Canada News
Liberals Call for Investment in Infrastructure
VANCOUVER. STOCK PHOTO BY RIGUCCI.
OTTAWA – Canadian communities are in urgent need of infrastructure investment, and the Conservative government should immediately end its irresponsible funding cuts, said Liberal Critic for Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities, David McGuinty.
“The Liberal Party has been reaching out to Canadians who have identified hundreds of infrastructure projects across the country that are in immediate need of funding,” said Mr. McGuinty. “At the same time, on April 1st, the Conservatives are slashing infrastructure funding by 87 percent. This political decision, which was made by the Conservatives in an attempt to balance the budget for the next election, will do nothing to generate economic growth or help middle class families.”
The Building Canada Fund, which offers infrastructure funding to communities across the country, is being cut by the Conservatives and the funding will not return to current levels until 2019. Last week, Liberals MPs across the country spoke out in their communities against the cuts and underlined the need for infrastructure investment. In Winnipeg, for example, the Mayor is even considering declaring a state of emergency because of frozen water pipes.
“Investing in infrastructure will increase our productivity, reduce traffic gridlock, improve our quality of life, and make Canada a more attractive place to invest, creating jobs for middle class families.” said Mr. McGuinty. “At last month’s Convention in Montréal, Liberals passed a resolution calling for major infrastructure funding of up to 1% of GDP, and we are calling on the new Finance Minister, Joe Oliver, to reverse the infrastructure cuts. It is time to invest and generate the growth that will benefit our communities.”
Press release from the Office of the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, 27 March 2014.
