Message From Tony
Canada Child Benefit
Raising kids is expensive. That’s why the Government of Canada created the Canada Child Benefit to give extra financial support to hard-working middle-class families and to give kids the best possible start in life. Since its introduction in 2016, the Canada Child Benefit has helped make life more affordable for parents and lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.
Last week on its eighth anniversary, we announced the maximum annual Canada Child Benefit will increase again to help parents keep up with the cost of living. That’s more tax-free money back in their pockets every month—to spend on groceries, rent, summer camps and whatever their family needs.
For the 2024–25 benefit year, families can receive up to $7,787 per child under the age of 6 and $6,570 per child aged 6 through 17. This means moms and dads could receive up to $350 more than last year. This represents an increase of 4.7% from the previous year.
The Canada Child Benefit has been indexed to inflation using Consumer Price Index data as reported by Statistics Canada—a widely used measure of inflation. Indexing the Canada Child Benefit occurs every July, ensuring that the benefit protects families from inflation and provides certainty and predictability of support parents can count on.
The Canada Child Benefit is part of our work to support families and make life cost less. This includes the Canada-wide early learning and childcare system, which has already reduced fees for regulated childcare by half on average across the country, and the Canadian Dental Care Plan, which will make trips to the dentist more affordable for up to 9 million uninsured Canadians.
These are just some of the things that we’re doing to build a better and fairer future for every generation. We’re also building more homes, improving health care and investing in innovation—so that every Canadian has a fair chance to succeed.
Highlighting academic excellence in Newmarket
Youth are the leaders of today and tomorrow. They continue to inspire us with their dedication, ambition, courage, and bravery from coast to coast to coast — including in Newmarket-Aurora.
I was honoured to meet with a constituent, Neetya Pujara, to present her with a certificate that commemorates her academic achievements and commitment to community service. Neetya has shown a remarkable dedication to her schoolwork and academic career by competing in the 2024 Canadian Computing Challenge, completing Harvard University’s CS50 Course, earning several certificates of distinction, and much more.
Additionally, Neetya actively contributes to her community inside and outside of school by participating in the Global 6K Walk, serving as a library helper, founding a successful Chess Club, volunteering at the Newmarket UCMAS academy, and running her blog, “In Conversation with Books”.
I was proud to meet with Neetya and recognize her many accomplishments that have left a profound and positive impact in Newmarket. Thank you for meeting with me — I look forward to seeing how much you continue to accomplish.
2024 Wildfire Season
Wildfires are increasingly large-scale events that threaten the health, safety, and economic stability of Canadians. As such, our government is committed to providing information about climate change and its impact on everyday life.
Projections for the 2024 seasonal wildland fire forecast indicated that the wildfire risk in Canada is expected to remain high over the coming months, for much of the country, particularly in regions that continue to experience intense drought. Throughout July, above-average conditions are likely to continue.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) meteorologists continue to predict weather conditions that could lead to greater wildfire risks, including above-normal temperatures nationwide for the summer period. With this assessment and ongoing wildfire risk across Canada, it is important to remember that everyone has a part in preparing for the potential impact of these events.
To receive weather alert notifications in your area, wherever you are, I encourage you to download the WeatherCAN app. To view up-to-date wildland fire maps, visit this website.
The safety and health of Canadians is our top priority. We are continuing to monitor the situation from coast to coast to coast to support firefighters, volunteers, and communities as the wildfire season continues on.
Driving energy efficiency throughout Canada
Greenhouse gas emissions associated with heating and cooling are the cause of buildings being Canada’s third-largest emitting sector (after oil and gas and transportation). Buildings are a challenging sector to decarbonize because to succeed, collaboration is needed between the federal government, provinces, territories, municipalities, and Indigenous communities.
That’s why we launched the Canada Green Buildings Strategy (CGBS), which will drive energy efficiency improvements in homes and buildings, with a key focus on addressing affordability and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The CGBS aims to:
- accelerate retrofits of existing buildings;
- ensure we are building energy-efficient, climate-resilient, and affordable buildings from the start; and
- seize the economic opportunities associated with more efficient and lower carbon building materials and technologies.
This program is the next phase of the Greener Homes Program, and will help Canadians in every region to conveniently upgrade their homes while cutting costs and emissions. It will ensure upgrades are delivered at no cost to the household and that benefits will be up to four times more than the previous grant program — or up to $20,000.
The CGBS is about moving forward aggressively with a comprehensive approach to enhancing energy efficiency, saving Canadians money on their energy bills, creating good jobs in communities across the country and reducing GHG emissions from buildings. It is an important part of this federal government’s commitment to ensuring affordability, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability now and for the future.
