Liberals to face Senate as showdown looms over infrastructure bank plan
OTTAWA — The government’s plan to create a new $35-billion infrastructure bank is facing a rocky road as senators stand poised to rewrite the Liberals’ budget bill and delay creation of the financing agency.
An independent senator will ask the Senate next week to separate out the legislation creating the so-called infrastructure bank from the larger budget bill to give the upper chamber more time to debate the proposal.
Whether Sen. Andre Pratte has enough support is unclear, but he said there is interest from Conservatives, Liberals and independents who want more time to review the legislation.
The Liberal government’s plan is to use public funds through the bank to leverage billions more from investors to pay for large projects, such as rail lines, bridges and transit systems that may be too expensive for governments, or too risky for private companies to handle alone.