Good afternoon everyone. Hello everyone.

Thank you Mayor Nenshi for your kind words. Thank you Amarjeet for your kind introduction. It’s a pleasure to be here in Calgary with you all and Minister of Transportation Brian Mason. I know Minister Mason announced he’ll be retiring after this term so let me add my congratulations to the many flowing on 29 years of service to the people of Alberta. I’m also very glad to be joined here today by such a strong voice for Alberta in Ottawa, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi.

Before I begin, I want to underscore that this is a tragic day marking the fifth anniversary of the Lac Mégantic disaster. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and all those who were impacted by those terrible events. My government is determined to ensure that the safety of our railways and of all our infrastructure remains one of our great priorities.

Today is the 5th anniversary of the tragedy in Lac-Mégantic and we are reminded of the lives lost and all the work we need to continue to do to make sure that our infrastructure and our communities are as safe as possible.

Whenever I’m in Alberta, I’m reminded not only of the beauty of our country but of its vastness. Anyone who has taken a long road trip or sat in traffic during a lengthy commute knows that building roads is about more than just putting down asphalt, it’s about connecting Canadians for their families and their jobs, connecting our resources to markets around the world, and that’s why we’re investing in Calgary, a city that’s growing. Building infrastructure here supports communities as they expand and thrive.

But today I’m proud to announce that as part of our national trade corridors fund, the federal government is investing $50 million in the Calgary Airport Trail Project. These funds will help construct transportation infrastructure along Airport Trail. This vital artery gets people and goods to and from Calgary International Airport, a hub for tourism, trade, and the local economy. Airport Trail also connects folks to their communities and to commercial areas in the northeast of the city. This project will make a real difference in people’s everyday lives, which is why it has such strong buy-in from the Government of Alberta, the City of Calgary, and indeed the Calgary Airport Authority itself -- thank you Bob -- because working together means better results for Canadians like growing our economy and creating jobs for our middle class.

And today’s announcement is just one more piece of what my government is doing on that front. A couple of weeks ago, we were here to unveil a major investment of up to one and a half billion dollars for Calgary’s Greenline. That’s the largest contribution ever made by the Government of Canada to an infrastructure project in Alberta. We’re listening to the needs of people across the province.

In May, we committed more than $39 million to the 50^th Street railway crossing in Edmonton – improvements that will reduce congestion and travel times and increase safety. This project is expected to create nearly 900 well-paying middle-class jobs. It’s a win-win. More efficient travel and good jobs for Canadians.

At the same time that we’re developing infrastructure so people can get around, my government is also focused on strengthening our economy by getting Canadian resources to global markets. That’s why we took action to make sure that work will go ahead on the Trans Mountain Expansion project protecting thousands of jobs because it’s essential that we grow our economy and protect our environment at the same time.

Rest assured that I am going to ensure that all Canadians and Canadian businesses have the infrastructure they need to do their work. Our government will invest $10.1 billion over the next 11 years in trade and transportation projects. We are continuing to make targeted investments to create jobs, help families and grow the economy. It’s a strategy that’s making a real difference in the lives of Canadians.

Today’s announcement is a great example of what we can achieve in cities and towns across the country when we invest in infrastructure. By working with our partners and all orders of government, we can help people spend more time with their families, grow our economy and create jobs for our middle class.