Madam Speaker, I would like to get back to the Paris agreement because we got a little off topic.
I want to start by saying that our government is committed to strengthening the middle class and our communities from coast to coast. As part of that commitment, we are creating an innovative and green economy.
The effects of climate change are a real threat to Canadians and all of our communities. That is why our government has committed to doing its part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
As the hon. Minister of Infrastructure and Communities has said, the evidence for climate change is undeniable, contrary to what some of our colleagues say. It is a fact. We see it every day. We must continue to measure these changes and rely on solid, factual evidence.
In addition, the record response rate to the long form census reveals that Canadians realize that these data are an absolutely vital tool. Canadians are ready and willing to take part in this exercise. They want the government to demonstrate rigour and transparency, and they know that this requires reliable data and sound evidence.
That is why Infrastructure Canada and Statistics Canada are working together on a joint data collection initiative. The primary goal is to gather extensive, standardized, evidence-based information regarding the inventory and condition of public infrastructure in Canada, at all levels.
Similarly, the government also made considerable efforts to consult stakeholders all across the country, from every province and region, to ensure that the various aspects of our infrastructure plan meet the priority needs of Canadians.
In early September, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities met with the ministers responsible for infrastructure across Canada. It was the first time that those representatives all gathered around the same table to discuss the needs and priorities of communities and how we want to build the towns and cities of tomorrow. Cities are very much at the heart of our priorities and our future.
The minister worked closely with our partners in order to gather useful information, which was then used to develop phase 1 of our infrastructure plan. We will use the same information to develop phase 2.
Our program is centred around three priorities: public transit infrastructure, social infrastructure, and green infrastructure.
As part of our investment in green infrastructure in phase 1, we plan to integrate the concept of climate resiliency into the National Building Code, which serves as a model. We will do the same for the other codes, standards, and guides relevant to key sectors in public infrastructure.
We will also fund infrastructure development for alternative transportation fuels. This is absolutely necessary. I am talking about electric vehicle charging stations and natural gas and hydrogen refuelling stations. All this will also help us support technology demonstration programs that advance electric vehicle charging technology. We are always looking ahead.
It has been mentioned once or twice before, but we are going to make significant investments in public transit to repair or replace the existing fleet of vehicles.
This is absolutely essential because we are talking about workforce mobility, access to skilled workers for companies, but also a clear reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
We are currently working with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities on improving the capacity of cities and communities to identify and address the challenges related to climate change, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For that we created a special fund of $75 million. We have already mentioned that, but it bears repeating. We are allocating the necessary funding in order to do what we say we are going to do.
Before the launch of phase 1 of the investment program, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities held countless consultations with provincial, territorial, and municipal partners, as well as other stakeholders. That is how to build a plan: by consulting, and by working on the priorities of our cities, of our communities, and of all Canadians. I can assure my colleagues that we are doing the same thing for phase 2 of our infrastructure plan.
A common theme in all these consultations was the need to build sustainable and green communities that use efficient public transit that gets cars off the road. We need communities that capitalize on green infrastructure to grow sustainably and that are resilient to the effects of climate change.
We have collected all that information and we are analyzing the data from this entire consultation process in order to prepare phase 2 of our plan. In phase 2, we will incorporate structural changes when rebuilding our infrastructure, always keeping in mind that the priority is to improve Canadians' quality of life as well as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make our country much greener.
Sometimes we take for granted what we have. We think that things will always be there. We tell ourselves that they will be there. That is how we sometimes think of our infrastructure. We use it every day, without thinking about it, until it no longer works, is no longer accessible, or until it is being rebuilt. Our infrastructure is a valuable asset.
That is why, as I was saying earlier, we are currently working with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to create an asset management fund. It would be a new $50-million capacity-building fund that would support the use of asset management best practices across the country. We know that asset management plans guide how core infrastructure assets are to be built, renewed, operated, maintained, and replaced. This planning helps maximize the use of public dollars, which is very important.
The information we obtain from all this work will help policy-makers and asset owners to manage, plan, and operate their infrastructure assets. It will also provide data on key results to inform our plan to invest in green infrastructure and public transit, two things that closely align with our climate change objectives.
Generations ago, our nation made strategic investments, for example in the national railway system and the Trans-Canada Highway, in order to improve the future prosperity and quality of life of every generation that followed. We need to continue to do that.
In the coming decades, we know that our communities must become cleaner and more resilient to climate change, no matter where they are. We need to help build communities where congestion and emissions are reduced, buildings are more energy efficient, and green energy is harnessed. That is something that we need to do for future generations. We need to do it for our children and our grandchildren.