Dear <<First Name>>;
Last week, the Minister of Finance unveiled Budget 2022. It is a plan to bolster further economic growth, combat supply chain disruptions, invest in housing, and combat climate change. These much-needed investments presented in Budget 2022 will support families in our community and create a more prosperous, cleaner, safer, and equitable future.
Canadian jobs have dramatically recovered over the past few months. According to the March Report of the Canada Labour Force Survey, unemployment has fallen to a record low of 5.3%. This is the lowest level of unemployment since the beginning of reliable data collection in 1976. Additionally, unemployment among recent immigrants (who arrived to Canada within the past 5 years) also hit record lows. The industries where people across Canada are finding jobs are: food, repair, maintenance, and personal care services; public administration; construction; natural resources; and agriculture.
The events in Ukraine over the past 2 months can be described as both tragic and hopeful. The world has watched in horror as Russian soldiers illegally crossed into Ukraine, committing war crimes and genocide throughout the country. The world has also seen the resilience of the Ukrainian people and President Zelenskey in their fight against this illegal invasion. Ukrainian forces have successfully retaken most of the northern parts of Ukraine. However, as of today, Russian forces still have a hold on the Donbas region and much of the southern coast. If Putin succeeds in annexing Ukraine, he will be emboldened to invade other countries. Ukraine's security is our security and our security is Ukraine's.
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Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland giving her remarks on Budget 2022.
Image credits: The Toronto Star
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On April 7th, Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland gave a speech unveiling Budget 2022. In it, she spoke about Canada's optimistic economic outlook and of the need to invest in key programs in the years ahead.
Some of the priorities outlined in Budget 2022 are as follows:
- $8.8 billion dollars in affordable housing investments
- $1.3 billion towards helping Canadians buy their first homes
- $6.8 billion in fighting climate change (including through investments in making electric vehicles more affordable)
- $2.2 billion in natural infrastructure
- $3.9 billion towards improving our immigration system
- $7.2 billion towards National Defence
- $940 million towards supporting Ukraine
- $7.3 billion in healthcare (including dentalcare)
Budget 2022 forecasts a shrinking deficit over the next 5 years from $144.5 billion during the 2021-22 fiscal year to $13.1 billion by the end of 2027. The debt-to-GDP ratio is forecasted to shrink from 46.5% to 41.5% from 2022 to 2027.
Read the full document of Budget 2022 for charts, graphs, and a detailed account of each of our proposed measures here: https://budget.gc.ca/2022/home-accueil-en.html
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Scarborough Business Association Meeting
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I was happy to join Minister Bill Blair and Scarborough MPs Gary Anandasangaree, Shaun Chen, Salma Zahid, and Jean Yip at the Scarborough Business Association Meeting. I spoke about the contents of Budget 2022 and of the important investments the federal government will make to support businesses in our community.
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Statement on the Arrest of Kara-Murza by Russian Officials
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Childcare Agreement Reached with the Province of Ontario!
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The Ontario government has now agreed to implement $10-a-day childcare in our communities! This agreement entails:
- Reducing childcare prices for parents with children under 6 by 25% in May, providing an average savings of $2200 per child
- Reducing fees by 50% by end of 2022, saving families approximately $6000 per child
- Deliver widespread average $10-a-day childcare by 2026
See the Prime Minister's Statement here.
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NEW IRCC Digital Case Status Tracker
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Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has launched a new digital case status tracker website that allows eligible families access to permanent resident applications statuses, sponsorship application statuses, and other information online. The tracker is available for PR applicants in the spousal, partner, and dependent child categories.
Access the tool here: https://prt-srp.apps.cic.gc.ca/en
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Fourth Doses Now Available
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Federal funding for the Tourism Relief Fund is available for all businesses and not-for-profit organizations looking support Canada's tourism industry.
Eligible applicants include:
- businesses
- not-for-profit organizations, such as tourism associations
- band councils or other Indigenous organizations and cooperatives
Applicants must also meet at least one of the following criteria:
- be a key supplier or operator in the visitor experience; or
- be part of a defined tourism cluster or a tourism dependent community, including supporting downtown cores; or
- provide an anchor product or service in a tourism destination
Learn more about the Tourism Relief Fund here.
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Travelling with ArriveCAN
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The Government of Canada announced a series of adjustments to the current border measures, representing the beginning of a phased easing of travel restrictions.
Please check before you travel at: travel.gc.ca/travel-covid
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Love, Scarborough Campaign
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Check out the Scarborough Health Network's video on the Love, Scarborough Campaign.
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The Scarborough Health Network Foundation launched the Love, Scarborough campaign. This campaign is an open letter to Toronto seeking to shed light on the healthcare inequities the Scarborough community faces. The campaign's goal is to raise $100 million dollars for our Scarborough hospitals. Learn more at www.lovescarborough.ca.
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Who's Hiring & Food Access List
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Update: On January 31, 2022, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship announced a suite of new measures that will help reduce wait times and modernize Canada's immigration system. These include:
- The hiring of 500 new processing staff.
- Expansion of online applications for PR applicants.
- Creation of a PR tracker for spousal sponsorship applications.
- Update to online processing times tools to give applicants estimates on the time it will take to process their applications.
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Check out the following immigration related resources:
Need further resources? My office is happy to assist you with immigration matters by phone at 416-283-1226 or by email at John.McKay.c1@parl.gc.ca.
If you are a resident of Scarborough-Guildwood seeking assistance with a federal service or program, please provide the following:
- Your full name;
- Address, including postal code;
- Telephone number;
- File number
- Date of birth
- Brief summary of your situation
If the matter is time-sensitive, then please call the office directly at 416-283-1226. If we are unable to answer your call immediately, please leave a voicemail and we will return your call as soon as we can.
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If this is the first update you have seen, and you would like to be included on all future communications, please click here.
Sincerely,
Hon. John McKay, P.C.,
Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Guildwood
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