By Andrew Thomson | September 23, 2020 5:45pmET
The Liberal government has put forward a sweeping document that pledges to extend several aspects of emergency COVID-19 support for Canadians, introduce national standards for long-term care, invest more in child care, and create one million jobs as part of a more resilient economy that empowers women, fights climate changes, and tackles systemic racism.
Conservatives are planning to vote against the speech, calling it a distraction from the WE Charity affair that lacks fiscal detail. The Bloc Québécois leader castigated the government for not committing to more health transfers to Quebec and other provinces, and the NDP wants more time to decide if it will support the Liberals when it comes time for a confidence vote.
The Trudeau government has begun a new session of Parliament by arguing “this is not the time for austerity … Canadians should not have to choose between health and their job, just like Canadians should not have to take on debt that their government can better shoulder.”
Here are some key promises: On COVID-19 and the economy a federal “Testing Assistance Response Team to quickly meet surge testing needs, including in remote and isolated communities” targeted financial support to businesses that must close because of local public health directives a campaign “to create over one million jobs,” including an extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy through next summer expansion of the Canada Emergency Business Account to “help businesses with fixed costs” “further support” for hard-hit sectors such as travel and tourism, hospitality, and arts and culture “significant scaling up” of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy an “Action Plan for Women in the Economy” a “significant, long-term, sustained investment to create a Canada-wide early learning and childcare system” a “resiliency agenda for the middle class and people working hard to join it. This will include addressing the gaps in our social systems, investing in health care, and creating jobs. It will also include fighting climate change, and maintaining a commitment to fiscal sustainability and economic growth as the foundation of a strong and vibrant society.” Criminal Code amendments to target “those who neglect seniors under their care, putting them in danger” with more Canadians working at home, faster timelines to ensure universal broadband access help to protect regional airline routes cancelled because of the COVID-19 shutdown On climate change and the environment an “immediate” plan to exceed Canada’s 2030 targets for reducing emissions, and legislation to bind the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 support for "manufacturing, natural resource, and energy sectors as they work to transform to meet a net zero future” and “recognize farmers, foresters, and ranchers as key partners in the fight against climate change, supporting their efforts to reduce emissions and build resilience” creation of a new “Canada Water Agency” a new fund to “attract investments in making zero-emissions products and cut the corporate tax rate in half for these companies” Also in the Speech From the Throne “Things must change, and will change” for web giants “taking Canadians’ money while imposing their own priorities … “The Government will act to ensure their revenue is shared more fairly with our creators and media, and will also require them to contribute to the creation, production, and distribution of our stories, on screen, in lyrics, in music, and in writing” the Trudreau government will "identify additional ways to tax extreme wealth inequality" more money for "rapid housing in the short term, and partnering with not-for-profits and co-ops in the mid- to long-term" "enhancements" to the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive a “Disability Inclusion Plan” that includes a new benefit, employment strategy, and improved eligibility process free and automatic filing for simple tax returns major investments in federal IT systems to modernize the provision of services legislation by the end of 2020 to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples a number of pledges on police reform and systemic racism, including a “whole-of-federal-government approach around better collection of disaggregated data” to protect the French language, strengthening the Official Languages Act, “among other things”
