The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) is demanding clarity from Prime Minister Trudeau on future investment in new road infrastructure after comments made earlier this week by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
While Guilbeault explained that support to provinces for maintenance will continue, existing road infrastructure "is perfectly adequate to respond to the needs we have."
Canada is dealing with an acute housing crisis. The Canadian government is asking for the industry to build 5.8 million new homes but is overlooking the investment needed to support these homes and communities, says the Canadian Construction Association (CCA).
A report by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) estimates that it will require $107,000 in public investments per new housing unit. This amounts to a total of $620 billion in public funding needed – an additional $375 billion beyond the current planned budget.
"These new communities need new roads. People need to be connected to their jobs, their schools, and their hospitals," says Mary Van Buren, president of the Canadian Construction Association. "A growing population has growing demands. We not only need the road networks to support their movement; we also need to shore up our trade infrastructure, which includes roads, bridges, and highways."
Canada has been under-investing in our trade-enabling infrastructure for 15 years, says the CCA, as evidenced by the drop from 10th to 32nd in terms of the World Economic Forum's global trade infrastructure ranking. Without continued investment in critical infrastructure, as recommended by the National Supply Chain Task Force, including trade-enabling infrastructure, Canada will fail to harness trade with its international partners.
The Canadian Construction Association needs the federal government to partner with the industry and work with municipal and provincial governments to build a strong foundation for Canada.
