Thank you. Thank you very much, Gregor. Good morning, everyone. Good morning, everyone. It is a great pleasure to be back in Brampton. It’s a great pleasure to be back with Mayor Patrick Brown. Thank you, Patrick, for your partnership on this project, your partnership, your leadership, your vision, your action across a wide range of initiatives in Brampton, making Brampton more secure, more prosperous, and more fun.

Because in the end, fitness, fun and community is what where we are today, is what Century Gardens Recreation Centre and its new Community Youth Hub is about. This broader space will house and host basketball court ofAmphitheatre, E-Sports Room, the Atiba Hutchinson Soccer court. Mayor and I were just talking about this named after Atiba Hutchinson, of course, one of Brampton’s greatest exports.

And kids are already beginning to train on the soccer court in the hopes of matching his incredible career that included, and I looked this up, 109 caps for Canada. Think of those kids dreaming of playing in the World Cup. A very long time ago, I had similar dreams. I didn’t realise that my dreams of playing in the World Cup or the NHL for that matter. But I did make close friends and I learned the right values playing sports at my community centre, the Laurier Heights Community Centre in Edmonton. So, 40-ish years later, I returned there last year to launch my campaign to become the Liberal leader and, with the support of the voters of Brampton and elsewhere, Canada’s Prime Minister. But when I launched at that time in the community centre, my core message was “It’s time to build.” And today, we’re beginning to deliver on that promise for communities right across Canada. That means building hospitals in our communities, so people don’t have to drive 2 hours or wait many more when their child is sick. It means building new rapid transit that reduces traffic and cuts the commute home in half. And it means community centres like Century Gardens, where kids can play safely on the weekend.

Canada’s new government is building major infrastructure projects –ports, mines, and highways – that connect and transform our economy, and we’re building the strong, local infrastructure that connects communities and transforms the services you receive, your commute, and your everyday life. Local communities are the heartbeat of Canada, and we are building strong communities.

Canada strong means Halifax strong, Laval strong, Brampton strong, and today as the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure just mentioned we’re officially launching the Build Community Strong Fund, a $51 billion investment in community infrastructure across this country. We’re partnering with provinces, territories, and municipalities to build local infrastructure, from better hospitals and public transit to new community centres. And there are three streams of funding: a provincial stream, a direct delivery stream, and a community stream. And I’m going to spend a few minutes going through each. The $12 billion provincial and territorial stream is focused on public transit, education, health care, and housing enabling infrastructure.

Last week, Premier Ford and I announced the first agreement under this stream called the Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build. And this partnership does many things, but one of the most important things is it will cut development charges in half across the province and eliminate the full 13% GST and HST on new homes valued up to $1,000,000. So, you combine those lower taxes and lower fees, that’s up to $200,000 off a new home right here in Brampton.

We’re also working with Ontario on a half a dozen transit projects, from the Hamilton LRT and the Waterfront East LRT to the Alto High-Speed Rail. We’re pursuing similar partnerships with all of the provinces and territories to make housing more affordable and our communities safer and more vibrant right across Canada, with provincial matching and cuts to development fees. What’s happening is all orders of government can pull in the same direction towards the same goals.

In addition to strengthening communities, local infrastructure is playing an increasingly important role in homebuilding. When there’s no public transit, appropriate wastewater systems, or community spaces, families don’t want to move. Housing demand slows down, and homes don’t get built.

So, we’re working with provinces to do many things, including modernising colleges and universities, and that includes the $25 million for the Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Medicine right here in Brampton.

So, Canadian workers can (inaudible). As I mentioned, we’re building the buses and trains that connect our communities and one of our top priorities, and this is a new priority for the federal government. A top priority is federal funding to help build and revitalise Canada’s hospitals, because in many communities, hospitals were built in the 1970s and they’re now serving populations that are twice as big as they were designed for. Families are waiting too long for the care they deserve. So, we’re deploying $5 billion through a health infrastructure fund to build more emergency departments and new urgent care centres. And we’re investing in long-term care, palliative care, and mental health care to fill infrastructure gaps across the health care system.

One of our main priorities is to invest federal funding to build and modernise Canada’s hospitals so you can get the care you need. We are investing $5billion to build more emergency services and new urgent care centres. This includes new investments in long-term care, palliative care, and mental health services.

Under the second stream, the $6 billion direct delivery stream, we’re working with the Canada Infrastructure Bank to help mobilise private sector investment to amplify public dollars and accelerate projects. And as Gregor mentioned, this includes building climate resilient infrastructure to reduce the impacts of floods, extreme heats, and fires. It also means local communal spaces that bring people together with our first project right here in Brampton. I’m pleased to announce that Canada’s new government will be investing $64 million to build the new Embleton Community Centre and Park.

This is huge- this is hugely exciting. It’s a 175,000 square foot space with competitive and recreational pools, a gymnasium, a fitness centre, child care services, an ice-skating pavilion, courts for tennis and pickleball, nets for cricket. It will be a space where families gather, where kids learn to swim, where athletes train, and where this great community grows. And it’s happening. It’s only happening because of the strong partnership between the federal government, the private sector, and the city of Brampton. I want to thank Mayor Brown for his leadership. I want to thank Sonia Sidhu, the MP for Brampton South, as well as our Brampton caucus for championing this great project and getting it built. This week, our government is launching its first tranche of projects that will build communities strong across Canada. From Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, to Iqaluit to St. Albert, Alberta, who are our great rivals when I was growing up in Laurier Heights, so I just wanted – this shows that we are governing for all of Canada. The government will announce a dozen projects worth $300million in federal funding this week, from new sports and recreation centres to new water treatment plants and reservoirs, that provides the necessary infrastructure to enable new homebuilding.

Now we know that local communities will have even more ideas. So, we’re also launching a new portal on the Build Community Strong Fund web page for proponents to apply for new projects.

And finally, the $27-billion community stream will allow for predictable, long-term investment in local infrastructure. These investments are designated for municipalities directly, and involve nearly 20categories of public infrastructure, including wastewater and storm water infrastructure, roads, and bridges. In the coming weeks, a series of projects under this stream will move forward.

Funding for the Building Communities Strong Fund will be matched by nearly $17billion from provinces, with additional billions leveraged through municipal partnerships and private capital. The Build Communities Strong Fund will, as a result, be a force multiplier, supporting over 42,000 high-paying careers in communities across Canada, from engineering to skilled trades, and boosting our GDP by an estimated $95 billion over the next decade. Think about that. That’s $12billion in infrastructure investment, local infrastructure investment, every year for the next eight years, nearly double the rate of the previous eight years. And as the mayor kindly mentioned, we’ll move fast. And I will point out that at that meeting of Big City Mayors, the mayor made a number of important points. Mayor Brown did, including first on his list, moving fast, hitting this construction season. In the coming year, nearly 500 projects representing over $6 billion in investment are expected to break ground.

By building infrastructure that promotes homebuilding, we are enabling the construction of thousands of new homes. We launched Build Canada Homes in September to help kickstart a new housing industry in Canada. We’re using public lands, innovative technologies, and funding to build homes faster than we have in a generation.

We’re building the right projects and we’re doing so in the right ways. We’re building sustainably with low carbon investments that make Canada more competitive. Embleton will be net zero. We’re building in solidarity with workers, creating good union jobs across the skilled trades. We’re building inclusively in full partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and above all, we’re building Canadian with Canadian workers, Canadian steel, Canadian lumber, Canadian expertise. Every project– from housing and public transit to roads, bridges, hospitals, community centres– will support workers in the skilled trades by prioritising those Canadian materials and Canadian manufacturing under our new Buy Canadian Policy. Now, going back to where I started, in a little over two months, a few kilometres from here, Canada’s men’s soccer team will take the field for their first game at the World Cup. Brampton will be well represented. to Tajon Buchanan, Cyle Larin, Jonathan Osorio all started their careers in Brampton’s community centres, parks, recreational centres. Places like the ones we’re building today. Now, the true value of community infrastructure goes well beyond these superstars. It goes to every kid who gets to play, to every parent who gets to watch, to the safe spaces, to work out, hang out, and just have fun. Because when we invest where we live, we invest in each other. And that’s how we build Brampton strong for all and Canada strong for all.

Thank you. Thank you very much, Gregor. Good morning, everyone. Good morning, everyone. It is a great pleasure to be back in Brampton. It’s a great pleasure to be back with Mayor Patrick Brown. Thank you, Patrick, for your partnership on this project, your partnership, your leadership, your vision, your action across a wide range of initiatives in Brampton, making Brampton more secure, more prosperous, and more fun.

Because in the end, fitness, fun and community is what where we are today, is what Century Gardens Recreation Centre and its new Community Youth Hub is about. This broader space will house and host basketball court ofAmphitheatre, E-Sports Room, the Atiba Hutchinson Soccer court. Mayor and I were just talking about this named after Atiba Hutchinson, of course, one of Brampton’s greatest exports.

And kids are already beginning to train on the soccer court in the hopes of matching his incredible career that included, and I looked this up, 109 caps for Canada. Think of those kids dreaming of playing in the World Cup. A very long time ago, I had similar dreams. I didn’t realise that my dreams of playing in the World Cup or the NHL for that matter. But I did make close friends and I learned the right values playing sports at my community centre, the Laurier Heights Community Centre in Edmonton. So, 40-ish years later, I returned there last year to launch my campaign to become the Liberal leader and, with the support of the voters of Brampton and elsewhere, Canada’s Prime Minister. But when I launched at that time in the community centre, my core message was “It’s time to build.” And today, we’re beginning to deliver on that promise for communities right across Canada. That means building hospitals in our communities, so people don’t have to drive 2 hours or wait many more when their child is sick. It means building new rapid transit that reduces traffic and cuts the commute home in half. And it means community centres like Century Gardens, where kids can play safely on the weekend.

Canada’s new government is building major infrastructure projects –ports, mines, and highways – that connect and transform our economy, and we’re building the strong, local infrastructure that connects communities and transforms the services you receive, your commute, and your everyday life. Local communities are the heartbeat of Canada, and we are building strong communities.

Canada strong means Halifax strong, Laval strong, Brampton strong, and today as the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure just mentioned we’re officially launching the Build Community Strong Fund, a $51 billion investment in community infrastructure across this country. We’re partnering with provinces, territories, and municipalities to build local infrastructure, from better hospitals and public transit to new community centres. And there are three streams of funding: a provincial stream, a direct delivery stream, and a community stream. And I’m going to spend a few minutes going through each. The $12 billion provincial and territorial stream is focused on public transit, education, health care, and housing enabling infrastructure.

Last week, Premier Ford and I announced the first agreement under this stream called the Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build. And this partnership does many things, but one of the most important things is it will cut development charges in half across the province and eliminate the full 13% GST and HST on new homes valued up to $1,000,000. So, you combine those lower taxes and lower fees, that’s up to $200,000 off a new home right here in Brampton.

We’re also working with Ontario on a half a dozen transit projects, from the Hamilton LRT and the Waterfront East LRT to the Alto High-Speed Rail. We’re pursuing similar partnerships with all of the provinces and territories to make housing more affordable and our communities safer and more vibrant right across Canada, with provincial matching and cuts to development fees. What’s happening is all orders of government can pull in the same direction towards the same goals.

In addition to strengthening communities, local infrastructure is playing an increasingly important role in homebuilding. When there’s no public transit, appropriate wastewater systems, or community spaces, families don’t want to move. Housing demand slows down, and homes don’t get built.

So, we’re working with provinces to do many things, including modernising colleges and universities, and that includes the $25 million for the Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Medicine right here in Brampton.

So, Canadian workers can (inaudible). As I mentioned, we’re building the buses and trains that connect our communities and one of our top priorities, and this is a new priority for the federal government. A top priority is federal funding to help build and revitalise Canada’s hospitals, because in many communities, hospitals were built in the 1970s and they’re now serving populations that are twice as big as they were designed for. Families are waiting too long for the care they deserve. So, we’re deploying $5 billion through a health infrastructure fund to build more emergency departments and new urgent care centres. And we’re investing in long-term care, palliative care, and mental health care to fill infrastructure gaps across the health care system.

One of our main priorities is to invest federal funding to build and modernise Canada’s hospitals so you can get the care you need. We are investing $5billion to build more emergency services and new urgent care centres. This includes new investments in long-term care, palliative care, and mental health services.

Under the second stream, the $6 billion direct delivery stream, we’re working with the Canada Infrastructure Bank to help mobilise private sector investment to amplify public dollars and accelerate projects. And as Gregor mentioned, this includes building climate resilient infrastructure to reduce the impacts of floods, extreme heats, and fires. It also means local communal spaces that bring people together with our first project right here in Brampton. I’m pleased to announce that Canada’s new government will be investing $64 million to build the new Embleton Community Centre and Park.

This is huge- this is hugely exciting. It’s a 175,000 square foot space with competitive and recreational pools, a gymnasium, a fitness centre, child care services, an ice-skating pavilion, courts for tennis and pickleball, nets for cricket. It will be a space where families gather, where kids learn to swim, where athletes train, and where this great community grows. And it’s happening. It’s only happening because of the strong partnership between the federal government, the private sector, and the city of Brampton. I want to thank Mayor Brown for his leadership. I want to thank Sonia Sidhu, the MP for Brampton South, as well as our Brampton caucus for championing this great project and getting it built. This week, our government is launching its first tranche of projects that will build communities strong across Canada. From Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, to Iqaluit to St. Albert, Alberta, who are our great rivals when I was growing up in Laurier Heights, so I just wanted – this shows that we are governing for all of Canada. The government will announce a dozen projects worth $300million in federal funding this week, from new sports and recreation centres to new water treatment plants and reservoirs, that provides the necessary infrastructure to enable new homebuilding.

Now we know that local communities will have even more ideas. So, we’re also launching a new portal on the Build Community Strong Fund web page for proponents to apply for new projects.

And finally, the $27-billion community stream will allow for predictable, long-term investment in local infrastructure. These investments are designated for municipalities directly, and involve nearly 20categories of public infrastructure, including wastewater and storm water infrastructure, roads, and bridges. In the coming weeks, a series of projects under this stream will move forward.

Funding for the Building Communities Strong Fund will be matched by nearly $17billion from provinces, with additional billions leveraged through municipal partnerships and private capital. The Build Communities Strong Fund will, as a result, be a force multiplier, supporting over 42,000 high-paying careers in communities across Canada, from engineering to skilled trades, and boosting our GDP by an estimated $95 billion over the next decade. Think about that. That’s $12billion in infrastructure investment, local infrastructure investment, every year for the next eight years, nearly double the rate of the previous eight years. And as the mayor kindly mentioned, we’ll move fast. And I will point out that at that meeting of Big City Mayors, the mayor made a number of important points. Mayor Brown did, including first on his list, moving fast, hitting this construction season. In the coming year, nearly 500 projects representing over $6 billion in investment are expected to break ground.

By building infrastructure that promotes homebuilding, we are enabling the construction of thousands of new homes. We launched Build Canada Homes in September to help kickstart a new housing industry in Canada. We’re using public lands, innovative technologies, and funding to build homes faster than we have in a generation.

We’re building the right projects and we’re doing so in the right ways. We’re building sustainably with low carbon investments that make Canada more competitive. Embleton will be net zero. We’re building in solidarity with workers, creating good union jobs across the skilled trades. We’re building inclusively in full partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis, and above all, we’re building Canadian with Canadian workers, Canadian steel, Canadian lumber, Canadian expertise. Every project– from housing and public transit to roads, bridges, hospitals, community centres– will support workers in the skilled trades by prioritising those Canadian materials and Canadian manufacturing under our new Buy Canadian Policy. Now, going back to where I started, in a little over two months, a few kilometres from here, Canada’s men’s soccer team will take the field for their first game at the World Cup. Brampton will be well represented. to Tajon Buchanan, Cyle Larin, Jonathan Osorio all started their careers in Brampton’s community centres, parks, recreational centres. Places like the ones we’re building today. Now, the true value of community infrastructure goes well beyond these superstars. It goes to every kid who gets to play, to every parent who gets to watch, to the safe spaces, to work out, hang out, and just have fun. Because when we invest where we live, we invest in each other. And that’s how we build Brampton strong for all and Canada strong for all.