November 6, 2017

News Release - Public-Private Partnerships are not Privatization

The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP) is kicking off its 25th Annual Conference at the Sheraton Center Hotel in downtown Toronto on Monday morning. The two day event will focus on smart, innovative, modern approaches to delivering infrastructure in a way that ensures the best possible value for tax payers and the most efficient use of scarce public resources.

To clarify any misunderstanding or misinformation: Public-private partnerships (P3s) are not privatization. P3 projects are, in every instance government owned and controlled. They are a proven success in Canada, not only delivering public infrastructure on-time and on budget, but ensuring the long-term protection and management of assets. The record and research speak for themselves. To say otherwise, is simply an argument of convenience by those who are misinformed by the facts.

Governments at all levels across the country have come to understand the benefits of P3s and the importance of engaging the private sector in addressing Canada’s infrastructure deficit. The Honourable Jane Philpott, Canada’s Minister of Indigenous Services will be the Opening Keynote speaker. The minister will highlight the challenges in overcoming the infrastructure deficit in indigenous communities and discuss the need for innovative solutions, including partnerships among these communities, government and the private sector.

The conference, in general, highlights the established benefits of bringing private sector rigour and discipline to the procurement of a broad range of publicly owned and controlled infrastructure assets like hospitals, public transit, schools, and courthouses. There are 268 such public-private partnerships across Canada and independent research has found that these partnerships have saved Canadians as much as $27 billion over the past 25 years; they’ve generated 115 thousand jobs and $5 billion in additional wages on average every year.

Those who misrepresent P3s, who willfully ignore the significant economic benefits, foolishly disregard the value of hard earned tax dollars across Canada.

About the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships: Established in 1993, CCPPP is a national, non-partisan, member-based organization with broad representation from across the public and private sectors. Its mission is to promote smart, innovative and modern approaches to infrastructure development and service delivery through public-private partnerships with all levels of government. The Council is a proponent of evidence-based public policy in support of P3s, facilitates the adoption of international best practices, and educates stakeholders and the community on the economic and social benefits of public-private partnerships.

For media enquiries contact: Dave Trafford, Director, Communications & Media Relations, [email protected], 416-861-0605 ext. 210