GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
Budget 2021: Long-term environmental strategy over short-term action
O
n April 19, Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland unveiled the federal government’s first budget in over two years. Amid a historic deficit, the budget promised to provide additional support to some of Canada’s hardest hit sectors through a social and environmental policy lens. Proposing over $100 billion in stimulus spending across various programs, investment in Canadian infrastructure took on a long-term approach to some areas but missed the mark for many concerned industry stakeholders as it failed to address immediate infrastructure needs. The investment strategy left out the support many hoped would maximize the impact of infrastructure in stimulating the economy. Many key players in the industry, including the Canadian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (CIQS), have called for the government to bring forward funding committed under programs such as the Investing in Canada Plan to boost the economy in the short and long-term. Instead, Budget 2021 set the stage to deliver on a number of the Liberal’s policy goals, including reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. While these goals are laudable and supported by the CIQS, they do not address the immediate needs in the industry, nor do they adequately speed up current investments that would contribute greatly to stimulating the Canadian economy to rebuild from the pandemic. When Minister of Infrastructure Catherine McKenna launched the National Infrastructure Assessment at a Canadian Club of Ottawa event on March 16, it was clear that the Liberal’s strategy would take advantage of the Minister’s previous role of leading the
28 | CONSTRUCTION ECONOMIST | www.ciqs.org | Summer 2021
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