The Liberals say the infrastructure bank could fund projects in the U.S. only if there is a financial benefit and physical connection to Canada, such as the Ambassador Bridge, linking the two countries. At the heart of the concerns is one of independence from political interference: Giving the government too much control over the bank’s operations could end up scaring off investors who don’t want short-term political opportunism meddling in long-term infrastructure projects. The Liberals are infusing the bank with $35 billion in government funding, hoping that the money can leverage three or four times that much in private dollars to build infrastructure in Canada. The overarching idea was to make the bank independent, so that it would be viewed as credible by capital markets and signal stability to private investors. Private pension funds have pushed for months for the Liberals to make the new bank independent from government intervention.

Source: thestar April 19, 2017 17:03 UTC