e-2297 (Transportation)

The Government of Canada is pleased to respond to this petition.

Clean, efficient public transit is vital to making communities from coast to coast to coast safer, cleaner, and more attractive places for Canadians to live, work, and raise their families.

That is why the Government of Canada committed to supporting ambitious public transit projects across the country with investments of $28.7 billion over 12 years through the Investing in Canada plan.

In February 2019, Infrastructure and Communities’ Minister Catherine McKenna took part in an electric bus demonstration and met with the Vancouver Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation to hear first-hand their needs.

Large, growing urban centres such as Metro Vancouver need public transit investments to reduce pollution, traffic and road congestion, improve access to jobs, education, healthcare and social activities, and provide better social and economic outcomes for residents. 

Metro Vancouver is benefiting from more than $2.25 billion under British Columbia’s bilateral agreement. This funding is supporting the Millennium Line Broadway Extension ($888 million) and the Expo Millennium Upgrades Project ($493 million). The Government has also provided $49 million for the acquisition of 28 new SkyTrain cars under the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund. Between 2014 and 2024, Metro Vancouver will also benefit from close to $1.5 billion in federal Gas Tax Funds.

In addition to federal funding for additional SkyTrain cars, in January, TransLink also used federal funding to purchase four new RapidBuses, including one that will help to alleviate congestion and improve commute times along the very important UBC-Joyce/Collingwood route. 

The Government of Canada has committed to ensuring that federal investments in public transit are used to support the transition to a low-carbon economy by helping municipalities and school boards purchase 5,000 zero-emission transit and school buses over the next five years. And, starting in 2023, new federal investments in public transit will be used to support zero-emission buses and rail systems.

Further, in recognition of the need for long-term, predictable transit funding, the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities was mandated to make the commitment to fund public transit permanent, ensuring that the value of this funding increases over time with the cost of construction.

The Government of Canada works closely with provincial, territorial and municipal partners to fund infrastructure projects. Going forward, the Government will continue to work with its partners to advance its infrastructure plan. Investments made under the next phase of this plan will remove barriers, bring people together, and foster liveable communities across Canada.