Message From Tony
Online Consultation for Long Term Care Act
Every senior in Canada deserves to live in dignity, safety, and comfort, regardless of where they live. While most Canadians want to age closer to home and their family, they also expect and deserve long-term care—if it is needed—to be high quality and safe.
Budget 2023 outlined the Government’s plan to provide close to $200 billion over 10 years in funding to provinces and territories to improve health care services for Canadians. Helping Canadians age with dignity at home with access to home care or in a safe long-term care (LTC) facility is one of the shared priorities of this funding.
The COVID-19 pandemic shone a light on the problems in LTC and highlighted long-standing and systemic challenges across Canada. As the pandemic exposed uncomfortable truths within LTC, the Government of Canada is taking action to meet the evolving needs of seniors within LTC, the Government of Canada is taking action to meet the evolving needs of seniors and to work with provinces and territories in order to support improvements.
Last week our government announced the launch of a public online consultation to support the development of a Safe LTC Act. The 60-day online consultation will
invite people, including LTC residents and their families, to share their perspectives and expertise on how to improve the quality and safety of LTC, foster the implementation of the LTC standards, address human resources challenges, and strengthen accountability in the LTC sector. Feedback will help inform the drafting of the legislation. I believe this is an important opportunity all of us to share insights, concerns and our hopes for improved quality of care for seniors – care that preserves dignity and is delivered with compassion.
Recognizing traditional jurisdictional responsibilities over the delivery of LTC, the Government of Canada will also work with provincial and territorial governments on the Safe LTC Act and how to best support the delivery of quality and safe LTC services. The consultations will also include discussions and roundtables with relevant experts and stakeholders to obtain advice on how federal legislation can help support improvements in the quality and safety of LTC.
The Government of Canada is committed to meeting the needs of seniors, including helping to ensure they can access the safe, quality health care they need and deserve.
The Impact of Canada Summer Jobs
Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) provides opportunities to youth aged 15-30 to gain valuable work experience and learn vital skills that they will continue to use for years to come.
I’ve had the pleasure of visiting CSJ locations, including Lullaboo Daycare and Nursery, Marquee Theatre, Elevation Athletics, and many other groups that received wage subsidies to hire young people.
Through this program, the CSJ staff have learned valuable skills and demonstrated great dedication and ambition to learn. During these visits, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to CSJ staff who have emphasized the benefits of this program for their skill development and career goals.
We are committed to supporting Canada’s youth as they continue to enter the workforce
Canada Child Benefit
Since 2016, thousands of families have received support through the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), including 9,430 Canadians in Newmarket-Aurora.
The CCB provides support for low-to-middle-income families with children, helping lift hundreds of thousands of children across Canada out of poverty.
This year, we’ve increased the benefit by 6.3%, meaning that families can receive up to $7,437/year per child under 6 years and up to $6,275/year per child between the ages of 6 and 17.
We’re working hard to support Canadians as they feel the impact of the rising cost of living.
Free Cancer Screening Information Sessions
Understanding cancer warning signs is a crucial part in staying healthy, but many Canadians are unaware of what to look for.
Here in Newmarket, Southlake Regional Health Centre is offering free cancer screening information sessions and resources for residents at 22 Prospect street on July 27, 2023, from 12:00PM-1:00PM and August 24, 2023, from 12:00PM-1:00PM.
A virtual session is also being offered later this week on July 27th, 2023, from 12:00PM-1:00PM. To attend this session, registration is required.
I encourage you to attend these sessions to learn about how you can stay aware and healthy.
Continuing to Build Disaster Response Capacity to Large-Scale Disasters
Through investments in training more wildfire fighters, our first National Adaptation Strategy, and more, we’re committed to building readiness and response capacity.
Minister Blair announced an additional $82 million over three years for the Supporting a Humanitarian Workforce to Respond to COVID-19 and Other Large-Scale Emergencies (HWF) program. This funding builds on investments provided when the program was established in 2021.
This funding will help support organizations like the Canadian Red Cross, St. John Ambulance, The Salvation Army, and the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada (SARVAC) by:
- Helping them maintain a highly skilled and qualified group of volunteer emergency responders and emergency management professionals who can rapidly deploy on short notice;
- Enabling them to recruit and train response teams;
- Helping them purchase equipment and supplies; and,
- Helping them adapt their protocols and procedures to address the needs of specific communities, including vulnerable populations.
We’re continuing to invest in large-scale disaster response and will continue to work closely with provinces, territories, Indigenous partners, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders.
Keeping Canadians safe and healthy is our biggest priority.
Standing with Our Allies in Support of Ukraine
As Ukrainians continue to defend their country and our shared values of peace, democracy and human rights against Russia’s illegal invasion, Canada and our North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allies remain committed to providing support.
At the NATO Summit and ahead of the NATO Leaders’ Summit, we’ve announced several new supports for Ukraine, including:
- $2.6 billion towards renewing and expanding Operation REASSURANCE for three years, our contribution to the biggest reinforcement of the Alliance’s collective defence;
- Responding to a direct request from Ukraine to provide additional drone cameras;
- $48.8 million to the Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) for Ukraine, a contribution that provides practical assistance through donations of material including fuel, bridging equipment, rations, and first aid;
- $2.7 million in cyber security assistance supporting efforts to counter malicious cyber activity in the face of evolving cyber risks and threats;
- A $450 million contract to Thales Canada Inc. in a joint venture to provide in-service support for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Minor Warships and Auxiliary Vessels (MWAV) fleet for five years; and,
- Signing the founding document of the new NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence, led by Canada and hosted in Montreal.
These measures build on the over $8 billion we’ve committed in financial, military, humanitarian, development, and immigration assistance for Ukraine.
We reaffirm our commitment as Ukraine continues to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Canada will always stand with the people of Ukraine.
