Bridges, highways, ports, and airports are vital and strategic infrastructure. This is why it was shocking to learn that Prime Minister Carney has floated the idea of selling off national airports to the private sector.
Who is going to buy these valuable pieces of Canadian infrastructure?
The Americans? The Saudis? The Chinese? A tech billionaire?
We’ve seen this before.
In Ontario, Premier Mike Harris had the bright idea of selling off a major public highway to a private company. He promised it would be a great deal.
It looked good on the books — for about a year.
And then the bill started coming due.
Now Ontarians will be paying through the nose for a century to benefit a Spanish consortium that has been given control of a massive highway asset in Canada’s most populous province.
Or what about the Ambassador Bridge — owned by an American oligarch?
There was a reason the Canadian taxpayer spent a fortune to not only build a publicly owned bridge but also paid millions to put in the road infrastructure on the Michigan side. It was a better deal than being beholden to an oligarch.
The argument that consumers will benefit from lower costs once you privatize something is ridiculous. When have we ever benefited from the fire sale of public assets into private hands?
There are 26 large airports in Canada owned by the federal government but administered by local authorities. Their mandate is to return profit by expanding infrastructure. Under Carney’s plan, that money would go to shareholders.
So how would we benefit?
At a time when Canada needs to be firmly in control of its infrastructure, this is a seriously flawed scheme.
Contact your MP. Contact the Prime Minister.
There is still time to dial this back.
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