Trade Infrastructure Investment

The recent federal budget fell short of a strong commitment to infrastructure investment, despite the clear need. As we all know, infrastructure is critical to the quality of life of Canadians and the competitiveness of our country. As recent events such as fires and floods have shown, the importance of building in resiliency cannot be overstated.

Join the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) and the Western Canada Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association (WCR&HCA) in bringing more attention to the urgency of infrastructure investment and the social and economic benefits this investment provides.

The Canada West Foundation recently released a new report, Shovel Ready to Shovel Worthy: The path to a national trade infrastructure plan. This was funded in part by the CCA. I encourage you to review this report and to share and discuss it with your members and on social media.

Why the focus on trade infrastructure? 65% of Canada’s GDP relies on international trade. This is what fuels our economy and generates wealth to build our hospitals, schools, community centres, and keep our water clean.

This report highlights how Canada’s lack of coordinated and strategic infrastructure planning and investments has created a serious problem that can no longer be ignored. The report contains data that illustrate that:

• From 2009 to 2019, confidence in our infrastructure fell from 10th to 26th globally
• 90% of Canadian executives said aging supply chain infrastructure and insufficient capacity were the top challenges in our transportation industry
• Compared to the U.S. and China, international investor confidence in Canada has steeply declined

The report identifies a path forward to get us back on the right track. This involves identifying Canada's key trade gateways and corridors and then establishing a national body that will help ensure that key partners, including industry, are consulted so that all possible best practices and expertise are considered when making future investments.

The report’s key recommendations are aligned with CCA’s position that future investments must be planned in a way that is coherent, long-term, and guided by an independent body that can align federal, provincial, municipal, and Indigenous needs; and approaches to procurement must be streamlined and modernized through the engagement of industry experts.

While serious gaps have been identified in this report, the construction industry remains ready and able to play its part in positioning this country for future challenges by helping to address aging infrastructure, increasing the resiliency of our infrastructure to climate change, and building the reliable infrastructure that connects supply chains and efficiently moves goods and services across borders.

Join in bringing attention to this significant opportunity for our members and Canadians. Attached are some key messages you can refer to when talking to your members, or to the media about the report’s content.