Newsletter - oct. 29, 2022
As some of you may already know, the Maple Grove United Church has been doing incredible work here in Halton to help vulnerable people from around the world find safe refuge here in our community. I want to first start off by highlighting one of the many examples of this great work.
Ziba, Aziz, and their four children escaped a dangerous situation in Afghanistan several years ago and settled in Turkey while they awaited a sponsor to bring them to Canada. Thanks to the Maple Grove United Church’s sponsorship group, they arrived here in Canada at the end of September.
The family has now settled in Halton and was overjoyed to be reunited with some of their brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins that were previously sponsored by Maple Grove. Three families related to Ziba, and Aziz have had their papers submitted and are hopeful that they will make the journey to Canada soon.
Thanks to the endeavours of Maple Grove United Church, our new Oakville community members are being provided housing, food, and other essentials for life, while they adjust to life in a new country. If you are interested in learning more about the ways in which Maple Grove United Church is helping, you can visit their website here.
Supporting Small Businesses
Last week marked Small Business Week! Small businesses are the heart of our communities and the backbone of our economy representing over 98% of all Canadian Businesses. To mark the occasion, I was pleased to speak with France Fournier, President, and CEO of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce on October 17th.
The past few years have been difficult for small businesses and the workers behind them – but through programs like the Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program and the Canadian Emergency Business Account, we have been with them every step of the way.
As small businesses continue to generate a strong economic recovery, we’re cutting their taxes, building stronger and more resilient supply chains, and taking action to address labour shortages.
New Military Aid for Ukraine
In Europe earlier this month, I announced nearly $50 million for new military aid for Ukraine, and that approximately 40 Canadian Armed Forces engineers will be deployed to Poland to train Ukrainian sappers under Operation UNIFIER.
The aid includes $15M worth of 155 mm NATO standard artillery rounds, as well as 500,000 items of winter clothing gear and equipment, more specialized drone cameras and $15M towards satellite communications services to Ukraine government and non-government partners.
This complements the approximately $600m worth of military aid that we have already committed to Ukraine and will help them fight and win this unjust war.
Attracting Investment to Create Jobs and Grow the Economy
Over the last two weeks, our government has also made significant new investments in the Canadian economy that will help attract global investment here in Canada.
We are attracting investments from international firms like Rio Tinto to help Canada become a global leader in electric vehicle manufacturing and low-emissions steelmaking, which will create good, manufacturing jobs for Canadians in regional economies across the country. We are also working with Nokia to upgrade our telecommunications network and invest in research and development to help Canadian businesses take advantage of the latest technologies.
We are creating good, middle-class jobs and growing the economy for everyone. By bringing in investments from around the world, we are securing over 17,000 jobs, creating made-in-Canada clean tech, and positioning our industries for success in the low-carbon economy.
Keeping Our Communities Safe From Gun Violence
Last week, Canada’s national freeze on handguns came into effect. This means that the sale, purchase, and transfer of handguns is now banned across Canada.
Earlier this year, we introduced the most significant action on gun violence in a generation – which includes the national handgun freeze. The handgun freeze is accompanied by investments in prevention to stop violence before it starts, action at the border to fight smuggling, and a ban on assault-style weapons like the AR-15.
One Canadian killed by gun violence is one too many. That's why we will continue fighting to make our communities safer. Protecting our communities from gun violence simply cannot wait.
Rejecting the Rogers-Shaw Merger
Our top priority is making life more affordable for Canadians. To this end, my colleague Minister Champagne officially denied Rogers wholesale access to Shaw’s wireless frequencies and set out the Government’s expectations for increased competition and lower prices in the telecom sector.
By officially denying the Rogers/Shaw request and setting clear expectations for any other proposals, we are taking strong action to increase competition and lower prices.
Should any new proposal not increase competition and lower prices, our government will be ready to reject those as well.
Passport Services Update
We know that the passport wait times that we began seeing earlier this year were completely unacceptable. Our government has been hard at work to improve this service for Canadians, and we are making progress.
Thanks to hiring efforts, an increase in efficiency, and the streamlining of processes, the inventory of passport applications is declining. Nearly 90% more passports were issued in October compared with May, when the backlog was at its worst. Despite recent surges in applications, a record number of passports were also issued in August and September this year.
We will continue to work on this issue to ensure that Canadians receive the services they deserve.
Helping Canadians Find a Place to Call Home
Everyone should have a safe and affordable place to call home, but for far too many Canadians, this is becoming increasingly out of reach. People across the country are calling for swift action to make housing more affordable, especially for their kids – and that is exactly what our government has been working to deliver. .
In Budget 2022, we invested in a new Housing Accelerator Fund to help cities and towns speed up housing construction and create 100,000 new units. Through the Rapid Housing Initiative, over 10,000 new affordable housing units are being created across the country. We are also putting Canada on track to double housing construction over the next 10 years. Further, we have already invested over $30 billion to build and repair over 440,000 homes.
To help make housing more affordable, we are also:
Developing and scaling up rent-to-own projects across Canada.
Creating a Tax-Free Home Savings Account that will give first-time buyers the ability to save up to $40,000 tax-free towards the purchase of their first home.
Banning foreign buyers from buying homes for two years.
Taxing home flipping.
Working with the provinces and territories to develop a Home Buyer’s Bill of Rights.
You can read more about these actions here - Chapter 1: Making Housing More Affordable | Budget 2022