Support For Canadian Cities

January 30, 2008

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the Honourable Member from Davenport for the opportunity to address his important question.

On November 6, 2007, our Prime Minister launched Building Canada, the Government’s new infrastructure plan. Building Canada is worth $33 billion and will provide long-term, predictable funding for provinces, territories and municipalities over seven years to help meet their infrastructure needs.

This is the largest and most long-term commitment to public infrastructure by any federal government in modern history.

Over $17.6 billion, or 50 percent of the Building Canada plan, is in the form of direct guaranteed funding for municipalities to help them with their infrastructure needs.

This includes $8 billion in new money to extend the Gas Tax Fund FROM 2010 to 2014. The Gas Tax Fund is predictable, up-front and flexible. It responds directly to municipal requests for stable funding.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, we have extended the 100 percent GST rebate to municipalities, thereby providing an estimated $5.8 billion in additional flexible funding that we are confident they will use to address their infrastructure priorities.

We have committed another $8.8 billion in new funding for the Building Canada Fund, to support large and small-scale projects across this country. This will include support for key priorities identified by municipalities themselves, such as transit and clean water.

I would like to point out that as part of this fund there is a dedicated component that will support projects in communities with a population of less than 100,000 people.

Mr. Speaker, this Conservative Government has been taking strong action, announcing its support for priorities that will bring benefits to municipalities right across our country in key areas such as: clean water, wastewater, better public transit and green energy.


We will also address local priorities such as improved transportation, connectivity and broadband, solid waste management, disaster mitigation, brownfield redevelopment, cultural infrastructure, sport infrastructure and tourism.

These are the priorities that municipalities have identified – and we are responding in an unprecedented way.

Mr. Speaker, this includes strong support for small communities and large cities like Toronto. A prime example is the substantial commitment, over $900 million, to support improved public transit and highway infrastructure in the greater Toronto Area, which the Prime Minister himself announced last spring.

The previous Liberal Government left us with a critical and challenging infrastructure gap. It is this Conservative Government that took swift and decisive action to speed up a world-class infrastructure program for our country.

Provinces, territories and municipalities asked for increased, predictable, and longer-term funding to address growing infrastructure pressures.
We heard them and that is exactly what this Government is delivering.

This Mr. Speaker, is how our Government is helping build modern public infrastructure that contributes to long-term economic growth, a cleaner environment and stronger communities.

Thank you.