Response to parliamentary committees and external audits

Response to parliamentary committees

There were no parliamentary committees in 2020–21 requiring a response.

Response to audits conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (including audits conducted by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)

Report 9 - Investing in Canada Plan

Summary

The Investing in Canada Plan is the Government of Canada's infrastructure plan to provide predictable and sustainable funding for projects to build modern, resilient, and green communities for all Canadians. Over the plan's 12 years, starting in 2016, the government intends to spend $188 billion in 5 theme areas:

  • public transit
  • green infrastructure
  • social infrastructure
  • trade and transportation infrastructure
  • rural and northern communities

Infrastructure Canada was tasked with developing the plan, through the 2015 mandate letter that the Prime Minister sent to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. Infrastructure Canada published the finalized Investing in Canada Plan in 2018.

The plan combines new spending commitments and programs announced in Budget 2016 and Budget 2017 with earlier spending commitments on legacy programs, some of which had been in place for decades. Together, the plan's programs support various types of projects, including not only conventional bricks-and-mortar infrastructure, but also services, housing, capacity development, asset management, innovation projects, and training sessions.

The Investing in Canada Plan has 3 objectives:

  • Generate long-term economic growth to build a stronger middle class.
  • Improve the resilience of communities, and transition to a clean growth economy.
  • Improve social inclusion and socio-economic outcomes for all Canadians.

The plan is a horizontal initiative, in which the contributing programs are administered by 21 federal organizations: 13 federal departments (including Infrastructure Canada), 2 Crown corporations, and 6 regional development agencies. Some of these programs operate through bilateral agreements between the federal government and the provinces and territories. Other recipients include municipalities and Indigenous and rural communities.

Government response and corrective actions

The Department agreed with the recommendation and will continue to engage with its federal partner organizations in the Investing in Canada Plan and central agencies to

  • better measure and report on progress toward the outcomes and objectives of the plan, incorporating data demonstrating the impact of these investments as it becomes available
  • clarify and improve reporting on the contributions of legacy programs toward the objectives of the plan

As part of its ongoing commitment to provide consistent, comprehensive, and easy-to-understand public reporting on the plan, Infrastructure Canada will engage with its delivery partners on data automation for public progress reporting, building on lessons learned from existing horizontal automated reporting processes.