The Canadian government remains determined to harness private sector investment and expertise in its delivery of infrastructure - and there will be an update on the National Infrastructure Assessment before the end of the year.
Peter Fragiskatos, parliamentary secretary for the minister for housing, infrastructure and communities, told the annual CCPPP conference that the government “will continue to work with the private sector” to get results around areas such as tackling climate change and dealing with the “immediate challenge” of housing.
On the latter, he added: “We are going to continue to need the industry’s advice. The way forward necessitates working as closely as we can with the private sector. we have to be building as much [housing] as we possibly can.”
During a Q&A with CCPPP president and chief executive, Lisa Mitchell, Fragiskatos also revealed that the government continues to work on the National Infrastructure Assessment and said there will be a new announcement on this “by the end of this year”.
Fragiskatos also praised the Canada Infrastructure Bank, describing it as a model that can crowd in funding to get the results the government and industry want. “It is a model that is working but which has even more potential,” he concluded.
Mitchell opened the 2023 conference by welcoming the industry’s response to the challenge she laid down at last year’s event, to have the difficult discussions that will improve the way in which infrastructure is delivered. She added: “It is important to note that these discussions have indicated a clear commitment from both sides of the table to P3s.”