MP Sahota: Budget 2019 is a Win for Brampton
Ruby Sahota, Member of Parliament for Brampton North proud that her advocacy for Brampton priorities is front and center in Budget 2019: Investing in the Middle Class, tabled today by Canada’s Minister of Finance, the Honourable Bill Morneau.
“During the last election, Canadians made a clear choice between the Conservative & NDP plan for austerity and cuts, and our plan to invest in the middle class,” said MP Ruby Sahota. “Canadians can see they made the right choice. Today, Canada’s economy is one of the fastest growing in the G7, Canadians have created more than 900,000 jobs, and middle-class families are significantly better off.”
With Budget 2019, our Government is making sure all Canadians feel the benefits of a growing economy. That means helping more Canadians find an affordable home; benefit from improved infrastructure; prepare for good, well-paying jobs; and retire with confidence.
While the Conservative’s continues to focus on cuts and austerity to benefit the wealthiest Canadians, our Government is building on our proven plan to invest in the middle class and make an economy that works for everyone.
Through Budget 2019, residents of Brampton North and all Canadians will see:
1. New infrastructure funding for local communities through a municipal top-up. In 2015, the Government made a commitment to ensure that promised infrastructure investments in communities would be kept. Prior to that time, too often, money that had been budgeted for investment in communities was left unspent and unallocated—shortchanging cities and towns that needed those funds for important projects such as road maintenance, water infrastructure, public transit and recreational infrastructure.
Because municipalities like Brampton continue to face serious infrastructure deficits, Budget 2019 invests an one-time transfer of $2.2 billion through the federal Gas Tax Fund to address short-term infrastructure priorities. Brampton will receive an additional $.16.6 million with this top-up, for a total of roughly $50 million. Similarly, the Region of Peel will receive an addition $41 million this year.
We are putting infrastructure funding where it is needed most, building and repairing our city’s critical infrastructure.
2. Development of three or more new Canadian cybersecurity centres. As rapid growth in the digital economy continues, safeguarding cyber security has become a priority for all levels of government, businesses, and individuals. Workers with cyber security skills are increasingly in demand and cyber security innovation must keep pace with technological change as new risks emerge. University-affiliated cyber and information security centres, like Ryerson University’s Cybersecure Catalyst in Brampton, have helped prime Canada to lead in cyber security research, innovation and talent development.
3. Support for students and post-secondary education. Since 2015, our Government has introduced several measures to make post-secondary education and training more affordable and accessible – including ensuring that no student has to repay their Canada Student Loan until they are earning at least $25,000 per year. Through Budget 2019, young Canadians will see even lower interest rates on their student loans, and will no longer accumulate interest during their first six months out of school.
4. A more secure retirement. After a lifetime of hard work, Canadians deserve a secure and dignified retirement, free of financial worries. With Budget 2019 our government is making life more affordable for Canadian seniors, and empowering those who want to stay active and involved in their communities. Through changes to the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) program, it will now be easier for older, low-income Canadians to keep more of what they earn. Additional investments in the New Horizons for Seniors program will support more projects that improve the quality of life of seniors, and better promote their active participation in the community.
We will also propose new legislation to better protect workplace pensions in the event of corporate insolvency. These changes will make insolvency proceedings fairer, more transparent and more accessible for pensioners and workers, and will set higher expectations and better oversight of corporate behaviour.
5. A more accessible housing market for young Canadians. Everyone needs a safe and affordable place to call home. In cities like Brampton however, housing prices rise further out of reach every day. The First-Time Home Buyer Incentive will make home ownership more affordable for first time buyers by allowing them to lower their monthly mortgage payments. Through a shared equity mortgage, eligible first-time home buyers will have the ability to lower their borrowing costs by sharing the cost of buying a home with CMHC, up to 5 or 10%
of the home purchase price.
6. A new Canada Training Benefit. Canadians at all stages in their working lives should have the opportunity to invest in new skills, build greater job security and chart a better future for themselves and their families. That is why Budget 2019 introduces the Canada Training Benefit. This new, non-taxable credit would help Canadians pay for training fees.
7. The introduction of an anti-racism strategy. As our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said time and again, diversity is Canada’s strength. Given the recent horrific events in New Zealand, it is more important than ever to stand up against racism and hateful speech in all its forms. Building on previous commitments, Budget 2019 supports a new Anti-Racism Strategy. Its key purpose will be to find ways to counter racism in its various forms, with a strong focus on community-based projects.
8. More protections from illegal immigration consultants. To help protect newcomers and applicants wishing to obtain the advice and service of legitimate immigration consultants, Budget 2019 proposes to provide funding that will improve oversight of immigration consultants and strengthen compliance and enforcement measures. It will also support public awareness activities that will help vulnerable newcomers and applicants protect themselves against fraudulent immigration consultants.
9. Movement forward on implementing national pharmacare. No Canadian should have to choose between paying for prescriptions and putting food on the table. While Canadians are proud of our health care system, many are still forced to make this impossible decision. With Budget 2019, we are laying the foundation for the implementation of a national pharmacare program while we await the final report by our Advisory Council on its full implementation. Through Budget 2019, we are creating a Canadian Drug Agency.
