Improvements to make travel and trade more efficient, building on the new Building Canada Plan
No. H033/13
For release - March 27, 2013
BOUCHERVILLE, QUEBEC —The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, today announced significant federal funding to expand and modernize the Lacolle Border Crossing.
“The Government of Canada is proud to invest up to $47 million in important infrastructure improvements to the Lacolle Border Crossing, which will have a significant impact for Quebec and will facilitate the safe, secure and efficient movement of people and trade between Canada and the U.S.,” said Minister Lebel. “With the new Building Canada Plan, our government is delivering the largest investment in infrastructure in Canadian history through Economic Action Plan 2013, investments that create jobs and economic growth, and provide a high quality of life for families in every city and community across the country.”
Critical for Canada-U.S. trade, the Lacolle, Quebec-Champlain, New York border crossing saw over $21 billion in two-way trade in 2012. Lacolle is an equally important crossing for travellers, with more than 780,000 cars and buses entering Canada through this point last year.
“The redevelopment project at Lacolle provides an opportunity to expedite the flow of traffic through the border by expanding and modernizing the current infrastructure,” added Minister Lebel. “This announcement follows through on commitments in the Beyond the Border Action Plan announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama in December 2011.”
The Government of Canada has allocated new funding for the Lacolle improvements in Budget 2013. Funding will flow through the Gateways and Border Crossings Fund. The $2.1-billion Gateways and Border Crossings Fund (GBCF) is a program used to improve the flow of goods and people between Canada and the rest of the world. GBCF infrastructure funding targets projects that increase the productivity and efficiency of strategic transportation assets of national significance, such as bridges, roads and ports, which are part of international gateways, strategic trade corridors and key land border crossings.
This initiative adds to the government’s unprecedented investments in infrastructure, announced in Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2013. The government is delivering the new Building Canada plan to construct roads, bridges, subways, commuter rail, and other public infrastructure in cooperation with provinces, territories, and municipalities. Combined with other federal infrastructure investments, it supports Canada’s infrastructure advantage, a key enabler of economic growth and job creation. Since 2006, the federal government has made unprecedented investments in over 43,000 projects to build roads, bridges, commuter rail and other important public infrastructure.
The project is among key border crossings identified in the Beyond the Border Action Plan which was established with the United States to enhance our mutual security, prosperity and economic competitiveness. The action plan focuses on four areas: addressing threats early; facilitating trade, economic growth and jobs; integrating cross border law enforcement; and strengthening critical infrastructure and cyber security.
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