Madam Speaker, I listened carefully to the member when he talked about putting partisan positions aside. I could not agree more but that is not what it is all about. It is a matter of being accurate with the facts. He talked about budgeting $33 billion over the next several years. After the patient is dead, we cannot bring him back. Will the member work to ensure that the money comes right away?
Let me clarify for the member what the Conservative government has not done. In 2005, money was put aside for the municipal rural infrastructure program, the Canada strategic infrastructure fund, the border infrastructure fund and the public transit capital fund, totalling $11.5 billion for 2007-09. In the Conservative's 2007 budget, for the member's clarification, only $4 billion of those funds were included, eliminating $7.5 billion. The $20 billion that he talks about was money coming from the gas tax and the GST rebate to the cities.
Is the member prepared to stand and tell his constituents that he will go to his government and his Prime Minister to get that money back for the cities?