Ministerial Expenses  Mr. Speaker, our commitments require a dedicated minister, a dedicated ministry, and a dedicated DM in order to deliver on the expectations of Canadians. We needed new spaces for our staff and new spaces for our DM and his staff, and that is what the investment is for.

Ministerial Expenses  Mr. Speaker, before November 4, 2015, infrastructure did not have a dedicated minister and we did not have a dedicated ministry to deliver on the commitments. We did not have a dedicated DM. Therefore, in order to accommodate the new office, we have to have space. We need space f

Ministerial Expenses  Mr. Speaker, prior to this government taking charge, we did not have a solely dedicated ministry for infrastructure. We did not have a solely dedicated deputy minister for infrastructure. We did not have any staff to support the minister and the deputy minister. The expenditures

Ministerial Expenses  Mr. Speaker, the expenditures the member is referring to are to provide office space for the minister, for the DM, as well as for the staff members to support the minister and the DM. We are focused on delivering on the commitments that we made to Canadians. That is why we are c

Ministerial Expenses  Mr. Speaker, we are proud that we have committed to invest $120 billion to support public transit, to support investment in affordable housing, to support investment in cultural and recreational facilities, to make our infrastructure more resilient to climate change. Unlike the

Ministerial Expenses  Mr. Speaker, I answered the question on expenditures, and I do not know which part of my answer the hon. member does not understand. This is a stand-alone ministry that did not exist before. We did not have a dedicated DM. We did not have a dedicated minister to deliver the com

Infrastructure  Mr. Speaker, our government's commitment to building the Gordie Howe international bridge is unwavering. Nearly 30% of the surface trade, as the hon. member has mentioned, crosses at this very important crossing. It is very critical for us to continue to grow our trade with the

Infrastructure  Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the hon. member for Davenport for her enthusiasm on this topic. Our government is investing $60 billion over the next 10 years in public transit and green and social infrastructure. The city of Toronto will receive $840 million in phase on

Ministerial Expenses  Mr. Speaker, before November 4, 2015, Infrastructure Canada did not have a dedicated, stand-alone minister's office. We did not have a stand-alone DM's office, and we did not have a space for our staff members. The expenditures the member is referring to were to provide office

Ministerial Expenses  Mr. Speaker, the expenditures the hon. member is referring to are for 32 staff members. As for the fridges, furniture, and paintings she is talking about, the only painting hanging on my office wall is the map of Canada. As the Conservatives well know, we did not have a dedicate

Main Estimates 2016-17  Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to be here this evening to talk about infrastructure. Infrastructure Canada has an unusual history. It originally operated as a program, known as the infrastructure national office, which was administered by the Treasury Board Secretariat,

Main Estimates 2016-17  Mr. Speaker, as I said earlier, infrastructure is about unlocking people's potential. Infrastructure is about public transit, about having safe places for people to go home to. Infrastructure is about providing homes for people who do not have them because they have ended up livi

Main Estimates 2016-17  Mr. Speaker, when I was appointed Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, I did not have any staff, so I had to start from scratch. I had to build my ministry from scratch. The only person who gave me support was the deputy minister, who I share with Transport Canada. I had

Main Estimates 2016-17  Mr. Speaker, the first thing I did when I was appointed to this position was engage with Canadians to learn what the needs were, what was working for them, and what was not. I engaged with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and with big-city mayors. I made phone calls to

Main Estimates 2016-17  Mr. Speaker, I did state the day this issue came up, from that day to today, that ours is a stand-alone ministry with a dedicated minister and deputy minister, which did not happen in the previous administration. Infrastructure Canada was part of Transport Canada. Therefore, we