‘Not a time for austerity’: public service unions laud feds’ childcare pledge, focus on recovery through spending over cuts
Leaders of Canada’s largest federal public service unions are lauding the government’s big-ticket commitment to affordable child care, and say this year’s budget shows the government isn’t interested in pursuing austerity measures after more than a year of record spending. “My reaction is generally positive—it’s clear that the government understands that this is not a […]
Could budget spending overheat the economy? Experts weigh in
The government’s big-spending budget could overheat Canada’s economy and put households and businesses under pressure, say Conservative MPs and a senior economist at the Royal Bank of Canada, but other experts, including Canada’s parliamentary budget officer, aren’t sweating the risk. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s (University-Rosedale, Ont.) first budget included $135-billion in new spending over five […]
We should have had a national rollout vaccine strategy
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s tears failed to dampen the unprecedented spike in his unpopularity. His mea culpa, offered while in isolation at his late mother’s home in Etobicoke, was designed to let people know that their pain was his pain. But nobody was listening. The government’s decision to announce draconian lockdown measures the previous weekend […]
$2.2-billion for MMIWG positive sign, but groups cautiously await details amid delayed action plan
Indigenous women’s groups say they need clarity on how Ottawa will roll out the $2.2-billion in funding earmarked in the budget and when it will release its delayed action plan in response to the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. When Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland (University-Rosedale, Ont.) unveiled Budget 2021 on April […]
Liberals’ fiscal blueprint reflects pre-budget lobbying push, but gaps remain, say business groups
Business groups spent the majority of their March advocacy efforts focused on the April budget, lobbying that they say was successful in getting immediate concerns addressed to extend pandemic reliefs, though gaps still remain. The “vast majority” of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s 24 meetings were focused on the budget to push for pandemic-relief measures […]
Robbing the opposition to pay for us all
OTTAWA—What a Biden-esque budget; it smells like America’s Rescue Plan up in here (if you missed that DMX reference, I can’t help you). The federal budget that we’ve been waiting two years for dropped on April 19 and, whew, wigs snatched. Firstly, let’s take a moment and recognize how historic this budget is: Canada’s first […]
Affordable childcare in Canada is long overdue, let’s not waste this moment
Monday was a historic day for the country, with the first woman to hold the post of federal finance minister rising in the House of Commons to deliver her first budget speech. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s first formal financial plan was also Canada’s first in two years, after the previous edition […]
‘Breathtaking’ childcare pledge to pay dividends beyond recouping pandemic losses: labour experts
The Liberal government deserves some praise for centring in its budget a billion-dollar plan to address the pandemic-propelled she-cession that has seen women exit the labour force in record numbers, say labour experts, who note a more even economic recovery is likely to hinge on smaller-ticket items, at least in the short term. Childcare as […]
COVID or not, Freeland’s budget doesn’t shy away from challenging Canadians on their vision for the future
OTTAWA—Despite the immediate crunch of the third wave, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government shows no signs of backing away from its plan to transform Canada into what many will see as a very different country in the post-pandemic era. In the most impactful budget in recent memory, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland looked beyond COVID-19 on […]
Feds’ ‘feminist’ budget pitches plan to stop ‘uneven recovery’; deficit to hit $354.2-billion
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s first “feminist” budget comes with commitments the government says will address social inequities, ease anxieties about the unrelenting pandemic, and tackle the climate crisis. Clocking in at 724 pages, the document titled “A Recovery Plan for Business and Growth” features a slew of new measures aimed at lifting workers and sectors […]
