Montreal - Following the 2025 federal election, the TRANSIT Alliance, in collaboration with organizations across Canada, including Environmental Defence, the David Suzuki Foundation and the Ecology Action Centre are calling on the federal government to double investments in Canada's Public Transit Fund (CPTF) from $3 billion to $6 billion/year. Doubling the CPTF was a demand widely shared by many organizations across Canada during the 2025 federal election.
Investment in public transit systems is a preferred solution to congestion problems for 81 per cent of Canadians, according to a recent Léger poll. While the CPTF is already serving as a catalyst for investment by provinces and municipalities, the pace of public transit projects remains too slow to accommodate population growth and is further challenged by high inflation in construction costs.
‘’The costs of congestion are exploding year after year, hampering the economy at a time when competitiveness has never been more crucial. Ontario alone is estimated to waste $13 billion a year in lost time for motorists, trucks, buses, streetcars and emergency services (this loss is estimated at $6 billion for Greater Montreal), and up to $44 billion considering the impacts on health, stress and quality of life. Beyond congestion, every dollar invested in public transit has the potential to contribute $29 to the local economy.’’ says Andrew Puslsifer, executive director with TTCriders.
The undersigned organizations are calling for significantly increasing the pace of public transit development by doubling the sums invested in the Canada Public Transit Fund. There are massive unmet needs, not only for new infrastructure, but also for upgrading existing infrastructure. The CPTF does not provide for the modernization of existing equipment, which is critical to ensure efficient mobility in urban centers. Whether it's new streetcar or train lines, metro upgrades or extensions, new bus garages or new dedicated bus lanes, investing in public transit is essential to sustainable growth and an opportunity to create new jobs in a future-oriented Canadian industry.
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Signatory organisations:
- Alliance TRANSIT, comprising more than fifty member organisations in Québec, including the following eight on the steering committee :
- David Suzuki Foundation
- Accès transports viables
- Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal
- Équiterre
- Florence Junca-Adenot
- Trajectoire Québec
- Regroupement national des conseils régionaux en environnement (RNCREQ)
- Vivre en Ville
- Association québécoise des médecins pour l’environnement (AQME)
- The Ecology Action Centre
- Environmental Defence
- Movement Metro Vancouver
- TTCriders
- Greenpeace Canada
- CAPE