Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to advise that today the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories announced the signing of a framework agreement that will provide the Northwest Territories with funding of $245.8 million in total over the next seven years.
Applause.
These dollars are to address public infrastructure needs and priorities in the Northwest Territories.
This funding is made available under the Building Canada plan, which is the Government of Canada’s new long-term infrastructure plan first announced in the 2007 federal budget.
Today we announce the first project that will be funded under this program. The Government of Canada has agreed to cost share the reconstruction of the Kakisa River Bridge.
This urgent priority in the existing capital plan is an important link for most highway traffic coming from other parts of Canada. The wider bridge will improve safety, and the design of the bridge will meet the needs of the Territory for decades to come. No other decisions have been made about projects to be funded.
Today’s announcement of the signing of a framework agreement is the first stage in a two-stage process. The framework agreement sets out the broad categories for eligible projects and the amount of funding to be made available to the Northwest Territories. The second phase, which will begin soon, is the negotiation of the actual funding agreement, which will outline details on project eligibility categories and the project approval process.
Until the funding agreement is actually negotiated and signed, it’s difficult to make final decisions about which projects will be funded. However, Canada has identified the broad categories which will be eligible that reflect the mixture of national priorities and local priorities. National priorities include water and waste water, public transit, highways and green energy projects. Local priorities include sports and culture, disaster mitigation, solid waste management, local roads and airports projects. Within these broad categories, each province and territory needs to negotiate the details of which projects will be eligible.
Generally, the Government of the Northwest Territories will allocate funding to transportation and community infrastructure priorities. Transportation priorities will come from the projects that are already in our capital plan, from the capital needs assessment and from strategic documents such as Corridors for Canada and the government’s strategic plan.
Community government priorities will be identified in consultation with the Northwest Territories Association of Communities and will be based on community capital plans. A list of possible projects will be finalized in the near future for review by the Financial Management Board and by standing committee.
I will be happy to provide my colleagues with progress reports as we continue negotiations on the funding agreement.
I’d like to draw attention to Ministers’ Statements being addressed that aren’t directly as put forward to the House without notice to the Government House Leader.
