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Clean, Safe Transportation

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GEN has a comprehensive plan to address the current needs of public transit systems across the country and develop high speed rail travel between the nation’s most populous urban centres and along its busiest routes. This plan includes:

  • $53.5 billion for Canadian municipal public transit systems’ capital costs over a five-year investment period starting as soon as possible.
  • Of this, $17.6 billion (33 per cent of the funding) does not fit within existing funding plans. It would require new funding from provincial and federal governments.
  • $25.7 billion to design and build three key high speed rail (HSR) projects. Of this figure, roughly $20 billion would go towards building the Québec City-Windsor high speed rail corridor; $3.7 billion would go towards a HSR link between Calgary and Edmonton; and $2 billion would go towards a high speed link between Vancouver and Seattle.

We need strong domestic content rules, as used by other countries (including our “free trade” partners) to ensure that our green transport initiatives create good jobs – that will also help generate the tax revenues to pay for these essential investments. We need industry policies that allow all segments of our communities to benefit.

Canada is overdue for an upgrade to bring its inter-city rail infrastructure into the twenty-first century. Likewise, upgraded and expanded public transit systems can have substantial environmental and job-creation benefits. Canadians need a stronger and more comprehensive plan to develop and expand public transit. Currently, provincial and federal governments help municipalities pay for capital projects in public transportation. However, municipal governments still end up bearing the brunt of the combined operations and capital costs. We all share the benefits; it’s important to share the load.