Madam Speaker, it is important to speak to the Government of Canada's commitment to building strong, vibrant communities that will benefit Canadians for generations. Our government understands the need to build sustainable communities that bring Canadians together and ensure they have access to services, programs and cultural and social opportunities where they live and work. That is what we heard from Canadians across the country. We heard it from indigenous partners, as well as from municipal, provincial and territorial leaders.
They told us that they needed strong, safe, livable and prosperous communities in order to be successful. That is why our historic, long-term investing in Canada plan is based on three key objectives: creating long-term economic growth for communities across Canada, supporting a low carbon, green economy and building inclusive communities for all Canadians.
To do this, we are investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in five main infrastructure priorities: public transit, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation infrastructure, and rural and northern communities infrastructure.
Madam Speaker, I forgot to mention that I will be sharing my time with the hon. member for Winnipeg North.
These priorities are broader than one department alone. The plan is being delivered by 14 different federal departments and agencies, including Infrastructure Canada. Infrastructure Canada manages the investing in Canada infrastructure program, which is providing funding through bilateral agreements between the department and each of the provinces and territories.
This federal investment includes four funding streams: $20.1 billion for public transit; $9.2 billion for green infrastructure; $1.3 billion for community, culture and recreational infrastructure; and $2.4 billion for wide-ranging infrastructure needs in rural and northern communities.
Today, I would like to talk about the importance of and investments being made in Canada's community, culture and recreational infrastructure. Building infrastructure to meet Canadians' needs where they live, work, play and raise their families takes the collaboration of provinces, territories, municipalities and partners such as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Canada is made up of communities of all sizes, and our government recognizes that the success of our country as a whole depends on building safe, attractive and inclusive places that Canadians can call home. All of these investments have economic benefits.
However, the social benefits cannot be understated. When we build inclusive community centres, we encourage Canadians of all ages and abilities to come together, learn about each other, engage with each other, and get involved in physical activities that will help them increase their quality of life.
There are investments such as the $6 million for the new Ben Calf Robe School in Alberta, which will enhance the ability of indigenous communities to teach, promote and preserve their cultural heritage within Canada without having to leave their home communities; or the $16.1 million investment in six new cultural and recreation facilities for members of the Tsawwassen First Nation and surrounding communities in British Columbia. These funds will go to renovations and retrofit for an arena in Colwood, an indigenous cultural centre in Lake Country, a new field house for the sportsplex in north Cowichan, a new community building in Williams Lake and a new culturally specialized multi-purpose community and recreation facility for residents and visitors to the Sumas First Nation to enjoy.
These facilities help bring people together to take advantage of a wide variety of community services and programs. However, more than that, for many first nation communities, they help to foster cultural awareness, protect traditions, break isolation and allow more families to stay and grow in their communities.
When we work together with provinces, territories, municipalities and communities to build safe, new affordable housing and new sports facilities, what we are really doing is building the Canada of the future, one community at a time.
The investing in Canada plan was designed to be flexible and responsive to the needs of Canadians. I am pleased to report that through the plan our government has invested over $57.5 billion in more than 52,000 projects in municipalities of all sizes. Almost all of these projects are currently under way or completed.
Nowadays, the problems our communities are facing are not the same as they were 50 or even 20 years ago. Programs like the smart cities challenge aim to get behind big ideas that solve community problems. By using data and connected technologies, we can solve the issues communities are currently facing as well as the challenges of the future, and that is in addition to the reliable, predictable funding provided by the federal gas tax fund.
The gas tax fund provides more than $2 billion per year and benefits all municipalities across the country. This federal funding, which supports approximately 4,000 projects each year, flows from the provinces and territories directly to the municipalities, which are responsible for planning, identifying and implementing projects under the 18 categories of eligible funding.
Budget 2019 also included a one-time increase of $2.2 billion to the federal gas tax fund, which doubled the government's commitment to municipalities in 2018-19, enabling municipalities to invest more in the infrastructure projects that are necessary to their communities and the well-being of their residents. What this means is that more communities across the country will be able to make infrastructure investment decisions that are right for them.
They will be able to put funds toward the much needed sports arenas, cultural centres and natural green spaces their residents need, want and deserve.
In turn, these investments will strengthen communities, support their social and economic growth, and build a stronger future for all Canadians. They will also help strengthen communities during times of climate crisis.
The costs and impacts of climate change are significant and increasing. We also know that the social and economic costs of building resilient infrastructure that will protect communities from disaster are less than disaster recovery costs.
Catastrophic events are becoming more frequent here at home and around the world, so we have to start thinking about how we can use our resources more effectively to protect our communities. By focusing on infrastructure that is cleaner, more efficient, and better able to withstand the effects of time and climate change, we are building a healthy, prosperous and sustainable country for our children and grandchildren.
To achieve this, we are working closely with our partners, including the provinces, territories and municipalities that own approximately 98% of all core public infrastructure.
By working with partners at all levels of government, with indigenous leaders and with stakeholders, we are building communities that Canadians are proud to live in. We can achieve this by showing respect for taxpayer money and by protecting our environment now, so that it can be enjoyed by future generations.