Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Brossard—Saint-Lambert.
Our government believes in helping those who need it most. We believe that Canada is strong because of our differences, not in spite of them. We are proudly moving forward on a progressive platform, and we believe in laying the groundwork for sustained, inclusive economic growth. That includes rural Canada, which contains more than 4,500 rural communities, more than one-quarter of the country's population, and about 80% of Canada's territory.
Budget 2017 hits it out of the park for rural Canada. For starters, I know Canada can be an agricultural powerhouse. We have the fertile land, hard-working people, the know-how, and the world trusts the safety of our food.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to visit the Rayner Dairy Research centre in Saskatoon. I got to talk to the barn manager, Morgan Hobin, and several faculty members. I have to say that I was really impressed. With talent like we have in Saskatchewan, Hastings—Lennox and Addington, and across the country, I am very happy to see that the innovation and skills agenda sets an ambitious target to grow Canada's agrifood exports to at least $75 billion annually by 2025. Plus, there is $70 million over six years, starting in 2017, for agricultural discovery science and innovation to support the sustainability of Canada's agricultural sector, in addition to the $30 million announced last year for genomics research.
We are also continuing on our commitment from last year's budget with the investment of $500 million to expand high-speed Internet access in rural and remote communities, the largest-ever federal investment in broadband infrastructure. For me, the issue of broadband Internet is not so different from that of the railroad. The national dream that was the national sea-to-sea railroad built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries made Canada as we know it possible. It linked our country together, expanded the settlement of rural communities, and drove our economy forward by opening up our markets and fostering opportunities for entrepreneurs from around the world. Fast forward to the 21st century, and we find a new national dream, with equally great possibilities for linking people, retaining and even expanding rural populations, and driving economic growth. We could call it the “broadband revolution”.
Both of these periods in time have seen a great transformation, where technology and globalization have revolutionized the workforce. We can ensure that rural Canada can not only survive this transformation, but thrive in this globally connected economy. This is helped, in part, by a transformation in the Canadian entrepreneurial spirit, facilitated by equal access to high-speed Internet in rural communities.
Rural Canadians have the ideas and a vast under-tapped capacity for driving economic growth in this country. Our government gets it. My rural colleagues and I have all experienced shortfalls in high-speed Internet in our own rural communities. We bring that experience to government. As chair of a strong 50-member rural caucus, I was blessed with the chance to raise these issues of connectivity and economic potential with our colleagues in government, and they listened.
We have $500 million in funding for broadband in rural and remote communities across Canada. I am very proud to be part of a government that is so willing to listen and to look forward, not to the next general election, but to the next generation. By delivering increased broadband coverage to underserved areas across Canada, we are enabling rural Canadians to unleash their entrepreneurial spirit, push employment and business opportunities up, and grow the middle class. It is all about connection.
When we talk about high-speed Internet connection, of course, what we are really talking about is a human connection: connecting a child to the online tools they need for school; connecting the small-scale entrepreneur to online markets for their products; and connecting rural Canadians to each other and to the world. There has been a wealth of success stories that have emerged from communities across the country when they have truly become digitally engaged. We can learn from their success, and not just replicate but expand upon their economic potential, not just for the near future but for generations to come.
I also want to talk about something that every municipal politician in this country knows very well, and that is infrastructure. Taking into account existing infrastructure programs and new investments, the Government of Canada will be investing more than $180 billion in infrastructure over 12 years. We know that municipalities, particularly small rural municipalities, shoulder a heavy burden, and they need help. Small rural communities like I have in my riding, such as Carlow Mayo, or Tudor and Cashel, can find it very difficult to compete with communities of 100,000 people or more for existing infrastructure funds. They lack the necessary human resources relative to larger communities to successfully brand their needs and to complete the complicated application processes.
Small communities also lack the financial resources needed to hire grant writers, or even to pay for the necessary reports to include with those applications. For example, a community of 2,000 people cannot afford $40,000 to generate a report for an application, particularly if that application is turned down and then sits on a shelf and collects dust. These small communities also usually cover large areas, making the proportion of roadways that they have to maintain even larger and more burdensome relative to their population. This is why I am happy to see $2 billion set aside for infrastructure specifically for rural and remote communities, in addition to access to other funding programs. I have pushed for it to be used for what rural communities truly need: roads, bridges, and high-speed Internet. Since we have a government that consults, that is what our government has done.
This funding would also be flexible according to the unique needs of each province. To me, ensuring that these funds address the unique needs of small communities requires a separate definition for what a truly small community is. The size should vary in population from province to province, since municipalities in each province are structured differently. That is exactly what I have been hearing from municipal politicians across my riding, and from Alberta and Saskatchewan and others. One thing is very clear: a small rural community is definitely not a community that has 100,000 people in it, not even close. Getting these things right is going a long way to levelling the infrastructure playing field for small rural communities across the country, and I am proud to be part of a government that is not taking rural Canada for granted.
My riding also has higher than average levels of child poverty, so improvement in this area needs to be a top priority. Last year, we put the Canada child benefit into action, which has had a huge impact in my riding, through the distribution of $5.9 million every single month to almost 9,300 low-income and middle-income families in my riding. It has had a positive impact for almost 17,000 children. That is $5.9 million each month in the pockets of families in Hastings—Lennox and Addington, which is spent on local businesses every single month. This year, we have promised $7 billion over 10 years, starting in 2018, to support and create more high-quality, affordable child care spaces across the country. It is what families need and have been asking for, so we are responding with action.
Health care is also a top priority for rural communities. We are strengthening Canada's publicly funded universal health care system to meet the needs of Canadian families. I am very happy to see that budget 2017 confirms the government's historic health agreements with 12 provinces and territories, by investing in better home care and mental health initiatives that would help the families who need it most. Investment in home care helps to distribute health and wellness further out into our communities, which is a huge benefit to rural Canadians in rural communities.
We are ensuring that all Canadians benefit from and play an active role in their communities. Whether it is roads and bridges, agriculture, high-speed Internet, health care, or child care, these are the tools that our small rural communities need to attract and retain young families and businesses, and to foster their economic development for years to come. Budget 2017 will deliver on them.
