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Thank you, Catherine, for that introduction and for all of your tireless work for communities across the country.
First, I would like to acknowledge that we’re on the shared, unceded traditional territory of the Katzie, Semiahmoo, Kwantlen, and other Coast Salish Peoples.
It’s great to be here in Surrey with Premier Horgan.
John, today we get to announce good news for British Columbians for a second day in a row.
Just like with child care yesterday, today’s public transit announcement will have a real impact on people’s lives.
A big shout-out to the remarkable members of our team who are joining us today and who never stop working for the people of B.C. and all Canadians.
It’s also great to be joined by mayors Doug McCallum, Val van den Broek, and Jack Froese – as well as by provincial ministers Rob Fleming and George Heyman, and TransLink Interim CEO Gigi Chen-Kuo.
Thank you all for being here.
By working together, we will get results for Canadians.
And that’s what really matters.
Places south of the Fraser River like Surrey and Langley are growing fast, and have been for years. So, with more families choosing this as home, the demand for good, efficient transit has gone up.
And that’s why we’re here today, to meet this need and to make communities in the region more connected.
Today, I can announce that the federal government will provide up to $1.3 billion for the Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension.
The new line will connect growing Surrey neighbourhoods, the Township of Langley, and the City of Langley with the rapid transit families, workers, and students deserve.
If you’re wondering what that will look like, this project includes an elevated extension of 16 kilometres from King George Station, eight stations, three bus exchanges, and 30 SkyTrain cars.
Nobody likes to be stuck in traffic when you could be home with your kids.
This will cut commute times and make your lives easier.
That means spending more time doing the things you love.
Since 2015, our government has made historic investments in public transit all across the country.
Every time we create new public transit routes, we make people’s lives easier.
Every time we add an electric vehicle to our networks, we are helping to make the air cleaner.
These investments have real impacts in our communities.
I don’t have to tell people in B.C. how important it is to continue accelerating our fight against climate change.
Extreme weather and wildfires are only a few examples of the devastating consequences we’ve seen recently.
Development of public transit will put us squarely on a path to net-zero by 2050.
We have to ensure our kids inherit a cleaner future.
Of course, investing in a major project like the Surrey Langley SkyTrain extension is also good for the economy.
Today’s project alone is expected to create thousands of well-paying, middle-class jobs.
So, we’re cutting pollution and creating jobs for the people of B.C.
These are real, concrete results that you can count on and that’s what our government will continue to deliver.
Speaking of jobs, we learned this morning that 231,000 jobs were added to the Canadian economy in June. This includes 164,000 new positions for young people between 15 and 24.
We’ve now recovered more than 90 per cent of the jobs lost during the pandemic.
That’s encouraging news, but there’s always more work to be done.
As more Canadians are fully vaccinated every day, more regions are reopening.
And we will continue to be there for families, workers, and small businesses.
And we will reach our goal of creating 1 million jobs, and fully restoring employment to pre-pandemic levels and more.
Like I said, public transit is at the heart of our plan for a clean and strong recovery from this pandemic, and a growing middle class.
That’s why, earlier this year, we announced major investments in new public transit projects, including permanent annual funding for municipalities.
And that’s also why, today, I can announce that our government is committed to funding up to 40 per cent to support planning for the proposed extension of the Millennium Line from Arbutus Station to the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver.
This project will save time for people who travel between UBC and other parts of the city.
Round trip from Commercial-Broadway to UBC, this could mean 40 minutes more for yourself in your day.
If you’re a student and you work a part-time job, every minute counts.
If you’re a parent, you know how every day is a busy day and this extra time will make a real difference.
As we are coming to the end of the pandemic, we are continuing to build back better for everyone.
And our public transit investments are far from our only progressive measures to improve people’s lives.
Take, for example, everything we are doing to build more housing, more quickly, for those who are vulnerable.
Just this week, Minister Hussen was here in Surrey to announce new funding through the Rapid Housing Initiative to build new affordable homes.
He also announced more housing in Burnaby for vulnerable people and people experiencing homelessness.
Everyone deserves a safe place to call home.
We made a promise to end chronic homelessness in Canada and that’s exactly what we intend to do.
Whether it’s building public transit or rapid housing, fighting climate change or creating jobs, now is the time to rebuild a stronger country for British Columbians, and for all Canadians.
And by working together, I know that that’s exactly what we’ll do.
Thank you very much, my friends.