Across political institutions, public spending on infrastructure is often shaped not just by economic need but by political strategy. Governments in power have historically rewarded loyal districts and secured electoral support rather than prioritizing the areas with the greatest real need for investment.

Otherwise referred to as “distributive politics,” there has been limited study on it in Canada, due partly to the difficulty of accessing comprehensive data. Since infrastructure programs are administered by multiple government agencies at different levels, data is often fragmented, inconsistently recorded, or not centralized, making large-scale analysis more challenging.

The issue of political discretion in allocating infrastructure projects and benefiting government-held core districts disproportionately ignores the broader public interest. After all, allocating resources based on electoral factors over genuine need can be viewed as a form of political bribery: votes are effectively exchanged for funding.