Message from Tony
As the House rises and caucus heads back to their ridings for the summer, I am taking time to reflect on the hard work our government has done to deliver real results for Canadians. We have been making life more affordable and building an economy that works for everyone. In just 15 weeks, the House passed 15 historic bills that will help make life more affordable, safeguard our environment, protect the public safety of Canadians, and advance our commitment to reconciliation.
Delivered targeted relief by:
Helping Canadians manage the cost of living, including through doubling the GST tax credit to put up to an additional $467 in the pockets of 11 million Canadians who need help the most. We also delivered a top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit of $500 to make life more affordable.
Introducing the new Grocery Rebate of up to $467 for a family of four, which will be delivered on July 5.
Continuing to make child care affordable– fees have at least been cut in half on average across the country, and six provinces and territories have already reached $10-a-day child care. We have helped create nearly 52,000 new child care spaces with the provinces and territories too.
Improved health care for Canadians by:
Reaching agreements with provinces and territories on a path forward to improve access to family health care, reduce backlogs, increase the number of health professionals, and enhance mental health care services.
Launching the Canada Dental Benefit for children under 12 that has already helped over 300,000 children go to the dentist, and made life more affordable for their parents.
Continued to grow a clean economy by:
Advancing historic EV battery projects (e.g., VW in Ontario and GM-Posco in Quebec), critical minerals mining and processing (e.g., Lithium E3 in Alberta, Rio Tinto in Quebec), and major projects to cut pollution from our manufacturing sector, such as Michelin in Nova Scotia, ArcelorMittal Dofasco in Ontario, and BHP in Saskatchewan, that will secure middle-class jobs for generations to come.
Reaffirmed our commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples by:
Launching the Action Plan to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, laying out a roadmap to build a better future for Indigenous Peoples across Canada.
Making progress on Indigenous claims and self-government agreements, including reaching the first self-government agreement in Saskatchewan with the Whitecap Dakota First Nation.
This Saturday, July 1st, our nation celebrates Canada Day. I love this country. I am proud to call myself a Canadian – proud to have taken the oath of citizenship and eternally grateful my parents made the decision to leave The Netherlands after World War II. Grateful that they choose Canada as the place to make a new start for their young family.
And on Saturday I will once again participate in the Citizenship Reaffirmation Ceremony taking place in Aurora. Ceremonies such as this are a wonderful way to celebrate Canada Day. And despite the challenges, I do believe we live in the best country. Enjoy your Canada Day and let us continue to build a nation that is the envy of the world.
2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program
We’re committed to addressing the systemic barriers that 2SLGBTQI+ entrepreneurs experience when starting and growing their business.
Minister Ng recently announced $25 million to create the world’s first ever 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program. At the Sticks Craft Beer Bar in Newmarket, alongside my fellow York Region Liberal members, I had the opportunity to talk about the 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Fund.
Samantha Rickford, the owner of the Sticks Craft Beer Bar, told us her story about opening her business as a queer entrepreneur and her fears about how that could impact her business.
With strategic investments to address systemic barriers, we are creating a program that will deliver the resources, tools and data for more Canadians to succeed both at home and abroad.
Building More Homes for Women and Children Experiencing Domestic Violence
Our government is committed to supporting and protecting women and children fleeing violence.
Minister Hussen announced more than $82.4 million to construct and repair 212 shelter beds and transitional homes for women and children fleeing violence, including a $14 million investment in Oshawa for 33 new shelter spaces.
Through 12 projects, this federal investment will build shelter beds and transitional homes in the following communities:
- Oshawa, Ontario
- Lac La Biche, Alberta
- Red Deer, Alberta
- Kelowna, British Colombia
- Squamish, British Colombia
- Terrace, British Colombia
- Dog Creek, Manitoba
- Fisher River, Manitoba
- Fort Erie, Ontario
- Kenora, Ontario
- Sioux Lookout, Ontario
- St. Catharines, Ontario
This funding comes through the Women and Children Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative, announced in Budget 2021, to support the construction, repair, and operating costs of transitional and shelter spaces for women and children fleeing violence or experiencing homelessness.
Everyone deserves a safe place to call home.
Responding to Humanitarian Needs in Sudan
The conflict in Sudan has displaced more than 1.4 million people within the country, and forced another 470,000 to fleed to neighbouring countries since mid-April.
To help address urgent needs in Sudan and neighbouring countries like Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, we’re providing $40 million in additional international assistance.
This assistance will help provide emergency health services, food and nutrition assistance, protection services and essential life-saving support such as shelter, water, and sanitation.
We continue to call for an end to the violence in Sudan and for safe and unrestricted humanitarian access to be allowed throughout the country.
Joint Committee on Climate Action’s New and Updated Priorities
The Assembly of First Nations and the Government of Canada released the fifth Annual Report of the Joint Committee on Climate Action, which documented the positive steps that were taking last year to achieve a stronger climate partnership.
Some of these positive steps included taking measures to meaningfully improve its internal activities, First Nations’ full and effective participation in clean growth and climate change programs, as well as the advancement of a First Nations Climate Leadership Agenda.
The Join Committee on Climate Action commits to holding discussions and making progress on five priorities in 2023:
- Reviewing federal clean growth and climate change policy and programs through the First Nations Climate Lens.
- Empowering First Nations’ leadership in climate action.
- Fostering greater transparency, accountability, and communication in Joint Committee on Climate Action activities.
- Continuing to develop First Nations-specific indicators/criteria to report on the implementation of climate-related federal funding programs and outcomes for First Nations.
- Deepening the intergenerational and interactional dialogue on climate change in all activities.
Indigenous partnerships are crucial when dealing with the issues of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
We will continue to work together to advance climate and nature conservation policy.
Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology
Our government is committed to making Canada a strategic partner of choice when it comes to sustainable aviation.
We’re investing $350 million to support Canada’s new Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology (INSAT), aimed to accelerate the green industrial transformation of the aerospace industry.
This investment will help drive the green industrial transformation of our aerospace industry, generating high-value jobs while strengthening supply chains and supporting the transition to a sustainable economy.
The aerospace industry contributes close to $27 billion and more than 210,000 jobs to the economy, which is why, this investment will boost our economy while continuing on the path to a net-zero economy.
