Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege and honour for me to rise and speak today in the House on the subject of our government's 2016 budget.
It is not an exaggeration to say that we have the good fortune to live in one of the world's great democracies. Canadian democracy as we know it has been evolving over 250 years. If one considers the consensus-style government long practised by our first nations, then our democratic tradition has in fact been in place even longer than that. Therefore, for me to have this opportunity to add my voice to the long list of those who have gone before me in this continuing story of democracy is a truly humbling experience.
I must also add that my sense of pride today is felt in double measure because of the constituency I represent. Winnipeg South is a community that epitomizes and crystallizes the very idea of what it means to be Canadian. From pre-contact times, the mighty Red River that flows through Winnipeg South was a trade route for Canada's first people. Our riding became a place where French explorers and indigenous people met, traded, and settled together, and French continues to thrive as a language of our daily life.
Our part of Canada, in fact, created key pieces of a whole new culture unique to the world. The Métis people and Louis Riel's house, the site of national historic importance, is situated in Winnipeg South. Our community has, since those earlier days, welcomed immigrants from around the world, and continues to this day to embrace the spirit and the fact of Canadian multiculturalism.
When I recently visited Fort Richmond High School in my riding, I was astounded to learn that the students attending that school could trace their roots back to 170 different countries. It is amazing.
Winnipeg South is what Canada is all about, and I could not be more proud to be its member of Parliament. I thank the voters of Winnipeg South for the trust they have placed in me, and I pledge here that I will serve them faithfully.
I am a Liberal because I believe government has a role to play in improving the lives of Canadians. In the election, the Liberals promised that, if elected, we would play that role in building our economy and our country. Now, with our new budget, the Liberal government is keeping the election promises we made to build Canada and make it a better place for all.
For me, and particularly as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, I am especially looking forward to helping implement the investments in social infrastructure we will make to ensure all Canadians have a chance to succeed. A key component of this approach is the investments we will make in affordable housing that were announced in this budget in the social infrastructure fund.
Canada is a federation, as members know, and all levels of government need to examine how they can work together to best serve the interests of their constituents. I believe the federal government has a strong leadership role to play in ensuring that all Canadians have a home and a safe place to live. This budget provides that leadership. I am pleased to say that, through budget 2016 investments, we will work with our partners and the provinces, territories, and indigenous communities to address the most pressing housing needs in the short term.
With new funding commitments of $2.3 billion over the next two years, budget 2016 represents a huge step in providing affordable housing for Canadians who need it most. Of the significant investments we will make in housing over the next two years, close to $1.5 billion of it will be delivered by the provinces and territories under the investment in affordable housing program, also known as the IAH. This will provide an immediate response to the most pressing housing needs in communities all across Canada.
It is important to note that these new investments are only a first step. A more permanent, longer-term approach is needed to develop an effective and made-in-Canada housing strategy. As these shorter-term measures are being implemented, we will carefully develop a comprehensive, forward-looking strategy that supports innovative approaches to affordable housing and improved housing outcomes for all Canadians and for all types of housing.
To that end, we will consult with the provinces and territories, indigenous people, and other stakeholders in the coming year to develop a national housing strategy. More details on these consultations will be shared later this spring.
Another one of the promises we made during the election campaign was to create a new Canada child benefit, and I am so pleased to note that budget 2016 keeps this promise and proposes to replace the current complicated child benefit system with the new Canada child benefit in order to give Canadian families more money to help with the high cost of raising their children.
This new benefit would provide a maximum annual benefit of up to $6,400 per child under the age of six and up to $5,400 per child for those aged six through 17. Families with less than $30,000 in income would receive the maximum benefit. Families would receive approximately $9.8 billion more in child benefits during the 2016-2018 period than they do now, and nine out of ten families would receive more in child benefits than under the current system.
In my province of Manitoba, families would receive $490 million more in child benefits during the 2016-2018 period, and as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, I am gratified to say that the new CCB, as my hon. friend from New Brunswick has said, will lift some 300,000 Canadian children out of poverty and set them on the road to success. This is an example of the positive work that government can do to improve our society, and I am proud to play a part in it.
In the last election, the voters in Winnipeg South had a clear choice between a Conservative government, which they believed represented the status quo and felt that the status quo was good enough, and a Liberal Party, led by Justin Trudeau, that believed the middle class deserves better.
My apologies, Mr. Speaker.