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(PHOTO: RAWF8 / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS / GETTY IMAGES)
In an open letter pointing to the need for national trade-enabling infrastructure, Alberta’s Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen has issued a call to action to federal Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Anita Anand.
“I have posted an open letter to the federal minister of transport and internal trade, urging her and her federal colleagues to take action and advance investments in interprovincial mega-infrastructure projects that will ensure Canada is competitive and successful,” explained Dreeshen. “Canada has been stuck in a situation where it cannot complete nation-building projects like the Canadian Pacific Railway that was completed in 1885, or the Trans Canada Highway that was completed in the 1960s. With the uncertainty of U.S. tariffs looming over our country and province, Canada needs to take bold action to revitalize the productivity and competitiveness of its economy – going east to west and not always relying on north-south trade. There’s no better time than right now to politically de-risk these projects.”
He pointed to the work Alberta has done to collaborate on joint infrastructure networks, signing agreements with Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories.
“Through our collaboration with neighbouring jurisdictions, we will spur the development of economic corridors by reducing regulatory delays and attracting investment. We recognize the importance of working with Indigenous communities on the development of major infrastructure projects, which will be key to our success in these endeavors,” he wrote. “However, provinces and territories cannot do this alone. The federal government must play its part to advance the economic corridors that we need from coast to coast to coast to support our economic future. It is time for immediate action.”
He is proposing the creation of a working group consisting of representatives from the federal government, the provinces and the territories to address the need for trade-enabling infrastructure with a national outlook on economic threats and barriers, concluding with, “We ask the federal government to join us in a new approach to infrastructure development that ensures Canada is productive and competitive for generations to come and generates the wealth that ensures our quality of life is second to none.”