Catherine McKenna

[Infrastructure, November 16th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to stand and talk about our investments in public transit. Our government has invested over $13 billion in public transit. That is more than 13 times what the previous government invested, and the Conservatives actually called for cuts to infrastructure.

We look forward to working with the province. We look forward to receiving a business case for the extension so that we can get it built, creating jobs, reducing emissions and helping people get around their communities faster.

[Infrastructure, November 16th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for Richmond Hill for his continued advocacy for the Yonge North subway.

While the Conservatives called for cuts to infrastructure, our government has invested over $13 billion in public transit, more than 13 times what the previous government invested. We look forward to working with the province and seeing a business case from it for the Yonge North subway extension, so we can get it built. This will create good jobs, reduce emissions and help people get around their communities faster.

[Infrastructure, November 6th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we are committed to making historic investments in public transit, including in British Columbia, and that is exactly what we are doing. When we receive projects from the province that are prioritized, we look at the business case and are happy to move forward.

I am happy to talk to the member opposite in more detail about this project.

[Infrastructure, October 23rd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to repeat our commitment to public transit. We have committed $8.3 billion to public transit in Ontario. I have had direct conversations with the minister responsible for this project about the opportunity to move forward.

Once again I would like to ask this of the member opposite. When they said they would cut $18 billion from the infrastructure budget, would they have cut the investment in this project?

[Infrastructure, October 23rd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we have a bilateral agreement with Ontario that will see our government invest over $11.8 billion in Ontario over the next decade, including $8.3 billion for public transit. We are absolutely committed to moving forward on good public transit projects.

I would like to remind the member opposite that it was under their election platform that they were going to cut infrastructure investments. Would they have cut this project?

[Infrastructure, October 19th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, it is always great to talk about our infrastructure program.

We are building projects across the country, thousands of projects, creating jobs across the country and improving communities. We are going to continue to do that. I am certainly happy to talk to the member opposite on particular issues, but we are going to continue building our great country.

[Infrastructure, October 6th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we are delivering real results for Canadians. We have delivered on thousands of infrastructure projects across the country, creating good jobs for Canadians, moving forward on tackling climate change and building a more inclusive Canada.

In terms of the Infrastructure Bank's announcement last week, let me give some of the positive feedback. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities says that this growth plan “sends positive signals to rural communities across the country. We especially welcome significant financing opportunities to improve high speed Internet service nationwide.” Clean Energy Canada says the plan will “help build a more competitive and resilient economy, creating jobs for Canadians while tackling climate change.” I could go on—

[Infrastructure, October 1st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I am always proud to talk about the infrastructure investments we are making across the country, including in the member's riding. We have invested in thousands of projects that are creating jobs across the country and building cleaner and more inclusive communities.

The REM project in Montreal, funded by the Canada Infrastructure Bank, has created thousands of jobs and is advancing quickly. Today's announcement is a demonstration that under the leadership of Michael Sabia, we are going to get even more built. A $10-billion investment that will crowd in the private sector will mean retrofits in buildings across the country. It will mean more electric buses and better public transportation—

[Infrastructure, October 1st, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I am always happy to talk about our infrastructure program, which is generating thousands of projects, creating good jobs across the country and building a healthier future.

Today, we partnered with Michael Sabia, who is well known across Canada and in Quebec, to announce a $10-billion investment in retrofits and electric buses. This investment will support our transition to a cleaner economy and create 60,000 jobs.

Montrealers are well aware of how the infrastructure bank works because the REM project—

[Infrastructure, September 29th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, we are certainly not hiding behind any smoke screen. We just expect that we have to be mindful of taxpayer dollars. I would have thought the Conservative Party would support that.

We have approved more than 1,000 projects across Canada in the last few months. We are moving forward. We are doing it because we need to create jobs. We need to reduce emissions. We need to ensure a more inclusive future.

The Yonge subway line is an example of that. We certainly encourage the Government of Ontario to move forward and hand a business case over to us.