Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), as of January 21, 2016, the P3 screen, which is mandatory under the new Building Canada Fund, was still in place for infrastructure projects of $100 million or more in total eligible costs. As of January 21, 2016, 40 projects submitted under the new Building Canada Fund have had total eligible costs of $100 million or more, the trigger for the P3 screen. Of these, two projects were determined by PPP Canada as a result of the P3 screen to show potential for delivery as a P3.
With regard to (b), the Government of Canada has not held or delayed any of the projects mentioned in part (a).
With regard to (c), the Government of Canada has not held or delayed any of the projects mentioned in (b); therefore, no funding was displaced.
With regard to (d), the Government of Canada is committed to removing the P3 screen, as is outlined in the mandate letter for the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. In the process of making this decision, we consulted with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, who asked us in their 2016 pre-budget submission to “retire the cumbersome [P3 Screening] process, permitting municipalities to determine the best procurement model for local realities.”
The criteria used to make this decision were as follows: the service standard for PPP Canada to complete the initial P3 screen—that is, to review the proponent's completed P3 questionnaire and provide a written opinion to INFC with respect to P3 potential--is two weeks. Projects that are screened in at this stage, meaning those projects that show potential for P3, are then required to undertake a procurement options analysis, which can take up to 18 months to complete.