Mr. Speaker, furthermore, if Questions Nos. 437-440, 448-451, 455, 461, 463, 465-467 and 469 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.
House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2015, with 32% of the vote.
Questions Passed as Orders for Returns May 26th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, furthermore, if Questions Nos. 437-440, 448-451, 455, 461, 463, 465-467 and 469 could be made orders for returns, these returns would be tabled immediately.
Questions on the Order Paper May 26th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, the following questions will be answered today: Questions Nos. 436, 443, 445, 453, 462, 464; as well as a revised response to Question No. 444, initially tabled on May 15, 2014.
Committees of the House May 26th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I move:
That the debate be now adjourned.
Infrastructure May 16th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, what I find passing strange is that members of the NDP stand up in this place and inquire about and advocate for projects under a funding program that they vote against. What I can say is that this particular project has been submitted. We will assess it very closely, and what I am encouraged about is that municipalities in Quebec and across this country understand that they have a strong partner in the federal government to meet their infrastructure priority needs.
Intergovernmental Relations May 15th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, our Conservative government has a 10-year commitment for infrastructure across the country. That is stable, predictable funding. There are three major components of the funding. There is the community infrastructure component, which includes the gas tax fund. Under the gas tax fund, for example, recreational infrastructure is eligible. This is what our government has done with the gas tax fund. We have doubled it. We have made the gas tax fund permanent. Moving forward, the gas tax fund will be indexed at 2% a year. In addition, there is the provincial territorial infrastructure component with $10 billion, of which 10% is dedicated specifically to smaller communities. Beyond that, there is $4 billion set aside for projects of national significance.
The Conservative government is getting the job done with respect to renewing our infrastructure, enhancing the quality of life for Canadians, and creating jobs.
Intergovernmental Relations May 15th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague's interest in infrastructure in the Quebec City area. I can assure him that this Conservative government is very strongly committed to renewing infrastructure not only in Quebec but across the country.
In budget 2013, we announced the new Building Canada plan, a renewed commitment for infrastructure in this country: $53 billion in infrastructure funding over the next decade. This is the longest and largest infrastructure plan in Canada's history, with record investments in infrastructure.
One of the very powerful aspects of the way the program works is that municipalities and provinces are in a position to identify and determine the infrastructure priorities in their specific communities. Municipalities across Quebec and across our great country know that they can rely on this federal government for strong, stable infrastructure funding over the next decade.
The new Building Canada plan is open for business. At the end of March, the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs announced the eligibility criteria for the new program. All the information about the new Building Canada fund is on the Infrastructure Canada website at www.infrastructure.gc.ca.
In many cases, municipalities are already identifying their infrastructure project priorities. Once they do that, they have a discussion with the respective province. The province then needs to deem a specific project a priority before it is considered under the provincial and territorial infrastructure component of the new Building Canada fund. Just this one component is $10 billion of infrastructure commitment over the next decade, of which 10% is for small communities. There is a small-communities fund of dedicated funding for communities across the country of 100,000 residents or less.
We look forward to working with our partners, the municipalities and provinces across this great country, to renew our infrastructure, to enhance the quality of life for Canadians, and to ensure that as a result of this renewed infrastructure, jobs will be created as well.
Business of Supply May 7th, 2014
Mr. Chair, I have an additional question for the minister.
We have spent a lot of time just in the last few moments talking about the importance of Port Metro Vancouver. Could the minister speak generally about the important role that all 18 ports and port authorities play in Canada's economic growth, job creation, and our long-term prosperity as a trading nation?
Business of Supply May 7th, 2014
Mr. Chair, let me begin by saying how much I appreciate the opportunity not only to participate in this debate this evening, but how much we all appreciate the opportunity to celebrate the minister's birthday with her this evening.
This evening I would like to speak about Canadian ports, specifically the Port Metro Vancouver, and the benefits the port brings to the Canadian economy.
The 18 port authorities that comprise Canada's port system are central to Canada's economic activity. These port authorities handle a significant amount of Canadian trade, approximately 310 million tons of cargo valued at more than $162 billion annually. On the whole, Canadian port authorities contribute about $24.5 billion to the Canadian gross domestic product and provide almost 269,000 jobs for Canadians.
Port Metro Vancouver is the largest and most diversified port in Canada. It is also the fourth-largest tonnage port in North America. In short, the port is a major economic force that facilitates trade between Canada and more than 160 world economies, and handles 19% of Canada's total trade. The operation of Port Metro Vancouver is complex, and it is key to Canada's overall supply chain. The port's operations involve many different enterprises, including cargo terminals, cruise terminals, shipyards, railways, trucks, and shipping agents. In addition to facilitating trade, one of the most significant economic benefits the port provides is direct and indirect employment, not just for British Columbia but for other provinces as far away as our own home province of Ontario.
A recent study of the economic impact of Port Metro Vancouver showed that its ongoing operations support 38,200 direct jobs in British Columbia. The direct impact of this employment on British Columbia's economy is estimated at $3.5 billion in gross domestic product, $8.5 billion in economic output, and $2.3 billion in wages. The indirect impacts of the port's operations on businesses in British Columbia are even more impressive: 76,800 jobs; $6.7 billion in gross domestic product; $14.5 billion in economic output; and $4.6 billion in wages. These indirect impacts include tourism revenues related to cruise-ship passengers.
The majority of direct employment generated by the operations of Port Metro Vancouver is located within the Lower Mainland area. However, there are also close to 10,100 off-site jobs supported by the economic activity of Port Metro Vancouver. This off-site employment represents about 22% of total direct Port Metro Vancouver businesses' employment and reaches through western Canada and beyond. Outside of British Columbia, the largest direct employment impact is in Alberta, followed by Ontario. This includes supporting 2,700 direct jobs in Alberta and 1,600 direct jobs in Ontario. Members can see the vital role that Port Metro Vancouver plays in securing our country's long-term prosperity.
For those who do not know, Port Metro Vancouver operates across five business sectors: automobiles, breakbulk, bulk, containers, and cruise. Based on data from 2013, Port Metro Vancouver handled 135 million tons of cargo, a record for the port, with an overall increase of 9% over 2012. Import and export tonnage maintained balanced growth, each showing a 9% increase.
The port is leveraging the strong performance with significant capital investment intended to further increase its competitiveness. This investment will further contribute to the port's economic impact on the regional and national economies.
By 2022, Port Metro Vancouver has identified $1.4 billion in capital investment to further increase its performance. This additional economic activity is generated by expenditures associated with Port Metro Vancouver's current capital program and by the capital investments of Port Metro Vancouver's tenants. Together, in pursuing this capital investment plan, Port Metro Vancouver and Port Metro Vancouver tenants will create an estimated total of 2,800 direct person-years annually, with a potential total impact of 6,100 person-years of employment.
As others have noted in this place before, our government has worked to improve supply chain efficiency, reliability, and security so that Canada stays competitive in the continuously evolving world of global commerce. For example, we launched the Asia-Pacific gateway and corridor initiative and, to date, we have invested $1.4 billion in Asia-Pacific gateway projects in partnership with all four western provinces, municipalities, and the private sector. Many of these projects form a critical portion of a supply chain that also includes Port Metro Vancouver.
Furthermore, under the Prime Minister's leadership, our government is making unprecedented investments in infrastructure, solidifying a pivotal base in much of our transportation network through, of course, our new Building Canada plan. Key transportation assets, including port infrastructure, will be eligible for funding under the $4-billion national infrastructure component of the plan, which is earmarked for projects of national significance.
Given that efficient and reliable operations at Port Metro Vancouver are critical to Canada's Asia-Pacific gateway and the national economy, the Government of Canada recently took action to support the resumption of trucking operations at Port Metro Vancouver. The estimated economic losses to Canada during the recent work stoppage were estimated at $126,000 per day. We found this unacceptable and acted quickly to develop a joint action plan in conjunction with the Province of British Columbia and Port Metro Vancouver to bring stability to the container trucking industry. The plan contains 15 points for implementation and provides a framework for long-term stability in the container trucking industry. All parties are working together to implement the plan with input from key stakeholders.
Our government is committing to removing roadblocks to prosperity, which is why we acted quickly to bring stability to the industry, diminish wait times, and prevent disruptions in the future. For example, the Government of Canada brought in new regulations to increase the rates paid to truckers at Port Metro Vancouver.
As you know, Mr. Chair, our government's focus is to create jobs, growth, and long-term prosperity for all Canadians, but we cannot achieve these goals on our own. Port Metro Vancouver is Canada's largest and most diversified port, remains critical to our national transportation and trade system, and it could not be clearer that our government is committed to ensuring the reliability of Canada's Asia-Pacific gateway and the economic well-being of this great country.
As I conclude, I have an important question for the minister. Given the topic of much of my remarks, could the minister please update the House on our government's various actions with respect to the recent situation at Port Metro Vancouver?
Infrastructure May 7th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, the member's assertions are incorrect. This federal government will be investing in average of over $5 billion per year in infrastructure over the next decade. This is part of our $53 billion investment through the new building Canada plan.
This funding will support provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure across the country, including roads, public transit, water, recreation and cultural infrastructure. Over 70% of new funding under the plan is dedicated specifically to municipalities for municipal infrastructure priorities, and this record investment in public infrastructure will build upon the $7 billion our government has already provided for public transit in cities across the country and will support job creation, economic growth and help to enhance a high quality of life for Canadians in every community across Canada.
Infrastructure May 7th, 2014
Mr. Speaker, our government is proud to make strategic investments in infrastructure that contribute to economic growth, job creation, a cleaner environment and strong, prosperous communities.
The investments by our government have been unprecedented, beginning first with the historic Building Canada plan in 2007, which invested $33 billion over seven years, followed by the economic action plan in 2009, which invested an additional $14 billion in infrastructure and housing to boost our economy at the time.
A significant portion of this funding has gone to support public transit in cities across the country. Since 2006, we have committed over $7 billion in direct funding to public transit infrastructure across the country. In addition to this, during the same period, Canadian municipalities have used over $2 billion of their federal gas tax fund allocations toward transit investments.
Five of Canada's largest cities, being Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton, have directed most of their federal gas tax fund allocations to the public transit category.
Following on these record investments, our government worked with provinces, territories and municipalities to develop a long-term plan to invest in public infrastructure. As a result of these efforts, this Conservative government delivered the new Building Canada plan, which provides $53 billion for provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure over a 10 year period. This includes $47 billion in new funding through: the $32.2 billion community improvement fund that supports municipal infrastructure across the country, such as roads, transit, water and waste water systems, and recreational and cultural facilities; the $14 billion new Building Canada fund to support provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure projects of national, regional and local significance, including public transit; and the renewed P3 Canada fund, with $1.25 billion to support innovative ways to invest in infrastructure projects, providing better value for taxpayer money through public-private partnerships.
Our government launched the new Building Canada fund on schedule, in fact, ahead of schedule by a few days, on March 28. We are also concluding renewed agreements with provinces and territories for the gas tax fund, which we have extended, doubled, made permanent and now indexed at 2% per year, ensuring municipalities have the certainty they need to plan and invest in their infrastructure priorities.
Finally, $6 billion from existing infrastructure programs continues to support public infrastructure.
In conclusion, our government remains committed to working with the provinces, territories and municipalities as we continue to make record investments in public transit that support job creation, economic growth and a high quality of life for Canadians in every community across Canada.
With respect to the member's home province of British Columbia, I am pleased to inform the House that the province will receive almost $4 billion in dedicated federal funding over the next decade.