2020-21 Departmental Results Report
Ministers' message

We are pleased to present Infrastructure Canada’s Departmental Results Report for 2020-21. It demonstrates the Department’s ongoing commitment to communities—by bringing data and people together to invest in infrastructure that tackles climate change, drives growth and good jobs, and improves quality of life for all Canadians.

The world has changed drastically since 2016 when the Government of Canada committed to investing more than $180 billion in infrastructure over 12 years. The COVID-19 pandemic and climate crises continue to expose vulnerabilities and investment gaps. Canadians want their governments to build back better, to help communities become even more resilient, diverse, sustainable, competitive and prosperous now and for generations to come.

While we made incredible strides with our partners on a number of initiatives in 2020-21, our top priority has been, and remains, keeping Canadians healthy and safe. In response to the pandemic, we launched a new temporary COVID-19 Resilience stream to provide provinces and territories with added flexibility to fund quick-start, short-term projects. An accelerated approval process enabled our partners to submit multiple projects simultaneously, with a single, simplified application process. We also significantly increased the federal share of eligible project costs and added funding specifically dedicated to ventilation projects so that provinces, territories, municipalities and not-for-profit organizations could improve their facilities’ air quality and put physical distancing measures in schools, long-term care homes and other public buildings.

Infrastructure Canada also launched the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative for communities to adapt their public spaces and local services to meet peoples’ needs during and after the pandemic. As well, the annual transfers to provinces and territories from the Canada Community-Building Fund―formerly known as the Gas Tax Fund―were accelerated and topped up. Through its investments, Infrastructure Canada will continue to help restart the economy and create over one million jobs.

In 2020-21, Infrastructure Canada approved $3.2 billion in funding for over 2,300 new infrastructure projects. Important progress has been made to deliver clean water, effective wastewater treatment systems, expanded broadband and mobile connectivity services, and improved transportation systems to Canadians. These investments will continue to have positive impacts across the country―particularly in rural and northern communities where the need is greatest and people may face increased health risks associated with feeling isolated. The Prime Minister also announced $14.9 billion in new public transit support over the next 8 years, including $3 billion in permanent funding starting in 2026-27, to strengthen communities, help businesses with job creation and chart a path toward achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Green infrastructure investments are crucial for Canada to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40-45 percent below 2005 levels by 2030. This is why Infrastructure Canada laid the foundation for the Natural Infrastructure Fund and the new Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program. Together, these programs will help solidify Canada’s standing as a world leader in green energy, make communities more liveable, and help mitigate the impacts of climate change. In addition, under each of these programs, Infrastructure Canada committed to allocating a minimum of 10 percent of available funding to Indigenous recipients.

Building back better means building back smarter—Infrastructure Canada is enhancing its research and policy-making capacity, strengthening its stakeholder relations and increasing its international engagement. The Department recently undertook broad engagement with partners and stakeholders from across Canada by launching Canada’s first National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA) exercise to obtain independent, evidence-based advice on Canada’s infrastructure challenges and opportunities over the coming decades. Combined with our Active Transportation Strategy and the new Research and Knowledge Initiative, the Department is building a solid foundation that will help all orders of government undertake evidence-based, long-term planning.

For the first time since it was created as a federal department in 2002, Infrastructure Canada secured ongoing funding to maintain its operations, enhance its policy and financial management capacity, and introduce modern management tools so that it can continue to effectively deliver on its expanding mandate. The Department is now well positioned to manage its diverse funding programs and its portfolio of Public Private Partnerships (P3) projects, including the Samuel De Champlain Bridge Corridor Project in Montreal and the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project in the Windsor-Detroit region. Infrastructure Canada will continue to work with the Canada Infrastructure Bank to build infrastructure in the public interest, including investments in zero-emission buses, broadband initiatives, and a Growth Plan to help Canadians get back to work.

The Government is 6 years into its 12-year Investing in Canada Plan with over $101 billion committed to over 74,500 projects across the country. Using the NIA’s findings and guided by global best practices in infrastructure planning, investment, design and management, we are charting a forward-looking roadmap out to 2050 to guide new investments in Canada, including nation-building projects.

We invite you to consult this report to see for yourself how Infrastructure Canada is helping communities across Canada build back better, putting in place modern, sustainable infrastructure that helps create jobs and support vibrant communities, for all of us and for generations to come.

portrait of Dominic LeBlanc

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

portrait of Ahmed Hussen

The Honourable Ahmed Hussen
Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion