tens of thousands of Canadians, drive our economy, improve our quality of life, and connect us to each other.
More than 95 percent of Canada’s core public infrastructure is owned by provinces, territories, and municipalities but, since 2006, our Conservative Government has made a historic commitment to supporting public infrastructure across the country. We promised in 2006 “a better approach to fixing Canada’s infrastructure deficit,” and we've delivered.
Federal support for infrastructure has increased dramatically under our Government. Annual federal funding has increased from $571 million a decade ago to over $5 billion this year. And we have launched the largest, longest-running infrastructure program in Canadian history.
Altogether, our investments in infrastructure for the years 2013-2023 will total almost
$85 billion. This level of investment is without precedent, and we've accomplished it while bringing the budget back into balance and lowering taxes.
Infrastructure is also key to trade, and Canadian products need modern infrastructure to travel efficiently to their final destinations at home and abroad. Our Government has made historic investments in improving our trade-oriented infrastructure such as ports, harbours, and rail.
Building economic
infrastructure
Improvements include major projects at Port Metro Vancouver, the Port of Quebec, the Port of Montreal, the Saint John Harbour Bridge, and the new Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor and Detroit.
A re-elected Conservative Government will continue to support important economic investments such as these across the country.
9
9
We’ll launch the Quebec Maritime Prosperity Initiative to fund maritime and portinfrastructure – including improvements to facilities for cruise ships and tall ships, such as the Quai Alexandra terminal in Montreal, the Ross Gaudreault terminal in Quebec City, and the restoration of Champlain – Foulon sector promenade.
9
9
We’ll fund key Asia-Pacific Gatewayprojects in Western Canada to strengthen our transport system and help Canadian businesses, including our farmers, get their products to market.
9
9
And we’ll support major public transit projects – such as Smart Track in the Greater Toronto Area, Light Rail Transit in Surrey and Ottawa, and Calgary’s Green Line – to fight gridlock, reduce travel times for commuters and businesses, and support new economic development.Governing is about making choices. We have chosen to keep taxes low, balance the books, and invest in infrastructure because we know that these things are good for our economy and good for Canadians.
9
9
A re-elected Conservative government will continue to invest in core public infrastructure, to keep our economy moving forward, and to make life easier and better for Canadians.High-speed internet access is not just a quality-of-life issue – it’s critical infrastructure that contributes to business investment, job creation, and, ultimately, economic development in rural and remote parts of our country.
“
The transit investment in this budget is good news for Canadians and marks an important achievement on a key issue they face.”
Federation of Canadian Municipalities (April 21, 2015).
52 - Our Conservative plan to protect the economy
Our Conservative Government has put significant effort and investments into extending high-speed broadband access to all Canadians. Our goal is to ensure that 98 percent of Canadian households have high-speed internet service by 2017, and we’re on track to meet this target.
9
9
A re-elected Conservative Government will build on our record of expanding rural internet access by funding high-capacity backbone – such as fibre optic cable networks or satellite – in hundreds of communities across the country, allowing people and businesses in northern and rural communities to access the internet at speeds currently enjoyed by Canadians in larger urban centres.“
The commitment announced today demonstrates real progress on a key issue for municipalities, in particular rural and remote communi-ties….If implemented, this pledge has the potential to improve the quality of broadband services in these regions by expanding access to fibre-based internet services.”
Federation of Canadian Municipalities (August 26, 2015).
Canadians are a northern people; winter blows through our stories, our songs, and our sports. And the Arctic itself is a key element of our national identity. Its exploration, by great heroes like Sir John Franklin, is our history. Its vast geography is our present. And its limitless promise is our future.
One of the challenges of living in Canada’s north is the high cost of healthy food. The great distance between major shipping hubs and some of our most remote communities drives up prices, making feeding a family a much more expensive undertaking than in the rest of the country.
Our Conservative Government is committed to helping people in Northern communities enjoy the kind of healthy diet all Canadians enjoy, and has invested significantly in the Nutrition North program, which subsidizes the cost of food
But the program can be improved.
9
9
A re-elected Conservative Government will require that all retailers have a point-of-sale system for the Nutrition North program so that Northern customers can clearly see on their grocery receipts how and when the Nutrition North subsidy is applied.9
9
We’ll also extend the Nutrition North Program to 40 additional communities.A key part of Canada’s Northern Strategy is the devolution of power related to lands and resources to northern governments. In Yukon and the Northwest Territories, which have reached agreements with the federal
government to achieve this, significant prosperity, growth and opportunity have followed.