No. H045/06
For release June 6, 2006
OTTAWA — Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities today released the following statement on the
occasion of Environment Week:
"As Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, I am pleased to
celebrate Environment Week 2006 with all Canadians as they organize and take
part in community activities across the country.
"I am proud of this government's commitment to taking actions that will lead to
a cleaner, healthier environment in all our communities. The Government of
Canada will take concrete actions to improve the environment and the lives of
all Canadians by making major investments in public transit infrastructure and
by providing incentives to encourage its use.
"The unprecedented federal support for infrastructure outlined in Budget 2006
will help ensure, for example, that citizens have access to safe and reliable
water systems, and that traffic congestion is reduced, contributing to an
improved environment.
"Additional investments to encourage the use of public transit will further help
communities improve their quality of life.
"A total of $1.3 billion will be provided for public transit in order to ease
traffic congestion in urban areas, reduce carbon dioxide and improve the quality
of the air and the quality of life in our cities — $900 million will be paid
through a trust fund for public transit infrastructure and $400 million will be
provided through agreements with the provinces and territories.
"In addition, the Budget backs those investments in public transit with $370
million in tax credits over two years for people who buy monthly passes. No
other government has ever done as much to encourage public transit. This measure
will reinforce our transit supply and service investments, thereby increasing
transit ridership.
"And while the Government of Canada is doing great things for cities across the
country, Transport Canada is doing great things for all its employees and the
residents of Ottawa and Gatineau. On May 26th, I was pleased to accept an award
on behalf of Transport Canada honouring the department's Green Commute Program
and to join Ottawa Mayor Chiarelli to launch the City's new Internet carpooling
service Ottawaridematch.com, which Transport Canada helped fund.
"The ridematching system will help Ottawa and Gatineau residents do what so many
Canadians do every day: help the environment by choosing environmentally
friendly ways to travel to and from work. On that note, the Commuter Challenge
will once again be a central part of Environment Week this year and I encourage
all Canadians to challenge each other's organizations to see who will be this
year's commuter champs!
"These personal environmental initiatives complement the larger public ones I
mentioned earlier.
This week, on behalf of the Government of Canada, I thank all Canadians as they
do their part to help ensure sustainable futures in their communities. Together
we can make a difference that can last a lifetime."
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Contacts:
Natalie Sarafian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Transport,
Infrastructure and Communities, Ottawa
(613) 991-0700
Robin Browne
Communications
Transport Canada, Ottawa
(613) 993-0055
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at apps.tc.gc.ca/listserv/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
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