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ST. ANDREWS, N.B. – Finance Minister Bill Morneau says the Liberal government will be strategic in how it invests in infrastructure projects across the country, and won’t simply shovel money out the door to kick-start the economy.
The Liberal platform had promised an extra $60 billion for infrastructure over the next decade, but only about $17.4 billion was earmarked for the next four years. But with the price of oil now at its lowest level in years, there had been broad suggestions the Liberals would speed up the rate at which they doled out the money.
Rather than focusing on long-term projects, such a stimulus package would instead target “shovel-ready” projects to create jobs immediately. That was the approach the previous Conservative government took in 2009, which resulted in many communities getting refurbished hockey rinks and community centres.
But speaking to reporters Monday on the sidelines of a three-day retreat here between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet ministers, Morneau said the government’s focus for its infrastructure dollars remains on boosting productivity over the long term.
“Our goal is to find the infrastructure projects that we believe will enhance the long-run productive capacity of the country,” he said. “And our goal is to do that in a way that is responsible. If we find projects that are responsible, that can help us with long-term productivity that are also ready now, we’d like to move forward.”
The Liberals have said the infrastructure spending, which is expected to result in a multi-billion-dollar federal deficit over the next few years, will be evenly divided between investments in public transit, social projects such as affordable housing and sewage systems, and green projects.
Officials say cabinet is still debating the right balance between refurbishing existing infrastructure, such as making buildings more energy-efficient, and building new infrastructure entirely.
Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi has also said the government is considering whether to change the formula that would require provinces and municipalities to match the federal government’s funding for projects. Some provinces and municipalities have said they cannot afford to match the federal dollars.
Morneau, who recently held a series of pre-budget consultations, wouldn’t comment on how big a deficit the government is prepared to incur, or whether he thinks Canadians are willing to accept a deficit larger than the $10 billion the Liberals campaigned on during the election.
“We heard concern around the economy, but we also heard an awful lot of interest around infrastructure spending, as we expected,” he said.
lberthiaume@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/leeberthiaume
查看原文...
The Liberal platform had promised an extra $60 billion for infrastructure over the next decade, but only about $17.4 billion was earmarked for the next four years. But with the price of oil now at its lowest level in years, there had been broad suggestions the Liberals would speed up the rate at which they doled out the money.
Rather than focusing on long-term projects, such a stimulus package would instead target “shovel-ready” projects to create jobs immediately. That was the approach the previous Conservative government took in 2009, which resulted in many communities getting refurbished hockey rinks and community centres.
But speaking to reporters Monday on the sidelines of a three-day retreat here between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet ministers, Morneau said the government’s focus for its infrastructure dollars remains on boosting productivity over the long term.
“Our goal is to find the infrastructure projects that we believe will enhance the long-run productive capacity of the country,” he said. “And our goal is to do that in a way that is responsible. If we find projects that are responsible, that can help us with long-term productivity that are also ready now, we’d like to move forward.”
The Liberals have said the infrastructure spending, which is expected to result in a multi-billion-dollar federal deficit over the next few years, will be evenly divided between investments in public transit, social projects such as affordable housing and sewage systems, and green projects.
Officials say cabinet is still debating the right balance between refurbishing existing infrastructure, such as making buildings more energy-efficient, and building new infrastructure entirely.
Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi has also said the government is considering whether to change the formula that would require provinces and municipalities to match the federal government’s funding for projects. Some provinces and municipalities have said they cannot afford to match the federal dollars.
Morneau, who recently held a series of pre-budget consultations, wouldn’t comment on how big a deficit the government is prepared to incur, or whether he thinks Canadians are willing to accept a deficit larger than the $10 billion the Liberals campaigned on during the election.
“We heard concern around the economy, but we also heard an awful lot of interest around infrastructure spending, as we expected,” he said.
lberthiaume@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/leeberthiaume
查看原文...
