The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-Canada (ACEC) officially launched its advocacy campaign, “Infrastructure: Prosperity by Design” for this federal election.
“This election is especially important because the next Parliament will make critical decisions on how Canada will recover and prosper as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. In balancing the needs for immediate stimulus and a long-term vision for our economy and environment, investing in infrastructure has a proven return on investment that governments can rely on,” said John Gamble, ACEC-Canada President & CEO.
The campaign includes ACEC’s election website, InvestInfrastructure.ca. The site provides information to educate candidates, political parties, and the public on the importance of leveraging infrastructure to develop a strong economic and environmental vision for Canada’s recovery. As Canada moves into post-pandemic recovery, ACEC believes there is a unique opportunity to rethink Canada’s vision and approach to infrastructure. This vision can be achieved in part through initiatives such as the proposed National Infrastructure Assessment, which has received broad support from stakeholders from numerous industries and across the political spectrum. Also, to address the more immediate needs as we emerge from the pandemic, accelerating existing infrastructure commitments will help Canada build back better. Decades of studies and experience demonstrate that infrastructure has the potential to contribute both to Canada’s long-term prosperity while also stimulating the economy immediately during the COVID-induced economic downturn. According to ACEC, this critical focus on infrastructure would benefit the economic, social and environmental quality of life of all Canadians while driving the economy and communities towards prosperity.
“We hope to see any elected government come in with an understanding of how important it is to provide infrastructure programs that are timely, consistent, and predictable with a priority placed on the rapid delivery of funding – that approach to infrastructure will design Canada’s future prosperity,” added Gamble. “In recent years we have seen successive federal governments make historic commitments to infrastructure with significant investments. More recently, we have also seen consultations for a National Infrastructure Assessment. With the current challenges facing Canada, we must build upon these initiatives and perhaps be even more ambitious”
Featured image: Eglinton Crosstown LRT boring machine. (Metrolinx)
