Canada to boost infrastructure investment to spur economy

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

OTTAWA, Nov. 10 (Chinese media) -- Canada will speed up infrastructure investment

to spur the country's economy in the face of the global slowdown, Prime Minister

Stephen Harper said Monday.

"We all agreed, I think, that we should see infrastructure spending

accelerated," Harper told reporters after meeting with premiers and leaders of

the country's 10 provinces and three territories in Ottawa.

"This will help support general economic activity. I am very confident that

that is going to occur over the next year," he said.

Harper also discussed with the regional leaders about pension regulations

and the battered manufacture sector in the country, especially the auto sector.

He promised to examine all possibilities to help the auto factories in

Ontario and Quebec out.

While other countries have provided funds to bail out financial

institutions and industries left crippled by the crisis, Harper's government has

faced criticism for failing to take enough action.

Last month, the Conservative government agreed to buy up 25 billion

Canadian dollars (about 20.7 billion U.S. dollars) in bank-held mortgages in an

effort to inject liquidity in the system and free up credit funds for Canadians.