Industry’s long-term vision for infrastructure includes asset management planning guided by an independent council
The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has synthesized the feedback received from members and stakeholders across Canada and reflected this insight into its response to the Canadian government’s National Infrastructure Assessment, “Building the Canada We Want in 2050”. The need for a longer-term infrastructure planning and investment strategy has been a central focus of CCA’s advocacy program.
Endorsed by CCA’s local construction association partners, the submission makes the following recommendations:
- Canada must develop a long-term vision guided by an independent, apolitical Canadian Strategic Infrastructure Council.
- The funding allocation model must change from intense scrutiny of one-off projects identified by provinces, municipalities, or Indigenous communities to a robust, longer-term asset management plan guided by the objectives established by an independent Council.
- Adopting a collaborative and agile approach to public procurement will accelerate the benefits to be gained from infrastructure investment. The federal government should fund provincial and municipal asset plans – not individual projects, and new collaborative models beyond low-cost bid or P3s should be researched and explored.
The submission is the result of an industry-wide consultation with our Board, partner construction associations, National Advisory Councils, members and other stakeholders. CCA engaged Nanos Research to help conduct focus groups, an online survey, one-on-one executive interviews, several national workshops and a literature review. The consultation was also informed by independent and evidence-based analysis, from the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis.