An Okanagan Member of Parliament is the vice-chair of a federal committee examining transportation infrastructure and communities.
In June, Dan Albas, the Conservative MP for the riding of Okanagan Lake West-South 琉璃神社, was appointed to the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and quickly named vice-chair.
The 10-member committee consists of five Liberals, four Conservatives and one Bloc Quebecois member. Liberal Peter Schiefke is the chair, while Albas and Xavier Barsalou-Duval of the Bloc Quebecois are vice-chairs.
鈥淲hile many aspects of transportation, infrastructure and communities are the responsibility of the provinces, such as highways, public transit, and municipal infrastructure, the federal government may have a role where it is perceived that the national interest is at stake,鈥� a statement from the committee reads.
The committee has studied Bill C-5, or the Building Canada Act.
Albas is also taking issue with the decision by BC Ferries to purchase four new vessels from China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards.
He said the $1 billion acquisition was financed by Canadian Infrastructure Bank, a crown corporation to support revenue-generating projects in Canada.
鈥淲hen the CIB was launched, it was billed as a vehicle to attract investment of foreign dollars into the Canadian economy,鈥� Albas said in a recent report to his constituents. 鈥淵et in this case, it appears to be facilitating Canadian taxpayer loans to fund shipbuilding in China鈥攃reating subsidized jobs abroad while our own shipyards are shut out.鈥�
Albas is seeking clarity about the federal government鈥檚 policy on the Canadian Infrastructure Bank over the funding and whether the federal government supports the province's chosen use of it.
鈥淭he bank was supposed to fund infrastructure in Canada,鈥� he said.
The study of Bill C-5 is now complete.
Albas is looking forward to other work on the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. He said during the last Parliament, the committee heard from Merritt Mayor Michael Goetz and Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne, talking about the challenges their communities were facing in the aftermath of the 2021 atmospheric river events that resulted in flooding, landslides and damage to infrastructure.
Because of Canada鈥檚 large geographic area and spread out population, Canada has had a committee to examine transportation issues since Confederation in 1867.
In the past, the committee has studied and made recommendations on transportation-related issues including the creation of the Canadian National Railway as a Crown corporation in 1919, privatizing this railway in 1995, the economic deregulation of the airline industry in 1987, the development of the Canada Transportation Act in 1996 and other legislation and developments.
This is not the first time Albas has been appointed to this committee. When he was first elected to Ottawa, he was appointed to the committee. At that time, he introduced a private member鈥檚 bill to allow people to import wine from another province for personal consumption.
On July 22, B.C. Premier David Eby signed trade agreements with Ontario, Manitoba and Yukon to remove trade barriers.
