Madam Speaker, I wish to inform you that I will be sharing my time with the member for Trois-Rivières.
The ambitious budget that we presented to the House on November 4 contains a lot of good news for my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche. With the build communities strong fund, we are going to make significant investments in infrastructure. More specifically, the community stream, the former gas tax program, will give municipalities more predictability in planning their infrastructure investments.
As a former municipal councillor in the rural community of Kedgwick, I am well aware of the importance of this program, which allows for direct transfers to municipalities. It means money for paving the streets of Bois‑Joli or Vallée‑des‑Rivières. It means funding for the water and sewer system in Upper Madawaska or Heron Bay. It means money for community infrastructure in Saint‑Quentin or Grand Falls.
In addition, a provincial and territorial cost-sharing stream will contribute more than $17 billion in new funding for infrastructure that will facilitate housing construction. Sometimes, for example, building an apartment building requires upgrading the capacity of a water system or building an extra stretch of roadway. The federal government will be there to support that type of project.
We are also establishing a new health infrastructure fund. This is important. It means money for our hospitals, emergency rooms and other health facilities that are important to our communities. In addition, there is $6 billion for regionally significant infrastructure.
In addition to our historic investments in infrastructure, we are also making unprecedented investments in housing through Build Canada Homes. The $13 billion we will invest through Build Canada Homes over the next five years will help accelerate housing construction across the country. That includes affordable housing.
Already in my riding, when we walk through the streets of Campbellton or Edmundston, we see apartment buildings being constructed with federal funding. This is transforming the face of our cities for the better. Having discussed this with several mayors in my riding, I know that some excellent local housing projects will be proposed.
Our investments in infrastructure and housing will strengthen local communities and fuel our economy. It is important to understand that in infrastructure and construction projects, quite often, local businesses are involved in the contract. That creates good jobs in my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche. On this side of the House, we understand that we need strong communities for a strong Canada.
I would like to give a concrete example of the impact the investments we are making in infrastructure can have on our communities. Last week, I had the honour of making an announcement on rural public transit on behalf of the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure. I got to announce $700,000 in funding to expand public transit in towns and municipalities in Grand Falls, Vallée‑des‑Rivières, Saint‑Quentin and Kedgwick. The service will be offered by FlexGo under New Brunswick's Northwest Regional Services Commission.
This follows an initial tranche of federal funding that supported the launch of this service in Edmundston and Upper Madawaska at the beginning of this year. It has been a great success, because FlexGo provides reliable, quality, flexible service that is truly tailored to the needs of rural communities. This means that residents of Kedgwick and Saint‑Quentin who do not have personal vehicles can now travel very affordably between the two communities to visit family. People who live in Edmundston and work in Saint‑Léonard, Clair or Saint‑François‑de‑Madawaska in Upper Madawaska can commute from their home to their workplace. Residents of Drummond and Saint‑André who have an appointment at the hospital in Grand Falls will have a dependable means of transportation to get there.
This kind of investment truly improves the lives of our families, seniors, people with reduced mobility, workers and post-secondary students. As a member of Parliament, I am so happy to announce this type of investment, because I know it will make a real difference in the quality of life of the people I represent here in Ottawa. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the FlexGo team for their exemplary work on this file.
Forestry is a very important sector for the Canadian economy, and it is central to the economy in my riding. Everyone knows that the tariff war with the United States has had a significant impact on the softwood lumber industry. This issue is a priority for me. As the member for Madawaska—Restigouche, I am actively involved in discussions on this issue with my colleagues here in Ottawa. I am pleased to report that this sector has not been overlooked in the 2025 budget.
We have announced a $700‑million loan guarantee program, which will give affected businesses quick access to the liquidity they need. This comes on top of an additional half-billion-dollar investment in various forestry programs to help the sector diversify and develop new markets.
As well, various other programs and measures were announced in the budget to help both businesses and workers in sectors affected by the tariff war. Our government is determined to defend the interests of the softwood lumber sector during this period of economic turmoil. As the member for Madawaska—Restigouche, so am I.
The Canada summer jobs program is very important to our young people and our communities. I am pleased to see that budget 2025 not only maintained but also enhanced funding for this program. Last summer, I visited over 200 workplaces where young people had benefited from Canada summer jobs funding. I got to see the real-life impact that this program was having in Madawaska—Restigouche. I spoke with young people who were getting their first work experience or their first opportunity to gain experience in their field of study through this program. The program also plays an important role in covering summer labour costs for our small businesses, festivals, municipalities, summer camps and community organizations, to name just a few examples.
I would like to remind everyone that the deadline for submitting applications for the summer of 2026 is December 11, and I am already looking forward to being home next summer to visit even more young people in the workplace.
Budget 2025 contains some excellent news: Not only has the government doubled the funding for National Acadian Day celebrations, but it has also made that funding permanent. This was a long-standing request from Acadian civil society, and the response came directly from our Prime Minister. We Acadians have been present in North America for over 400 years. We have had our share of challenges throughout history, but we are a strong, resilient, proud and forward-looking people. We have a strong attachment to our symbols, whether it be our national anthem, our flag or our national day on August 15. The announcement that funding for this celebration will be permanent not only corrects an injustice that has persisted for far too long, but it is also a wonderful way for our Prime Minister to recognize the Acadian people.
The people of Madawaska—Restigouche celebrate their Acadian roots with pride and in grand style. Just think of the huge show that took place last summer on Charlo Beach, the tintamarre in Campbellton or Grand Falls, the celebrations of our Acadian stars in Upper Madawaska, or the festivals organized in Edmundston, Saint‑Quentin and Kedgwick. There is also the traditional August 15 dinner in Saint‑Anne‑de‑Madawaska, where diners can enjoy a delicious stew known as fricot or a flatbread we call ployes brayonnes. Next summer, Madawaska—Restigouche will once again celebrate Acadia in style.
For more than 50 years, the demographic weight of francophones outside Quebec has been declining. It fell from 6.1% in 1971 to 3.5% in 2021. During this time, francophone immigration levels outside Quebec were very low. In fact, the first time Canada exceeded the 2% threshold for francophone immigration was in 2019. However, immigration is the main driver of population growth in Canada. The very low level of francophone immigration outside Quebec is a factor that has contributed to accelerating the decline in the demographic weight of francophones.
In 2022, the 4.4% target for francophone immigration was met for the first time. We exceeded 7% in 2024, and this year, we are on track to meet a target of 8.5%. In the budget, we presented the new immigration levels plan, which includes very ambitious targets for francophone immigration. The target is 9% starting next year and increases gradually to reach 12% by 2029. That is huge. For the first time in our country's history, the government has set targets to not only halt the demographic decline of francophones outside Quebec, but to reverse the trend and to put the demographic weight of francophones on track for growth. That is huge. It will have a real impact on all francophone communities across the country, including on communities in Madawaska—Restigouche.
In closing, budget 2025 is full of great news for my riding. I could easily give many other examples if I had an extra 10 minutes, but I see that my time is almost up. I look forward to taking questions from my colleagues.