Remarks for Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Appearance before the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities

Ottawa, Ontario, virtual meeting
April 22, 2021

Introduction

Good afternoon.

I would like to begin by recognizing that I'm on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin, Anishinaabe people.

I am pleased to appear this afternoon to talk about the Government's commitment to building back better, and how items included in the Main and Supplementary Estimates (C) advance the Government's national infrastructure plan.

COVID-19 has reshaped so many aspects of our lives, including how we get around in our communities and how we connect with each other.

But we will get through it, and we are also looking for ways to build back better – by building the Canada we want, with good jobs, a sustainable economy, cleaner air and more inclusive communities where people want to live, work and raise their families.

This week Deputy Prime Minister Freeland tabled Budget 2021 – a plan that will help us conquer COVID-19 in the short-term, punch our way out of the COVID-19 recession in the medium-term, and build a more resilient Canada – that is more equitable, prosperous and innovative in the long-term.

This plan will help parents – particularly women – return to the workforce – with more affordable and accessible childcare -  reaching $10/day in the next 5 years.

It also invests in bold climate action that will set us on a path to reaching net zero emission in 2050.

Today, on Earth Day, we acknowledge just how important that climate action is.

The truth is that every infrastructure decision is, inevitably, a climate decision too.

Where it's assessing the climate impacts of new roads or bridges or electrifying public transit and retrofitting buildings to become more energy efficient.

As we build back better, we need to continue our fight against climate change, and in the case of infrastructure investments, it will create jobs, drive economic growth, and build more inclusive communities. To do this successfully we are seeking $6.8 billion in the 2021-22 Main Estimates.

$4.3 billion is in grants and contributions to support 22 infrastructure programs, and $2.3 billion is for the Gas Tax Fund, all to ensure that communities across Canada have the money they need when they need it.

We are also seeking an increase of $2.2 million through Supplementary Estimates C for 2020-21. This funding will support the recent approval of the Funding to Strengthen Stewardship of Canadian Infrastructure: Long-Term Resourcing Strategy Treasury Board submission, which granted Infrastructure Canada permanent operating funding.

This additional funding will enable the department to meet existing obligations, maintain operations, and meet the evolving infrastructure needs in Canada.

And that's what I want to talk a bit more about today.

I've always hated the word "infrastructure". It's a made up bureaucratic work that undersells the final product. Talk to someone about their new community centre or finally being hooked up to high speed broadband or taking an electric bus and you realize its so much more.

It determines our quality of life, and is critical for our economic growth, job creation and combating the effects of climate change. Especially now, as we look towards recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 strengthened our resolve and spurred us to do more, to do it faster and more strategically.

We accelerated project approvals under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program and have approved nearly 3,100 projects since March last year, representing a federal investment of over $4.1 billion.

This also serves as a testament to the progress we're making with our Investing in Canada plan. We know the Plan is working. Canadians know the Plan is working, they see the progress in their communities.

The federal government has invested more than $81 billion for over 67,000 projects, with 90% of them completed or underway. That means 40% of the way into the Plan, we have invested over 40% of the funding.

But it's about more than the Plan. We are doing so much more than what is being counted under the Investing in Canada plan. We are moving forward with universal broadband, green and inclusive community buildings, and many other initiatives that were not part of the Plan's original design.

Initiatives that help address issues raised by the pandemic, such as the new COVID-19 Resilience Stream, the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative and  new funding for ventilation—the latter of which will help reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission by funding projects to improve ventilation for schools, hospitals, and other public buildings.

And initiatives that are helping us reach our climate targets, like the investments we're making in public transportation.

On February 10, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and I announced a federal plan to invest nearly $15 billion in funding for new public transit infrastructure over the next eight years. This funding includes a long-term strategy to deliver $3 billion annually for public transit beginning in 2026-27.

Since then I have announced additional details around Canada's approach to public transit funding, including investments in zero-emission buses and active transportation like cycling and walking paths, rural transit, and more.

But we can't just build back better, we have to build back smarter. That's why we launched engagement on Canada's first-ever National Infrastructure Assessment. We will rely on experts, data and evidence to identify Canada's infrastructure needs and priorities out to 2050.

Conclusion

2021 is a year of change and at Infrastructure Canada we continue to look for innovative ways to do things better.

Our goal is to make tangible improvements that contribute to better public transit, improved connectivity, cleaner water, good jobs, and much more.

20 years from now, I hope a kid riding a new subway line in Toronto or Montreal or Vancouver will look up at his mother and ask how it got built. And she will say "its part of how we built back from the COVID-19 pandemic".

We  know that through our historic investments in infrastructure, we are helping Canadians and their communities adapt and recover, get people working, and build a cleaner, inclusive and more connected country for the future.

Thank you.