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House Hansard - 192

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 8, 2023 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 192 - May/9/23
Mr. Bryan May (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, Lib.)
  • May/9/23 12:13:13 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, public transit and active transportation infrastructure enable Canadians to go places, to get to where they need to be, to connect with friends and family, to travel safely to and from work and school and to take family members to their medical appointments. Our government is committed to helping all Canadians make that journey safely, efficiently and affordably. Since 2015, we have provided over $20 billion in federal funding to support public transit projects in communities across Canada. This is a historic investment for municipalities and provinces; it is creating jobs, making communities more accessible and improving quality of life for Canadians. To ensure that Canadians continue to have access to efficient transit, the Government of Canada introduced the permanent public transit program. This program will provide federal funding support to projects that deliver expanded urban transit networks, affordable zero-emissions transit options, transit solutions for rural communities and additional active transportation options. The program provides $14.9 billion over eight years, including $3 billion per year ongoing, starting in 2026-27. It builds on support already available for transit across the country from existing federal programs. In addition, our government continues to leverage other programs to support communities, transit authorities and other groups providing essential services to Canadians in the public transit and active transportation sectors. The five-year $2.75-billion zero-emissions transit fund advances the Government of Canada's commitment to help procure zero-emissions public transit and school buses across the country. The five-year $400-million active transportation fund aims to expand and enhance active transportation networks in communities large and small, as well as to support Canada's national active transportation strategy. The five-year $250-million rural transit solutions fund addresses unique mobility challenges in rural communities through support for the planning and development of locally tailored mobility solutions. To date, the investing in Canada infrastructure program has approved $25 billion for 5,500 projects, including funding to enhance public transit systems through the acquisition of over 4,200 public transit vehicles, such as buses, subway cars and light-rail transit trains. Budget 2023 reaffirms the Government of Canada's commitment to advancing infrastructure projects across the country. We have worked diligently with our provincial and territorial partners to ensure that the $33.5 billion in funding under the investing in Canada infrastructure program was fully committed by March 31, 2023. With these allocations, we will be continuing to make investments that get results for communities. An update on the program will be provided later this year, including next steps for the permanent public transit fund that will ensure Canadians can get to where they need to be.
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