Liberal privatization scheme will leave Canadians paying more

OTTAWA – The NDP is condemning the Liberal government for its scheme to privatize public infrastructure that will mean new tolls and user fees where there are none, and the hiking of fees where they already exist.

“The Liberals are taking the money they promised to invest and putting it into the infrastructure bank‎ - which means projects will focus on meeting private investors' interests rather than Canadians' needs,” said NDP Leader Tom Mulcair. “We’re disappointed the Liberals plan to take credit for infrastructure money they will not spend, while leaving Canadians to pay the price through new user fees and tolls.”

In spite of promises to Canadians, the Liberals are proposing to take $15 billion out of existing infrastructure promises to fund their privatization bank. Borrowing from the Conservative playbook, the update heavily backloads infrastructure investments with nearly two thirds of new funds delayed until after two elections. And in an about face on their promise for openness and transparency, the Liberals rely on an accounting trick to improve their numbers by eliminating the $6 billion contingency fund.

“The Liberals never told Canadians’ about their privatization plans during the election but now it’s become their misguided response to a struggling economy and shaky finances,” said NDP Finance Critic, Guy Caron (Rimouski-Neigette — Témiscouata — Les Basques). “Instead of investing in Canadian jobs, the Liberals will privatize infrastructure while delaying the vast majority of new investments by another two mandates.”