Hon. Dominic LeBlanc, P.C., M.P., Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for the question.

You’re absolutely right. The COVID health crisis resulted in all levels of government working together in a way that had never happened before. It was in the best interests of Canadians.

I believe that it was a successful example of Canadian federalism. At one point, I was attending the weekly teleconferences with the premiers and Prime Minister Trudeau.

You’re also absolutely right that the federal government became the financier for all sorts of programs that, in the past, would probably have been well and truly under provincial jurisdiction. I see this in my work as an MP. Canadians increasingly see — and not entirely correctly — the federal government as a court of appeal for provincial decisions that are within their constitutional jurisdiction. I worry about returning to the proper way of doing things and obviously finding a way to work collaboratively with my provincial and territorial counterparts.

I recognize, however, that it is harder to go back. Canadians expect us to work together, including on child care, on infrastructure projects and on climate change. There’s a greater appetite to work together.

Hon. Dominic LeBlanc, P.C., M.P., Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities: Thank you for that important question, senator. You’re absolutely right. Quite frankly, the lack of core infrastructure in many Indigenous and northern communities, whether it be housing, clean drinking water or access to community infrastructure, continues to surprise Canadians, particularly when they see the difference between the infrastructure in Indigenous communities and that in other communities. In some big cities, it’s also difficult to have infrastructure that is culturally adapted to the needs of the Indigenous communities who live there. However, it is possible to do both at the same time.

I will get back to you with specific details on the investments my department is making in infrastructure. I’m sure you understand that the Department of Indigenous Services also has an important role to play when it comes to infrastructure, whether it be in health care or other areas. My colleague, the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, also has important responsibilities.

I don’t want to minimize my responsibilities or the important investments that we’ve made in many of my department’s programs. You deserve a detailed answer, and I’ll be pleased to give you one. I know that this is just a drop in the bucket when it comes to the work we need to do, but I’m confident in saying that you will soon see the bar being set higher when it comes to investments. That doesn’t mean that we are going to stop, but I will give you more detailed information in that regard.

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