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The PBO report focused on spending under the Trudeau Liberals’ new infrastructure program, and left aside so-called “legacy” infrastructure spending that was rolled out under former prime minister Stephen Harper. Thursday’s PBO report came in response to a request by the Senate finance committee for more detailed information around 2016 spending.

Ottawa plans to spend roughly $186.7 billion on infrastructure over 12 years, roughly half of which is new spending announced by Finance Minister Bill Morneau in the 2016 budget.

Thursday’s findings come after earlier warnings by the PBO that Ottawa’s infrastructure spending plans were facing significant delays.

Earlier this month the PBO cautioned that Budget 2018 “provides an incomplete account” of changes to Ottawa’s infrastructure spending plans, after Morneau reallocated billions worth of infrastructure investments, pushing back spending in 2018 and 2019 into later years.

The PBO predicted at the time that roughly 25 per cent of planned infrastructure spending between 2016 and 2018 would effectively fall behind schedule. “Both legacy and new infrastructure programs are prone to large lapses,” it said.

Marc Miller, the parliamentary secretary to the infrastructure minister, responded to criticism during Question Period Thursday about Ottawa’s lagging infrastructure investments.

“The money will be spent as soon as our partners submit their applications,” he said.