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  There is a role for the private sector. I wouldn't put a percentage on it because it would depend on specific situations. The tradition has been a third, a third, and a third. I would say that when it's a third, a third, a third, the municipalities end up paying more than a third

Transport committee  Right. Traditionally, the federal government has been in the financing game for capital. It creates challenges. If you look at last year, in the city of Toronto, the financing available for the TTC through provincial-federal transfers and through the fare box was not sufficient

Transport committee  No. The infrastructure stock in this country is extensive and out of date, so we would be arguing that it needs to be not just for new infrastructure, because there's so much out there that needs to be repaired.

Transport committee  Yes, our smallest member has a population of five.

Transport committee  Absolutely. They're represented around the board table just as the big cities are, and they're understanding a couple of things. One is that the conversation is about a perspective on infrastructure that is global in nature, so their issues would be in that long-term infrastructu

Transport committee  Thank you for your time. There are a few questions that were asked. We'll be providing some follow-up information.

Transport committee  Okay, thank you.

Government Operations committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. We really appreciate the invitation this morning. I would like to start by saying that the FCM is the voice of the municipal governments. We have 2,000 members from all over Canada. Our members represent 90% of the Canadian population. So we have some persp

Government Operations committee  That's fine, Mr. Chairman.

Government Operations committee  With respect to CETA, our position has been pretty clear from the very beginning. We've had very good dialogue with the government on this matter. There are a variety of issues, but ultimately there are three things that are really important. One is reciprocity: if we're giving a