OTTAWA—It’s not sexy stuff.
But more money to improve ports, roads and bridges would immediately help diversify international trade and boost interprovincial commerce, says Transport Minister Marc Garneau.
And so Garneau has made an economic pitch to his cabinet colleague, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who is set to unveil the federal government’s fall fiscal update Wednesday.
“We’re a trading nation” and the world’s second-largest geographically, Garneau said in an interview.
“We need to move our goods as efficiently as possible. If we don’t do it, our customers will look elsewhere, and I’m talking about our international customers and our American customers. So how efficiently we move goods will have an effect on growing our customer base and growing the economy.”
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But there are immediate fixes that provinces, municipalities, transportation companies and other private sector actors have flagged to the federal government that would have a direct and positive impact on trade, says Garneau.
In fact, Garneau was surprised by the “sheer number” of applications that flooded his office after the Liberals unveiled in 2017 a $2.1-billion fund, to be spread over 11 years, to improve critical trade corridors like ports, waterways, airports, roads, bridges, border crossings, rail networks and the interconnectivity between them.
Between 350 to 400 requests for funding arrived on Garneau’s desk, amounting to requests totalling $16 billion.
“We don’t have $16 billion,” Garneau said with a wry smile.
However, he has so far announced 38 projects, totalling $800 million. And that means the first tranche of money is done.
The projects cover a wide range of demands.
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But he said there is a “very clear, strong demand” for more money, and a need “to get rid of bottlenecks.”
“If I can’t get things efficiently to the port of Vancouver to go to Asia, or the port of Halifax or Montréal to go to Europe, then our economy will suffer,” he said.
Garneau wouldn’t say if he’s asked for the remaining $1.2 billion to be released more quickly, or for more money overall for the fund.
“Let’s just say that I would like to have more money and because it is addressing something that I think is very much in demand and has a very important benefit,” he said.
“Anything that can be done that can improve the flow of goods across the country is good for the economy. That’s my pitch.”
Garneau may have found a sympathetic listener in Morneau.
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