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How the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities can maintain Canada’s status as a global economic leader

How the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities can maintain Canada’s status as a global economic leader

Whether it is natural resource extraction projects, digital connectivity, or transportation within and between regions of our country, Canada requires timely and strategic investments in infrastructure to maintain its status as a global economic leader.

After over a year-and-a-half of lockdowns and sacrifice, Canadians are seeing the benefits of their efforts to stop COVID-19. The pandemic is not over, but we can now look beyond COVID to plan for our future. Now, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is writing “mandate letters” to members of the Cabinet with policy priorities that will support growth of the Canadian economy.

Canadians rely on high-quality infrastructure to meet their everyday needs. Whether it is natural resource extraction projects, digital connectivity, or transportation within and between regions of our country, Canada requires timely and strategic investments in infrastructure to maintain its status as a global economic leader.

The Minister of Infrastructure should:

  • Carry out a comprehensive National Infrastructure Assessment in consultation with provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples, and businesses.
  • Prioritize trade-enabling infrastructure that incentivizes domestic and foreign investment.
  • Prioritize high growth multipliers like digital, telecommunications, energy, and transport infrastructure that create sustainable economic growth.
  • Improve coordination among infrastructure owners and funders by conducting a joint federal-provincial analysis and formalizing a consultative mechanism.
  • Improve collaboration with Indigenous communities and businesses to facilitate infrastructure development and maintenance.
  • Ensure that the Canada Infrastructure Bank is adequately funded and focuses on trade-enabling infrastructure. Expand the scope of the Bank to include technical fleets to support emissions reductions. 
  • Expand investments in broadband through the Universal Broadband Fund.
  • Ensure that cybersecurity is a core component of any infrastructure investment moving forward to secure our critical infrastructure and the future of the Canadian economy.

To see all 21 of our mandate letters to ministers, click here.

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