On Parliament Hill

The New Building Canada Plan

  • Ted Falk, Author
  • Member of Parliament, Provencher

As the Member of Parliament for Provencher, I applaud our Conservative Government  for its commitment to investing in Canada’s infrastructure. This funding will help improve the quality of life for our families, enhance economic competitiveness and encourage job creation in communities across Southeastern Manitoba.

In 2007, our Government provided $33 billion in stable, flexible and predictable funding across the country. Since coming to power, our Government has almost tripled the average annual federal funding for provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure. No other Government in the history of Canada has made similar levels of investment.

Last week, the Honourable Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs highlighted important details of the New Building Canada Plan. I would like to share with you some of those highlights.

The New Building Canada Plan is the largest and longest federal infrastructure plan in our nation’s history stretching over a 10 year period and committing $53 billion in funding across the country. The New Building Canada Plan will continue to support infrastructure projects that foster economic growth, job creation and long-term prosperity.

The New Building Canada Plan includes the federal Gas Tax Fund, the Goods and Services Tax Rebate for Municipalities, the New Building Canada Fund and the P3 Canada Fund. Below are some important features of the funding:

  • The Community Improvement Fund, consisting of the Gas Tax Fund and the incremental Goods and Services Tax Rebate for Municipalities, will provide over $32 billion to municipalities for projects such as roads, public transit and recreational facilities, and other community infrastructure;
  • Over the next five years, over $340 million will be dedicated exclusively to Manitoba’s municipalities through the federal Gas Tax Fund;
  • A $14 billion New Building Canada Fund, which consists of a $4 billion National Infrastructure Component that will support projects of national significance and a $10 billion Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component (PTIC) for projects of national, local or regional significance. $1 billion of PTIC is dedicated to projects in communities under 100,000 residents;
  • For Manitoba, this represents almost $1.2 billion in dedicated federal funding, including more than $467 million under the New Building Canada Fund and an estimated $713 million under the federal Gas Tax Fund;
  • Over the next 10 years, over $467 million of the PTIC will be allocated to Manitoba;
  • An additional $1.25 billion in funding for the P3 (Public-Private Partnerships) Canada Fund;
  • $6 billion in funding that continues to flow across the country this year and beyond under existing infrastructure programs.

Now that Minister Lebel has confirmed the policy framework, he will work with provinces, territories, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to develop parameters of the New Building Canada Fund Terms and Conditions. The New Building Canada Plan is expected to launch and be in a position to accept proposals Spring of 2014.