It is our pleasure to present Infrastructure Canada’s Departmental Plan for 2021-22. This plan outlines the Department’s ongoing commitment to making infrastructure investments that support economic growth and job creation, help combat the effects of climate change, and build inclusive communities. These are the triple benefits that we want from our investments.

COVID-19 has not changed these priorities, nor has it slowed our work. In fact, it has driven us to do more, and to do it faster. While we have made great progress on the Investing in Canada plan, we will commit to doing more this year while we focus on building back better.

Our ongoing collaborative work with partners will help advance projects quickly, particularly those under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program’s new COVID-19 Resilience stream, worth more than $3 billion, that pays 80 cents on every dollar invested in projects that address pandemic readiness and public health and safety. We charted a bold new course for the Canada Infrastructure Bank. We will continue to promote the use of alternative approaches to financing and making public dollars go further by supporting the Bank as it delivers its three-year, $10-billion growth plan under new leadership. Backing projects that will drive a greener, more inclusive, and more resilient economy—that is how Canada and other countries, like the United States, are building back better.

We will look for new opportunities for Canada-US cooperation on sustainable infrastructure, including clean power, transmission lines and border crossings, working together to advance climate action and clean economic growth, promote inclusion and diversity, and create good middle class jobs and opportunities for our people while contributing to democracy, peace, and security at home and around the world.

As Canadians limit their travel, we must work now to build out our transit systems needed to help us recover, stronger than ever. That’s why the Department will work to electrify and permanently fund public transit, plan a national active transportation strategy, and deliver more rural transit solutions and active transportation options, such as walking trails, cycling paths and other forms of active mobility that reduce reliance on cars and provide healthy transportation alternatives. Work is also underway on a $150-million program to improve ventilation in public buildings, as announced in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement, to support Canadians’ health during the pandemic and beyond.

We will focus on community projects, such as those that promote energy efficiency and serve vulnerable populations, by investing $1.5 billion over three years for green and inclusive community buildings, and requiring that at least 10 percent of this funding be allocated to projects serving First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. The new Canada Healthy Communities Initiative will also help fund small, innovative and local projects making our urban and rural communities more liveable, active, healthy, and accessible.

In line with the substantial emission reductions included in Canada’s climate plan, we will focus on clean infrastructure. We support Indigenous communities’ fight against climate change and community-scale projects, such as renewables, district energy, energy storage and systems efficiency, that form part of local climate action plans. The Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund is one such program that helps protect Canadians, their homes and businesses while reducing the long-term costs associated with replacing infrastructure following natural disasters.

This is a particularly challenging time for rural Canadians and the communities they call home. Decades of under-investment have failed to deliver the targeted support needed to ensure rural Canadians have access to the same opportunities as those living in urban areas and the pandemic has made addressing this divide more urgent than ever. The Centre for Rural Economic Development will continue to coordinate a whole of government approach to addressing the needs of rural Canada. The Centre is the single point of contact for rural communities looking to access federal programs and works in partnership with local leaders.

Since 2015, over 17,000 infrastructure projects have been approved in communities of under 100,000, providing better transportation infrastructure, cleaner water and more affordable housing. In 2021-2022, we will build on these investments.

Through programs delivered through Infrastructure Canada and other government departments, we will continue to improve access to high-speed internet in rural communities. For too many rural Canadians, a lack of broadband access makes it challenging to participate in the modern economy, limiting growth and investment in smaller communities. Since 2015, we have approved programs and projects that will connect 1.7 million households to better, faster internet. We are on track to connect all Canadians to high-speed by 2030, with 98 percent to be connected by 2026, helping to close the digital divide years faster than was previously anticipated.

To better quantify and understand how our work will benefit Canadians, and to guide future investments, Infrastructure Canada will develop Canada’s first-ever national infrastructure assessment. This will identify our country’s long-term infrastructure needs and priorities and help in planning towards net-zero emissions by 2050. Evidence-based planning and decision-making is key, and the use of data, research and focus on outcomes will continue to play a strong role in our policy design and delivery.

This year more than ever, infrastructure investments will serve as the foundation for Canada’s long-term economic growth. As we continue dealing with the effects of the pandemic, we are ensuring our plan for recovery creates jobs and provides a competitive advantage and long-term growth, while building a cleaner, more inclusive future for all Canadians.

The Honourable Catherine McKenna, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

The Honourable Maryam Monsef, P.C., M.P.
Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development

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