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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 89

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 15, 2022 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 89 - Jun/15/22
Mr. Adam van Koeverden (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport, Lib.)
  • Jun/15/22 8:12:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague and friend for his advocacy for his neighbours. I would also like to thank him for his recent work on his private member's bill on decriminalization. It is so important and I was proud to support it in the way that I could. Let me put it that way. I have a lot of respect for the member and I want to support that work as best as I can. The member is probably wondering why the parliamentary secretary for health and sport is answering a question about transportation. I am filling in for a colleague tonight. Many will also appreciate that I have spent some time on the water, so maybe I can do it some justice. This government's overarching goal is to ensure that Canada's transportation system supports our ambitious economic growth and jobs creation agenda. Canadians require a safe, reliable and sustainable transportation system that facilitates trade and the movement of both people and goods. To advance sustainable growth, Canada's system of Canadian port authorities is responsible for leading infrastructure development on federal port lands. Working at arm's length from the federal government, Canadian port authorities are governed by boards of directors, who are relied upon for setting the strategic direction and managing operations, including securing financing for infrastructure improvements. Recognizing that global supply chains continue to be disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, labour shortages, the growing impacts of climate and other key factors, it is a priority to ensure that Canadian supply chains are resilient and fluid. Building on the National Supply Chain Summit that was held in late January, the Minister of Transport also created a Supply Chain Task Force which is consulting broadly with industry associations and experts to examine key pressures and make recommendations regarding short-term and long-term actions to strengthen the efficiency, fluidity and resiliency of transportation infrastructure and the reliability of Canada's supply chain. In addition, the Government of Canada has dedicated considerable funding to Canada's trade and transportation infrastructure through the $4.2-billion national trade corridors fund. As of March 2022, approximately $2.1 billion in funding has been announced for 102 strategic projects across Canada, which are leveraging more than $4.4 billion in total infrastructure investments from private and public partners for air, marine, rail and road projects across every province and territory. Through the national trade corridors fund, the government took immediate action to address current supply chain challenges and launched a dedicated $50-million call for proposals to relieve supply chain congestion at Canadian ports, which were closed in February. In addition, the government continues to invest to improve Canada's trade corridors through the call for proposals to increase the fluidity of supply chains, which closed at the end of March. Furthermore, the Canada Infrastructure Bank has announced important investments into port infrastructure, including $300 million into the Contrecœur container terminal at the port of Montreal. The government is investing in Canada to promote rapid and sustainable growth and that is why the government will continue to support Canada's ports. I thank my hon. colleague for this important conversation.
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