Newsletter - apr. 08, 2022
Yesterday, the Minister of Finance presented Budget 2022 in the House of Commons, outlining our plan to invest in three main things: people; economic growth; and a clean future for everyone. Through these targeted investments, we will help make life more affordable, create jobs, and build a stronger economic future for Oakville residents and all Canadians.
Over the last two years, Canadians have seen the cost of living rise due to the COVID-19 recession, snarled supply chains, and global inflation. Young people cannot imagine being able to afford the house they grew up in. Through Budget 2022, we are investing a total of $10 billion in housing affordability to make it easier for young Canadians to buy a home. We will introduce the Tax-Free First Home Savings Account that will give first-time home buyers the ability to save up to $40,000, and make the market fairer for Canadians by curbing unfair practices that drive up the price of housing.
Small and medium-sized businesses are at the heart of our economy and our Oakville community. Budget 2022 will phase out access to the small business tax rate more gradually, with access to be fully phased out when taxable capital reaches $50 million, rather than at $15 million. This will allow more medium-sized businesses to benefit from the reduced rate, delivering an estimated $660 million in tax savings.
Investing in nature is one of the most critical actions we can take to combat climate change. Through Budget 2022, we are providing $19.6 million to sustain the Freshwater Action Plan, and investing $55 million over five years to support the Trans Canada Trail. The Fresh Water Action Plan helps support clean up efforts of the Great Lakes, ensuring that our Oakville waterfront is clean and accessible for future generations.
Budget 2022 will also invest in Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) and ZEV infrastructure to ensure Canadians have access to affordable electric vehicles that will help us reach our climate goals. We are making the switch easier and more affordable for all Canadians by investing $500 million in large-scale urban and commercial ZEV infrastructure and providing $1.7 billion to extend the Incentives for Zero-Emissions Vehicles (iZEV).
In my role as Minister of National Defence, I am pleased to note that Budget 2022 will invest $8 billion in new, additional defence spending to protect and defend Canada and our collective global security. This includes $500 million now to provide more military aid to Ukraine so that they can win this war.
To read Budget 2022 in full, click here.
Delivering Affordable, Reliable High-Speed Internet for Canadians
Internet access is no longer a luxury, it’s an essential resource. The Connecting Families Initiative will connect hundreds of thousands of low-income seniors and families in Oakville and across Canada to affordable and reliable, high-speed Internet for $20 a month.
This builds on the work our government is doing to ensure that 98% of Canadians have access to high-speed Internet by 2026, and all Canadians by 2030. We are going to keep working to ensure that every Canadian, including those with lower incomes and those in rural and remote communities, has reliable, affordable, and high-speed internet access. To learn more, click here.
Affordable Child Care Across the Country
Every child deserves the best possible start in life, and all parents should have the ability to build both a family and career. Last week, our government announced an agreement that will deliver affordable, inclusive, and high-quality child care for families in Ontario. This Canada-Ontario early learning and child care agreement is a five-year deal to reduce child care fees in the short term, deliver $10-a-day child care for Ontario families, and create 86,000 new licensed early learning and child care spaces in the province.
With the signing of this agreement, the Government of Canada has signed agreements with every province and territory to deliver on its promise to build a Canada-wide affordable, inclusive, and high-quality early learning and child care system. Our plan is already making life more affordable for families, creating new jobs, getting parents back into the workforce, and growing the middle class while giving every child a real and fair chance at success. More than half of Canada’s provinces and territories have already seen reductions in child care fees and, by the end of 2022, average fees for regulated early learning and child care spaces will be cut in half across the country.
Free Income Tax Clinic
My constituency office is hosting a free Income Tax Clinic on various dates throughout the month of April! To book your appointment, click here. Should you have any questions or concerns, call 905-338-2008 or email anita.anand@parl.gc.ca.
Ramadan Mubarak!
April 2nd marked the first day of Ramadan! This month, Muslims in Canada and across the world observe Ramadan by fasting from dawn till dusk, ending the day with iftar, commonly known as breaking the fast, with family and friends. A time of charity and spiritual contemplation, Ramadan reminds us to put the needs of others before our own and to practice those values in our daily lives. Let us take the time to recognize, and show gratitude for, the invaluable contributions Muslim Canadians make each day to our country. Ramadan Mubarak to all those who celebrate!
Call for Nominations for Canada’s Next Parliamentary Poet Laureate
The Parliament of Canada has issued a call for nominations to begin the search for Canada’s tenth Parliamentary Poet Laureate. The role of the Parliamentary Poet Laureate is to promote the importance and value of poetry to Canadians. Pursuant to the Parliament of Canada Act, the Parliamentary Poet Laureate may perform the following duties: compose poetry, especially for use in Parliament on occasions of state; sponsor poetry readings; advise the Parliamentary Librarian on the Library’s collection and acquisitions to enrich the collection’s cultural holdings; and perform related duties at the request of the Speaker of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Commons, or the Parliamentary Librarian.
To ensure that Canada's official languages are equitably represented, the person selected alternates every two years between poets who work primarily in English and poets who work primarily in French. The 10th Parliamentary Poet Laureate will work primarily in French. The deadline for nominations is July 10, 2022. Nominations will be reviewed by a selection committee chaired by the Parliamentary Librarian, who will submit a short list of three candidates to the Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons for final selection.
For more information on the Parliamentary Poet Laureate, the nomination process, and to learn more about the works of our current and previous Poets, please visit the Parliament of Canada website at www.parl.gc.ca/poet.