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According to the most recent Canadian Infrastructure Report Card,����— . And our approach to tackling infrastructure has remained stagnant for decades.

Mired in political promises and lack of citizen engagement, Canada’s approach has focused largely on fast cash infusions to stimulate an underproductive economy. Stimulus infusions focus on spending money .

Canada’s election season highlights this disjointed approach. Look at election platforms over the past two decades, and you won’t find much in the way of change in terms of our approach to infrastructure investments.

Conservatives often tout  and transportation for increased trade. The NDP look at social infrastructure investments, including . The Green Party toes the line of . And the Liberals fall somewhere in between each of these priority areas.

The Achilles heel of any government

Election platform promises about infrastructure typically focus on what hasn’t been done and how money was mismanaged. Party platforms are filled with promises to do more, but infrastructure is the Achilles heel of any government.

Party leaders have to talk about investing in infrastructure during the election, but if elected they have little funding to work with, combined with a largely hypercritical audience that doesn’t want to spend money.

We cannot simply blame politicians. Our political priorities are, after all, a reflection of the average Canadians ignorance to infrastructure. Something along the lines of “I want the road fixed, but I don’t realize how much it costs and I don’t want to pay for it” often summarizes the average thinking.

So how do you tackle this in an election platform?

The newly announced Conservative  reads a lot like the  of years past. It’s not far off of the Liberals’ post-pandemic recovery either.

�ճ���� and its predecessor, the , touted billions of dollars in investments,��. Their election plan discusses “,” focusing on high-speed internet and transportation.

The NDP fixates on “building the infrastructure we need,” with a focus on infrastructure that . If  is any indication, the Liberals will continue to toe a party line that pushes for economic recovery while dealing with social and green infrastructure.

Infrastructure gap in Indigenous communities

One of the largest areas for opportunity is addressing the infrastructure gap in Indigenous communities. The Liberals’ Budget 2021 had a focus on building an ,��.

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The Conservatives have promised to promote “mutually beneficial conversations” between Indigenous communities and resource project proponents, promising . The NDP promises a platform of . But  before progress on closing the infrastructure gap can be seen.

A stimulus-focused  is limited and short-sighted. Most government approaches focus on shovel-ready, yielding . The Liberal party has been criticized for spending “.”

Investments aren’t enough

Investments in community infrastructure have long been touted as . While they yield , they often aren’t enough.

Past governments have shelled out billions,��. We know that , especially when disconnected from community needs and engagement.

You can’t balance the budget and close the infrastructure gap without long-term planning that transcends political parties. Infrastructure requires  given the high capital required.

The Conservatives have promised to dismantle the , and so . The Liberals’ approach to the CIB is certain to be  because the CIB encourages private investments. But questions remain around whether private investments , and how effective and efficient the CIB is. However, no progress can be made when we create and dismantle infrastructure programs with every election change.

Infrastructure is complex. It requires private and public investments, it must account for our changing climate and it must be visionary in its long-term approach. Infrastructure is about more than just technology access or increasing trade — it’s about community and people. We need to see through the political rhetoric, and move beyond the excitement and allure of new jobs and funding.

What we are building is not as important as why we are building it. Infrastructure investments can’t just be an election promise, they must be a national priority — one that moves beyond the politics.