Budget 2017 falls flat on infrastructure
From the time that Budget 2016 was tabled, a myriad of reports from the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the Senate Committee on National Finance, and think-tanks such as the Fraser Institute and the C.D. Howe Institute have highlighted numerous issues with the Liberals’ infrastructure plan. These issues include: a lack of transparency in where infrastructure money […]
Canada Infrastructure Bank needed to close gaping deficit
Our government took office with a firm commitment to modernize the country’s infrastructure. We promised to double infrastructure investment across the country and build strong, sustainable, and inclusive communities. Toward this end, we have since approved over 2,000 projects across Canada with a combined investment of more than $21-billion, versus only 700 projects total in […]
Promised new slate of infrastructure pacts with provinces worries industry
Industry associations are expressing concerns that promised new bilateral pacts with the provinces and territories will further delay the already slow trickle of infrastructure dollars from Ottawa. “We’d [hoped] that more of the legwork would have been announced in this budget for phase two [of the infrastructure program],” said John Gamble, president and CEO of the Association of Consulting Engineering […]
Minister seeks to calm construction workers’ CETA worries
Re: “New-style trade deals have ominous implications for the future,” (The Hill Times, April 3, p. 14). I would like to respond to the piece by Joseph Maloney on the subject of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) by addressing certain inaccuracies, particularly in reference to assertions made about impacts on safety and quality […]
Budget 2017 a game-changer for municipalities
For two years, municipal leaders have laid out a bold vision for Canada’s future. We’ve shown how communities—large and small, urban, and rural—are this country’s economic engines. And we’ve shown that one of the best ways to build a prosperous and sustainable Canada is to empower local governments. Last month’s federal budget does that in […]
The Canada Infrastructure Bank belongs in Calgary
CALGARY—When Canada built the Confederation Bridge connecting New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island—one of the most significant infrastructure projects in our history—it ran through Calgary. Indirectly, of course. The expertise in engineering and construction management for that mega-project was located in Calgary. It was a stunning example (the St. Lawrence Seaway and Toronto subway are […]
Infrastructure: 04-12-2017
Anti-globalist movement hasn’t hit Canada yet, poll suggests
Don’t expect to see any “Canada first” slogans bandied about by in-the-know politicians here; Canadians by and large support international trade and governance, a recent poll suggests. Well over half of respondents to a January survey of 1,501 adults agreed with statements supportive of free trade and participation in international organizations, while a much smaller […]
Chinese ambassador says human rights, democracy shouldn’t factor in trade deal
China’s new ambassador to Canada, Lu Shaye, disagrees with his counterpart John McCallum when it comes to including mention of human rights in a free trade agreement between the two countries. Just last week, Mr. McCallum said human rights would be part and parcel of a potential free trade agreement between Canada and China, as reported by […]
How to make NAFTA great again
MONTREAL—During the American election campaign, Donald Trump criticized the North American Free Trade Agreement on several occasions, going so far as to call it “a disaster,” and he clearly stated his intention to renegotiate it. Although the new president is wrong to target it as the source of the economic ills afflicting his country, it […]
