific projects and specific locations over ti

Transport committee  I'm sorry, what was the last part of the question?

Transport committee  Whether they're legislated or not, I couldn't go through each country and say yes or no. What's important for us is that there is a need for a long-term view on the transit question and the broader question of infrastructure. There is a need for the kinds of principles I laid out