Policy Resolution 36

36. Sustainable and Transformative Canadian Infrastructure Investment

WHEREAS infrastructure investment is the foundation of economic growth, job creation and a healthier environment;

WHEREAS the Government of Canada is in a strong fiscal position relative to the provinces and middle-class households and has access to capital at low interest rates;

WHEREAS the Government of Canada must play a leadership role in unlocking untapped sources of non-government investment, including from pension funds and public-private partnerships;

WHEREAS Canada’s economic growth and job creation continue to be well below our potential, and crumbling infrastructure in communities as diverse as the City of Montreal or on First Nations Reserves is an increasingly acute drag on our economic prospects and our environmental sustainability;

WHEREAS existing infrastructure funding is inadequate to address our aging population, a changing climate, and ensuring our economic competitiveness;

BE IT RESOLVED THAT

    • A Liberal Government should commit to a Transformative Canadian Infrastructure Investment plan that would significantly expand the funds invested or facilitated by the Government of Canada for infrastructure to a level up to 1pct of GDP per year;
    • This plan would invest in projects that have met an integrity test and that have been determined by rigorous and independent expert analysis to contribute to objectives such as robust job creation, world-class public transit systems, increased energy efficiency and sustainable water systems;
    • A Liberal Government would provide a full disclosure of public debt and associated debt charges incurred to fund infrastructure separately from other public debt and associated charges in the accounts of the Government of Canada.

Liberal Caucus