Vancouver, British Columbia, Friday, May 31, 2013 – The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages and Minister Responsible for British Columbia, today highlighted how the Harper Government's investments in British Columbia's infrastructure are making significant contributions to the Canadian economy at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' (FCM) Annual Conference and Trade Show.
"Our Government's infrastructure investments, whether they're major projects like highway renovations or smaller projects like sidewalk installations, create jobs, support economic growth, and contribute to the long-term prosperity of Canada," said Minister Moore. "They're important to the people they affect, and they're important to our country as a whole — its health, its economic success, and its liveability. "
Municipalities across the province have benefited from infrastructure investments made through the original $33 billion Building Canada Plan and the Economic Action Plan 2009. Infrastructure commitments from all contributors under the original Building Canada Fund, the Green Infrastructure Fund and the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund totaled over $4.5 billion. Since 2006, the Harper Government has made unprecedented investments in over 43,000 projects to build roads, bridges, commuter rail and other important public infrastructure.
The New Building Canada Plan will build on the Harper Government's commitment to infrastructure investments and provide over $53 billion for provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure, including more than $47 billion in new funding. The New Plan, which followed consultations with provinces, territories, the FCM and other stakeholders, will take effect following the conclusion of the original Building Canada program.
"Throughout the uncertainty in the global economy, we have seen Canada's Economic Action Plan deliver real and tangible results for Canadians," said Minister Moore. "Our Government's actions initiated through Canada's Economic Action Plan allowed us to recover from these global economic shocks faster and with the best job growth record and lowest debt to GDP ratio in the G-7."
Canada's economy has created over 900,000 net new jobs since July 2009, which represents the strongest job growth among G-7 countries over the recovery. The New Building Canada Plan, combined with other federal infrastructure investments, supports Canada's infrastructure advantage, which is a key enabler of economic growth and job creation.
For additional information about federal investments in infrastructure and to stay up-to-date with Web feeds, visit Infrastructure Canada.
For further information about Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit Canada's Economic Action Plan.
Sébastien Gariépy
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
819-997-7788
