Yorkton – Garry Breitkreuz, Member of Parliament for Yorkton-Melville, is pleased to highlight important details of the $53B New Building Canada Plan, announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper last week.

These details, which relate to key elements of the New Building Canada Fund, provide provinces, territories and municipalities with the information they need to plan infrastructure projects in their jurisdictions. They include dedicated funding for small communities, provincial-territorial allocations, project categories eligible for support, cost-sharing thresholds and public-private partnership (P3) screening requirements.

"This government has proudly made unprecedented investments in Canada’s infrastructure since 2006. I am extremely happy to announce that we have now released specific details about the New Building Canada Plan,” said Breitkreuz. “With the release of these details, our communities have the information needed to develop their local infrastructure priorities and start planning for the years ahead."

Economic Action Plan 2013 builds on the federal government's historic infrastructure investments, with $70 billion for public infrastructure over the next decade, including the $53 billion New Building Canada Plan for provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure. The New Building Canada Plan, which is expected to launch this spring, is the largest, long-term infrastructure plan in our nation’s history and it will continue to focus on projects that enhance economic growth.

Quick Facts

• Over $32 billion is specifically available for municipalities through the permanent and indexed Gas Tax Fund and the incremental Goods and Services Tax Rebate for municipalities.
• The government’s new plan includes a $14 billion New Building Canada Fund, which will have $10 billion for provinces and territories (with $1 billion directed to small communities under 100,000) and $4 billion for projects of national significance.
• Through the P3 Canada Fund, $1.25 billion in new funding is available.

In 2007, the Government of Canada provided $33 billion in stable, flexible and predictable funding across the country. In fact, $6 billion under existing programs will continue to flow to projects across the country this year and beyond, and municipalities are also receiving $2 billion a year through the federal Gas Tax Fund.

“Through the original Building Canada Plan, infrastructure stimulus measures and other infrastructure initiatives, the federal government has supported more than 43,000 projects in Canada that have created jobs and economic growth and contributed to a higher quality of life for Canadian families,” concluded Breitkreuz.

For information on other federal initiatives and programs, visit the Economic Action Plan initiative page at: www.actionplan.gc.ca/en/initiative-glossary, and read the backgrounder: Creating New Building Canada Plan at: www.actionplan.gc.ca/news/creating-new-building-canada-plan.

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