OTTAWA — The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-Canada (ACEC) has reported on the latest steps in its advocacy for a northern infrastructure corridor across northern Canada in its most recent newsletter.
ACEC noted the federal government said it broadly agrees with a Senate committee report endorsed by the association arguing for the creation of the national trade and infrastructure corridor.
As part of pre-budget testimony to the House of Commons Finance Committee and as part of its Parliament Hill Day lobbying program held in the fall, the ACEC recommended the government adopt the Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce’s June 2017 report, titled National Corridor: Enhancing and Facilitating Commerce and Internal Trade.
In response to the report, federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement the government “agrees with the committee’s finding that improving national transportation and communication networks will encourage economic growth and facilitate exports,” the newsletter reported.
ACEC said the minister also endorsed the committee’s finding that Indigenous peoples’ early participation in these sorts of infrastructure projects is critical to success.
The newsletter said, “While the government did not explicitly pledge money to researchers who have been studying the potential for a trade corridor in Canada’s North — as the committee had recommended — the minister noted these parties can apply for grants from the National Trade Corridors Fund, which was launched shortly after the release of the committee’s report to address Canada’s long-term infrastructure needs.”
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