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Davenport friends and neighbours:
Santa Claus is coming to Davenport! As this is a once in a year event, I am inviting all Davenport residents to come to my Annual Festive Holiday Party from 2pm to 4pm outside of the Earlscourt Park Skating Rink!
There will be hot food and drink, great music and good cheer. I hope to see you all there!
Today I joined members of all three levels of government: Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Ontario Minister Caroline Mulroney, and Mayor John Tory to announce joint funding
of $1.5 billion with a $500 million contribution from the federal government through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream for the expansion of the Bloor-Yonge Subway Station. This funding will help improve capacity and efficiency while
also improving accessibility with a new accessible entrance and exit on Bloor East. As our city continues to expand we need to make sure that public transit is able to keep up. I was very happy to join them for this announcement. Davenport residents depend
on public transit and if we want to ensure our prosperity and sustainability in the future, public transit is important to invest in.
There is a lot of conversations between the federal government and the provinces. Top of the list is more money for health care. We will be stepping up and giving the provinces more money - but we want to ensure dollars will deliver results that Canadians
are expecting of their health care system.
Minister LeBlanc also announced that there will be renewed focus on eliminating trade and regulation barriers between provinces and territories. This has been talked about for many decades, but at a time when there is so much geopolitical and economic instability
and unpredictability, strengthening our internal economy and making it more resilient is one of the smartest things we can do.
Tough news from the Bank of Canada this week as they announced another increase in the overnight rate target
by 0.5% to 4.25%. As countries around the world grapple with elevated inflation and rising interest rates, the Bank of Canada is likewise working to bring inflation back to between 2 and 3%.
High interest rates means higher costs and this is causing many Canadians a lot of stress. Two things to mention: the first is that the Governor has indicated that he is expecting to pause on interest rates
in the near future; this is welcome news for all of us.
The second is that we know that the high costs of living is hard on so many Canadians; so I want to remind Davenport residents of what federal supports are available right now. See section 1 below.
In the House of Commons this week, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Karina Gould introduced Bill
C-35 which if passed, would enshrine the principles of a Canada-wide early learning and child care system into law. This is a historic piece of legislation that includes a commitment to maintain long-term federal funding for provinces, territories
and Indigenous peoples. The bill supports the provision of early learning and child care under a Canada-wide system and will make it difficult for any future governments to cancel the program.
I also spoke on an opposition day bill on the cost of living. You can find my speech here.
It was also good to see that we are taking strong actions against China and their “police operations” in our country. When I was in Europe a couple of weeks ago, the UK and Australia were very vocal about the Chinese police operations in their respective
countries and that they were going to take urgent actions to eliminate them as well.
For the beginning of the week, I was in Washington DC where I led a Canadian parliamentary delegation to the 22nd Transatlantic Forum for NATO Parliamentary Assembly. While it was an excellent and informative trip, I am so happy to be back on Canadian soil.
There is no place like home and I am looking forward to work winding down and being home for the holidays. More on the Transatlantic Forum in the update below.
I look forward to seeing you at my holiday party tomorrow Saturday Dec 10 between 2pm and 4pm!
As always, It’s a true honour and privilege to serve you.
My very best regards,
Julie Dzerowicz
Member of Parliament, Davenport
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You can apply for the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit starting Monday, December 12.
Before you apply, ensure that you are eligible for this benefit. To be eligible:
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Your principal residence must have been in Canada on December 1, 2022
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You are a resident of Canada in 2022
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You have filed your 2021 income tax return or statement of income
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In 2021 you had an adjusted family net income of:
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$35,000 or less for families
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$20,000 or less for individuals
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Your 2022 rent paid was:
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Paid in the 2022 calendar year
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Paid for any of your qualifying principal residences in 2022
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Equal to at least 30% of your 2021 adjusted family net income
If you have any questions about the above eligibility guidelines please reach out to my office. APPLY
HERE!
And here is a summary of the existing federal supports for Canadians to help deal with the high cost of living:
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National Childcare - all children in Davenport who are in child care should receive a 50% reduction in their costs this month. If
this is not the case, and you are a Davenport resident please call my office. The federal government has given the provinces the funding for this - they are delivering the program that the federal government is funding.
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A new, enhanced Canada Workers Benefit that will provide up to $2,400 for a working couple every year, topping
up the income of our lowest-paid—and often most essential—workers. This will move from a one-time payment to a payment quarterly.
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Doubling the GST Credit for 11 million Canadian households for six months, with
most eligible Canadians having already received their additional payment. This means up to $467 in additional support for a family of four.
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Providing dental care to children under 12, with families earning less than $90,000 now being able to apply for
the Canada Dental Benefit. This will provide up to $1,300 over two years, per child, to make sure that nobody needs to choose between taking their children to the dentist and putting food on the table. You can apply through the link here. NEXT
YEAR by the end of the year, we expect to have a dental plan for seniors who do not have access to insurance.
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Permanently eliminating federal interest on Canada Student Loans and Apprentice
Loans.
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Tying key benefits to inflation so they keep up with the cost of living, including
the Canada Child Benefit, the GST Credit, the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and the Guaranteed Income Supplement. The federal minimum wage, which we increased to $15/hour, is also now tied to inflation.
Providing reliable, safe and accessible public transportation is key particularly in a city like ours where so many residents rely on the TTC daily.
Today I joined members of all three levels of government; Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Ontario Minister Caroline Mulroney, and Mayor John Tory to announce joint
funding of $1.5 billion with a $500 million contribution from the federal government through the Public Transit Infrastructure
Stream for the rehabilitation and expansion of the Bloor-Yonge Subway Station.
This investment will allow for increased capacity and accessibility to allow more people to use public transit. Expanding Bloor-Yonge station is key to keeping up with Toronto’s growing population.
I am proud of all three levels of government coming together to improve a key Canadian transit hub - one of the busiest lines in North America!
Canada is made up of vast landscapes with vital natural resources, which include critical minerals that are the building blocks of clean technology.
Today Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced the launch of Canada’s Critical Mineral Strategy.
With many countries focusing on working towards a net-zero economy the demand for critical minerals has increased all over the world. This is a generational opportunities for Canadian workers, Canadian businesses and Canadian innovation. Critical minerals are
integral to global energy transition.
Our federal government is investing $3.8 billion in the critical mineral strategy that will accomplish five key outcomes:
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Supporting economic growth, competitiveness and job creation;
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Promoting climate action and environmental protection;
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Advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples;
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Fostering diverse and inclusive workforces and communities; and
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Enhancing global security and partnership with allies.
This strategy will create sustainable jobs and protect the environment, while establishing Canada as
the global supply of choice for clean energy in a net-zero world.
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I rose in the House this week to speak against the Conservative Opposition Motion calling on the government to cancel the carbon tax.
Higher cost of living is an issue that is top of mind for our federal government and the top economic challenge facing our country right now.
Canceling the carbon tax isn’t the solution. We know that a national price on pollution is the most effective and least costly way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We need to continue to MORE urgently move forward on tackling climate change.
We will continue to be there to support Canadians and we will continue to move forward in fighting climate change.
You can watch my full speech here.
I led a parliamentary delegation comprised of members of the Canada-NATO Parliamentary Association to the Transatlantic Forum in Washington. The forum is held annually to strengthen the transatlantic relationship by building consensus around values, perceptions
and policies underpinning the Alliance.
We had the opportunity to meet with members of the Canadian Embassy in the US, hear from a number of excellent speakers and I also moderated a panel on the changing landscape in the Indo-Pacific region with a focus on cooperation with regional partners.
You can read more about the delegation’s trip here.
You can follow along with the work of the Canada NATO Parliamentary Association through the link here.
If you are wondering about what help your Federal Member of Parliament can provide to your specific needs, please review my November newsletter about all the federal resources available in Davenport here.
Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me and my awesome team!
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