Québec City, Quebec - 16 December 2014
Thank you so much, everyone.
And thank you for your kind introduction, Minister Denis Lebel, Minister Steven Blaney, Quebec caucus chair Jacques Gourde, Quebec Minister Dominique Vien, and Mayor Labeaume, who is now renowned throughout the international Francophonie.
Mr. Latourelle, Mr. Gauvin, everyone from Parks Canada, ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, thanks for your warm welcome.
Like many Canadians, I am always moved when I come face-to-face with the origins of Canadian history.
And there’s no structure that better evokes the history of Quebec than the fortifications surrounding us today.
Dating back over 300 years, these walls serve not only as a reminder of the military role played by Quebec since its founding, but also as the most concrete evidence of the desire of the first Canadians to put down roots here, to found a new country.
In 1775, the citizens of Quebec stood behind these walls and, together with British soldiers, repelled an attack by the American revolutionary army.
And so we are not simply in the presence of stone and mortar; these walls are a bit like the soul of Québec City, of Quebec and of Canada.
Infrastructure like this can be a powerful reminder of our past and it demands preservation, especially in light of the upcoming 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017.
But many other structures demand our attention.
Infrastructure today is also ports and border crossings, bridges and wharves, laboratories and water treatment plants.
In other words, the things that move goods, provide services, and enhance the quality of life for all of us.
In a very real sense Canada's federal infrastructure creates jobs and contributes directly to our economic success.
That’s why our Government has pumped so much money into infrastructure.
In fact, our Government has invested more in national infrastructure than any government in the history of our country.
In 2007 we began with the Building Canada Plan.
Since 2009 we have doubled and indexed the gas tax fund in addition to making it a permanent measure.
And with our Government’s assurance of long-term funding, Canadian municipalities have been able to build and revitalize their own public works, creating jobs and opportunities.
Then in Economic Action Plan 2013, our Government, in the person of Infrastructure Minister Denis Lebel, announced the longest and largest commitment ever in Canadian history to building our country’s economic foundation, and that is the New Building Canada Plan.
This is a commitment of roughly 70 billion dollars in contributions to all manners of provincial, territorial, and community infrastructure projects.
When all is said and done, these projects will have generated tens of thousands of jobs.
Thanks to the tight rein we have kept on public finances, we have the flexibility to make additional investments ahead of schedule in a wide range of federal infrastructure projects.
I was thus able to announce a few weeks ago that our Government would undertake close to six billion dollars in additional infrastructure investment across Canada, most of that over the next three years.
For example, we will be upgrading border facilities.
We will invest in airports and rail services, in small craft harbours and in shipbuilding yards.
We will be modernizing federal laboratories and research centres, and upgrading National Defence and RCMP facilities.
We will also be restoring national historic sites, which is what brings me to Québec City today.
I am very proud to announce that we will be proceeding with major repairs here so that future generations can view the Fortifications of Québec with the same pride we feel.
As one part of our recently announced enhanced infrastructure funding, we will ensure that future generations can view these works with the same pride as so many Canadians before us.
In addition to repairing the walls themselves, we will rebuild the Dauphine Redoubt.
This structure dates back to 1712, making it one of the oldest military buildings built in Canada that can be visited in its original state.
Maillou House, built in 1737, will also undergo major renovations to both its interior and exterior.
Since 1959 this house has been home to the Board of Trade and Industry of Québec, which has watched over your city’s interests for more than two centuries.
I would like to welcome the Board members who are with us here today.
Today the City of Québec, as Monsieur Gauvin noted, is the sole surviving example of a fortified city in North America.
Its fortifications also bear witness to the very foundations of Canada more than 400 years ago.
They are thus a part of the heritage of all Canadians.
The projects I’m announcing today have been specifically selected and designed with two things in mind.
First, these projects will deliver needed improvements to our federal assets and to our communities reasonably quickly.
Second, these investments will provide jobs for Canadians right now.
My friends, the City of Québec’s unique architecture, recognized by UNESCO, is naturally a source of great pride in our past.
And as 2014 winds to a close, I hope that it will also inspire as much confidence in our future among the generations to come.
Thank you.
