Investing in Communities and Infrastructure
- Investments in Canada’s public infrastructure creates jobs, promotes economic growth, and provides a high quality of life for families in every city and community across the country.
- Since 2006, our Government has provided an unprecedented level of funding to support investments in public infrastructure across the country.
- In recognition of the importance of efficient public infrastructure for Canada’s economic prosperity and quality of life, our Government has made significant investments since 2006 to build roads, bridges, subways, rail, and much more.
- Indeed, under the $33 billion Building Canada Plan launched in 2007, we supported over 12,000 infrastructure projects across from coast to coast to coast.
- Furthermore, in 2013, our Government announced the New Building Canada Plan, a $53 billion investment in predictable infrastructure funding for the next ten years – the largest and longest federal investment in job-creating infrastructure in Canadian history. It will to continue to provide $5.35 billion per year for provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure.
- Economic Action Plan 2015 builds on this record with new investments in communities and infrastructure, including:
- Creating a new Public Transit Fund that will ramp up to $1 billion a year to reduce urban congestion and gridlock in Canada’s largest and dynamic cities.
- Supporting the Renovation, Expansion, and Improvement of Existing Community Infrastructure in all regions of the country as part of the Canada 150 celebrations.
- Investing in First Nations Education by supporting First Nations to achieve better education outcomes as well as millions in post-secondary scholarships and bursaries for First Nations and Inuit students
- Supporting Charitable Giving by exempting donations involving private shares and property from capital gains tax
- Creating Further Opportunities for Economic Development On-Reserve by expanding the First Nations Land Management Regime.
- Supporting Cooperative and Social Housing by allowing cooperative and non-profit social housing providers prepay long-term, non-renewable mortgages held with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation without penalty.
- Extending the Natural Gas Distribution Network in Quebec to provide access to lower-cost energy and support economic growth
- These investments build on our record of support for infrastructure and communities to-date, which includes:
- Improving broadband internet in rural and northern communities by investing $305 million to extend and enhance broadband service for up to an additional 280,000 Canadians.
- Protecting communities from natural disasters by investing $200 million to establish a National Disaster Mitigation Program.
- Recognizing the importance of Small Craft Harbours by investing $40 million to accelerate repair and maintenance work at harbours across Canada.
- Supporting healthy and safe First Nations communities by renewing an investment for the First Nations Water and Wastewater Action Plan and by strengthening community-based justice programs with over $20 million in funding for the Aboriginal Justice Strategy.
- Investing $165 million over two years to advance the construction of a new bridge for the St. Lawrence.
- Supporting an additional 30,000 infrastructure projects through the stimulus phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan that created immediate jobs.
- Providing increased and ongoing support through the Gas Tax Fund – first doubling its size to $2 billion per year, making it permanent and indexing it at 2 per cent per year, beginning in 2014–15.
- Supporting over 12,000 provincial, territorial, and municipal infrastructure projects across through the $33 billion 2007 Building Canada Plan. This includes increased and ongoing federal support for municipal roads, public transit and recreational facilities through the Gas Tax Fund (GTF). Since 2009, the Government has doubled, made permanent and indexed the GTF.
- Investing $9.2 billion for First Nations communities across Canada to build, operate, maintain, and renovate community infrastructure on reserves.
- Investing $1.7 billion annually for close to 600,000 households on and off reserves across Canada living in existing social housing.
- Providing nearly $600 million in the Homelessness Partnering Strategy and over $1.25 billion in the Investment in Affordable Housing to help those Canadians in need find and keep affordable housing.
- Providing $1 billion for renovations and energy retrofits for up to 200,000 affordable housing units.
- Investing $303 million annually in support of First Nations housing needs on reserves. Over the past five years, this funding has supported the construction of approximately 1,750 new units, renovations to about 3,100 existing units, and other housing initiatives.
- Providing $2 billion for the Municipal Infrastructure Lending Program, which provided 272 low-cost loans to municipalities for housing-related infrastructure projects in towns and cities across the country.
- Renewing the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy with an investment of $368.5 million with a focus on contraband tobacco.
- Committing $870 million in federal funding through the P3 Canada Fund toward 19 public infrastructure projects that will deliver value for taxpayers.
- Investing $75 million for the construction of social housing units for persons with disabilities.
- Our Government is also investing over $5 billion in federal infrastructure, including:
- $2.8 billion to support infrastructure improvements to heritage, tourism, waterway and highway assets located within national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas across Canada;
- $500 million for the repair and construction of on-reserve schools;
- $452 million to repair and upgrade Canadian Armed Forces facilities;
- $440 million to expedite the replacement of border infrastructure;
- Approximately $400 million to maintain, upgrade and construct federally-owned buildings and other assets across Canada;
- $380 million for major repairs and upgrading of federal laboratories and research facilities;
- $288 million for repair and maintenance of small craft harbours;
- $204 million to support enhancements to federally-owned and operated airports as well as improvements to VIA Rail Canada Inc.’s rail infrastructure;
- $191 million to undertake renewal and repairs of heritage and museum sites; and,
- $183 million for the repair and procurement of vessels and small craft for the Canadian Coast Guard and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to support activities including search and rescue, science, and conservation.
Unprecedented federal spending on infrastructure
