Amarjeet Sohi

[Infrastructure, June 16th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, what is different is the commitment we have made to our Canadian communities to allow them to build the infrastructure they need. We are tripling our investment to $180 billion. That is a historic investment in infrastructure.

The hon. member fully understands that in the last election, his party had no plan to build the infrastructure. The party opposite, the Conservative Party, ignored the needs of Canadian communities for a decade. We are here to work with them, to allow them to build the infrastructure they deserve and their citizens need.

[Infrastructure, June 16th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, we have put forward a very ambitious plan to allow our municipalities to prosper, to allow them to build the infrastructure that they need to grow their economy, to reduce congestion in major urban centres and build more affordable housing and recreational and cultural infrastructure. We believe that by mobilizing institutional investors and pension funds, we can free up resources to build more affordable housing and more shelters for women fleeing domestic violence. That is our goal, and that is exactly what we are focused on.

[Infrastructure, June 16th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, what the hon. member is failing to understand is that our own Canadian pension funds, such as the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, the teachers' pension plan, OMERS, Caisse de dépôt, and Alberta Investment Management Corporation, invest in other countries' infrastructure. What is wrong with creating conditions to allow them to invest in our own country, to create jobs in our own country, and allow us to strengthen our middle class in our own country to create opportunities? That is exactly what we are focused on, and the board will reflect the diversity of Canadian communities.

[Infrastructure, June 16th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, unlike the hon. member, we have confidence that we will be able to attract Canadians who have the talent and expertise, and we will make sure that we reflect the regional diversity of our country and the gender parity of our country. We also attract people from diverse backgrounds.

We want to make sure that the board of the infrastructure bank reflects who we are as Canadians, and that is exactly what we will achieve.

[Infrastructure, June 16th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, we have been very clear that no appointments will be confirmed and made until we have the legislation passed through Parliament. That is exactly what we said earlier and that is exactly what we will follow.

Our goal to establish the Canada infrastructure bank is to allow our municipalities and provinces to build more infrastructure and create jobs and opportunities as well as to make sure that we are working with them in partnership to allow them to bring forward projects that they think are necessary for them to build.

[Infrastructure, June 15th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, as I have often assured the House and the hon. member, any project undertaken by the Canada infrastructure bank will have to abide by all the rules and regulations of every province and municipality and we will work very closely with the provinces to ensure that is exactly what happens. The role of the bank is to build infrastructure in partnership with the provinces and municipalities and we will respect local jurisdictions.

[Infrastructure, June 15th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, let me state again how proud we are of our partnership with the Province of Quebec and the City of Montreal to support this project. It is the largest infrastructure project, largest public transit project in the recent history of the City of Montreal. I am so proud to be working with my Quebec MPs to have this project become a reality, so we can keep on building the infrastructure communities need.

[Infrastructure, June 15th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, we have put forward a very ambitious agenda to build and rebuild Canadian communities, and the infrastructure bank will allow us to do that. Today, we made a $1.2 billion investment in the Province of Quebec to build Montreal's public transit service, which will create 34,000 jobs and other partnerships with the Province of Quebec. The leadership of our Quebec caucus is producing tangible and real results for Quebec.

[Business of Supply, June 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, all of us in the House want the best for our communities. We want to do our best to make sure that Canadians succeed, regardless of where they live. We want to give them opportunities. Absolutely, the vast majority of the jobs that are being created are full time. These are good-paying jobs. I cannot give the member the exact number on the wages because they are created throughout the communities.

What I can say is that the actions we have taken, whether reducing taxes for the middle class, or introducing the Canada child benefit that is lifting 300,000 children out of poverty, or the historic investments we are making in infrastructure, are acting as a catalyst to spur economic growth and enable the private sector to invest and create more jobs. That is where we see the opportunities. That is where we see the positive relationship that we have with our private sector doing more.

[Business of Supply, June 12th, 2017]

Mr. Speaker, I welcome the question from the hon. member and his desire to see infrastructure investments creating opportunities for Canadians.

Let me tell the House what our budget 2016 investments have been able to achieve. Through those investments, more than 1,000 buses have been bought in Canadian communities to reduce congestion and improve mobility. Those investments are renovating close to 60,000 housing units to provide a safe place for Canadians to live and provide opportunities for those who are working hard to be part of the middle class.

These investments are helping to build more than 200 schools in indigenous communities. It allows us to build 5,000 housing units on indigenous communities to improve their quality of life. It is moving our public transit, housing, and recreation facilities toward making them more accessible for people with disabilities. We are building more shelters to provide a safe place for women fleeing domestic violence. This is having a real impact on Canadians.

As far as the mobilization of private capital and pension funds are concerned, those are the investments made into pension funds by average Canadians. Our pension funds invest in foreign countries. Why would we not allow them to invest in our own country, to create jobs in our own country for the middle class?