Evidence of meeting #125 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was communities.
A video is available from Parliament.
9:35 a.m.
Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
We'll do that for the member as he asked, and every other member can see it. Perfect.
9:35 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Yes, if the others would like to have it for theirs, they can ask for that.
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Madam Chair, I am not a member of the committee. Would it be possible to have the information forwarded to me?
9:35 a.m.
Churence Rogers Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, Lib.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Welcome, Minister.
I'm going to be sharing my time with my colleague, Mr. Sikand.
Mr. Minister, I want to ask specifically about municipal issues. I come from a municipal background from a very small town as a mayor. I've been involved provincially as president of the municipal association and sitting on the FCM board, the federal board. Specifically, I'd like for you to inform the committee about what some of the things are that you're focused on or doing, in trying to assist small towns in rural Canada with their infrastructure needs, specifically things like water, waste water and other issues and challenges that they deal with every day.
9:35 a.m.
Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
I'd like to thank the member. I realize we have a lot of colleagues with a municipal background and that's good.
One of the things we have done is to work with FCM very closely in understanding the needs of municipalities.
As Mr. Rogers knows, I come from a riding that has 34 small municipalities as well, so I really understand the need. That's why I was saying that infrastructure means different things to different people. If you're in an urban area, like in the question before, I can talk about Montreal and the Champlain Bridge, or I can talk about things happening in B.C. or in Alberta in Calgary or Edmonton, but obviously when you're talking, for example, about Newfoundland and Labrador and smaller communities, that's why we tailored part of our program. The $33 billion and the agreements, the integrated bilateral agreements, have a component that deals with rural and northern communities.
The reason was that we understood that for smaller communities you needed more flexibility, that in smaller communities sometimes what would be needed, for example, could be an Internet connection to change the lives of people.
I am very happy to be engaging. I was just, for example, in the province next to yours, in New Brunswick, and I met, for example, I think 30 small municipality mayors. I did the same thing in Alberta the last time I was there. I think it's the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association.
I like to do that because, first of all, it's about providing information. Second, it's about engaging with them about their needs and, third, I would say, it's about making sure that our programs are tailored to fit the purposes of small communities.
9:35 a.m.
Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, Lib.
I have one other question. I appreciate the support you provide to municipalities because it sometimes alleviates the municipal burden or the tax burden on people within our small communities, especially, across the country. Today Internet and cellphone service are crucially important but sadly lacking in many parts of rural Canada.
I can specifically talk about my riding and the Baie Verte Peninsula, for instance, where there's very sparse cell coverage. People are calling out for and asking and requesting that I lobby my government for increased funding for Internet and cellphone coverage in my riding. Can you tell us what our government is doing to connect more communities with broadband Internet and improved cell service in rural Canada especially?
9:35 a.m.
Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
Madam Chair, I'd like to thank my colleague, Mr. Rogers, because that's something dear to my heart. As I said before, I feel exactly the same as him. A good part of my own riding is not connected with either cellphone or Internet. I'm happy to advocate for him and with him on that very important issue.
The rural and community stream under our program is providing some elements of response to that. We have been able under the program to tailor the rules to be able to finance part of that. However, I would say, Madam Chair, this is only part of the answer.
I think that the connect to innovate program, under Minister Bains, has been very important with the $500 million that was set aside to start connecting Canada. I think that people understand today that Internet connectivity is a bit like electricity in the old days, where this is allowing people to, for example, have remote education, remote learning, or remote medicine, for example, provided in their communities.
I understand the member and I can assure him that I'm on the same page as him. We would like to work with you to make sure that we can do more for communities across Canada with respect to the Internet.
9:40 a.m.
Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, Lib.
Thank you.
I'll now turn it over to Mr. Sikand.
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
Gagan Sikand Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Thank you.
I'd actually like to start by thanking you, Minister, for an over $1-million investment out of the $2-billion clean water and waste water fund, as it helped build the foundation drainage collector, the FDC pumping station and utility dewatering system in my riding. Thank you for that.
Following up with that, what has our government done to make sure that Canadians know what we're investing in or are aware of where the dollars are going?
9:40 a.m.
Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
I'm very happy. I think what you see this morning is that there are projects in every community around this table. Canadians watching us at home would feel exactly the same. We have more than 4,400 projects ongoing in the country. Obviously, each and every one of them is improving the quality of life of people.
The first project I announced, to give you an example, was in a community close to my hometown. It was about $10,000. I remember people were asking me, “Minister, why would you make an announcement of $10,000?” I said, “It's because a small amount in a small community can make a big difference.” The example you give is that you have one in your riding. I could go around the table because I have a list of projects in every riding represented around this table.
The green infrastructure, for me, is one of the most important ones. You're talking about waste-water treatment.
Many of these projects may not be visible to Canadians because they will be upgrading stations—for example, pumping stations like in Trois-Rivières—or other things. If Canadians want to know what kinds of projects they have in their communities, we have provided what we call the geo-map. If people go to Infrastructure Canada's website, they'll be able to zoom in on a map. We have tried to provide transparency to Canadians, so that they can see in their communities the types of projects that have been funded and their states of completion. Sometimes we can even provide pictures, so that people can relate to what we're doing. We're going to continue to do that because I think it's important that Canadians realize that these projects, in different ways—whether it's about water, whether it's about public transit, whether it's about extending a runway in a community—are making a difference in their lives.
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
9:40 a.m.
Edmonton Riverbend, CPC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'd just like to remind colleagues on the other side of the table that this is taxpayers' money.
Everyone's thanking you, Minister. Even though you're here in front of us, this is still taxpayers' money at the end of the day, and it's not from your personal account that you're paying for these projects.
I want to ask you, yes or no, if the Infrastructure Bank is, in your opinion, delayed on announcing projects.
9:40 a.m.
Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
Just allow me, Madame Chair, to say that I think the member made a great point. I never pretend that it's my own money. I'm just here to represent the public interest of the government, parliamentarians and Canadians. I always make the point, I would say to my colleague, to make sure that people understand that it's taxpayers' money. Our job is to manage it, and to allocate it in the best possible way to make an impact. I take that point very—
9:40 a.m.
Edmonton Riverbend, CPC
Is the Infrastructure Bank delayed in announcing projects, yes or no?
9:40 a.m.
Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
I would say that the Infrastructure Bank, as I said before, is looking at dozens of projects as we're talking. Obviously my colleague, who knows these things well, would understand that there are commercial sensitivities about announcements. We will do the work. The bank will do the work. When it's ready to announce, there will be announcements.
9:40 a.m.
Edmonton Riverbend, CPC
In terms of timeline, Minister, it was part of the 2015 election that this was going to be a tool. Then it was announced again, in 2016, that you're doing it. There was recently an additional $11 million drawdown on it. This is a $35 billion bank. You have seen one project built in Montreal, which was a reannouncement from a previous project. Do you or do you not think that this bank has been an absolute failure for Canadians up to this point?
9:40 a.m.
Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
Madame Chair, as the member said, our role as parliamentarians and as government, as the Infrastructure Bank, is obviously to invest public dollars. When we do that, I'm sure the member and the people watching us would expect us to do proper due diligence. I'm sure the member is not suggesting that we rush into any investment, but that we need to do the proper due diligence. As you said, those are precious dollars from taxpayers across the country. We need to do the proper due diligence on these projects. This is what is ongoing.
I would hope that the member realizes that the bank is a tool to do more for Canadians. I think that if he were to talk to some of the investors I talk to, and Canadians, they understand that—
9:45 a.m.
Edmonton Riverbend, CPC
It's a very expensive tool, Minister. It's a very expensive tool, from which we've seen very few results.
9:45 a.m.
Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
We're building a bank for the next century. If I were the member, I would look back at that. I'm sure one day he will see the impacts of that, whether we're looking at interties and other things that will make a difference not only in his province but across Canada. This is a tool to build the types of things that Canadians want. This is about thinking big. This is about thinking smart. I'm sure the member is with us when it comes to building better communities across Canada.
9:45 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Minister Champagne, thank you very much for being here with the committee today. We waited impatiently. We appreciate all of the information you have shared with the committee.
We will suspend for a moment while we change witnesses—
9:45 a.m.
Edmonton Riverbend, CPC
Madam Chair, before we suspend, I have just a point of order on the quote that you quoted to me, in terms of asking repetitive questions. Typically that's used for repetitive speeches in the House of Commons. I'd like you to come back to this committee with examples of when it's been used in terms of committees here. If you're able to do that, fantastic, because I don't want to raise this in the House and make the Speaker rule on something like this. Thank you.
9:45 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you, Mr. Jeneroux.
I'd be happy to share the book with the rules in it, on page 1058, chapter 20 on committees and the ability of the chair to decide whether it's repetitive or out of—