Prime Minister, Premier announce Canada-B.C. agreement to launch Building Canada plan

November 6, 2007
Golden, British Columbia

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Well, good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Bon après-midi. First of all, thank you, Lawrence for hosting this ceremony today, for emceeing. Thank you, greetings, Premier Campbell. Gordon and I flew out on the airplane today and we resolved just about all the problems of British Columbia and the country and several other jurisdictions as well. Greetings also to mayor Doyle and of course, to my colleague Jim Abbott for being here today and congratulations once again, Jim, on your recent appointment to the Queen's Privy Council of Canada.

Jim is one of 18 government members of Parliament which includes six parliamentary secretaries and five federal ministers for British Columbia. Obviously, our government has deep roots in B.C. and it is reflected not only in our caucus in cabinet, but also in our relationship with the provincial government. Today's announcement reflects on the strength of that relationship.

I'm pleased to announce formally that British Columbia has become the first province to sign on to our Building Canada plan. This means that money can start flowing from the federal government to B.C. and that major infrastructure projects can start moving forward, projects that are important to the people of British Columbia like upgrades to the Trans-Canada Highway.

As a longtime resident of Calgary, I have traveled the highway through Kicking Horse Pass many times. While there have been some significant improvements in recent years, in fact, we saw some spectacular improvements in very recent years earlier today, some stretches of the Trans-Canada in the pass are still not as safe as they should be, nor sufficient as they could be in terms of moving commercial traffic. It is important for local residents and towns like Banff, Lake Louise, Field, Golden and Revelstoke to be able to travel safely between their communities.

There is also the growing volume of tourist traffic during the summer plus skiers visiting the great winter resorts in this region, including Golden's own Kicking Horse resort. As well, up to 1,000 commercial trucks travel through the pass every day. The total volume of the goods hauled through the canyon is projected to exceed $13 billion over the next decade. We understand how important it is to keep the flow of goods and people moving along Canada's national highway, because our transportation infrastructure really is the lifeblood of our economy.

Today's agreement under our Building Canada plan will launch several new road improvement projects in this region and infrastructure projects elsewhere in British Columbia. Locally, 16 kilometers of the Trans-Canada will be upgraded. The project involves twinning the highway from Golden to the west portal as well as the section between Park Bridge and Yoho National Park. The upgrades will ensure that traffic keeps moving smoothly and people keep getting to their destinations safely.

In budget 2007, our government launched the biggest program of national infrastructure investment in half a century. We are providing predictable, flexible and long-term funding to restore and upgrade roads, bridges, tunnels, ports, public transit systems and much more, including of course the Asia-Pacific gateway which is key to realizing B.C.'s destiny as the Canadian link to the burgeoning economies on the other side of the ocean.

Building Canada is about investing in our country's future. It is about a stronger economy, a cleaner environment and more prosperous communities.

I would like once again to thank Premier Campbell and his government for their support and cooperation in developing our Building Canada partnership. Today's announcement shows that by working together, the provinces and Ottawa can get things done for Canadians and make Canada stronger, safer and better.

So thank you very much, merci beaucoup, and I will call on Gordon.