Madam Speaker, I am happy to be speaking today, and I would like to inform members that I will be sharing my time with the member for Lac-Saint-Louis.
At the beginning of this crisis, the government took swift action to protect people from a devastating illness. The government members knew their efforts would need to protect not only their physical health, but their economic health. They said it best: “No Canadian should have to choose between protecting their health, putting food on the table, paying for their medication or caring for a family member.”
In the last 13 months, as residents of Orléans have faced an unmatched crisis, I have heard heartbreaking stories of people who have had to make enormous sacrifices to get through this, including some who have lost loved ones. I have admired the resilience of the essential workers, whether they are retail workers, medical professionals, teachers, or beyond, who have had to face every day with bravery, not knowing what risks they may encounter; the business owners who have wondered when they will be able to make a profit again; the students who face rotating waves of in-person and at-home learning; and the parents who often have had to become teachers. Many seniors have gone through a lonely year of only seeing family through a window. All of them worry about what comes next after the pandemic.
That is why I stand here today in favour of budget 2021. When the first female Minister of Finance, the member for University—Rosedale, presented her budget on April 19, she shattered barriers, but she also presented a credible plan for growth and a vision for the future of the Canadian economy that is built from the ground up. I wanted to highlight some of the initiatives that have stood out to my residents.
As a former businesswoman who ran my own business, I can tell you that the many meetings and discussions I have had with business owners in Orléans struck a nerve. I know what it means to take the risk and juggle fixed costs such as rent and salaries while trying to grow a business. Today, I can only admire the strength and tenacity of businesspeople who are doing this under the worst conditions possible.
Business owners have said to me, loud and clear, that budget 2021's proposed extension to the Canada emergency wage subsidy and the Canada emergency rent subsidy is essential to getting them through to the end of the pandemic.
The Canada emergency wage subsidy has allowed them to hold on to the workforce and talent that allowed them to flourish before 2020. They knew they had to do right by their workers, and with Canada's help many were able to do so when they otherwise might have failed. So many of our small businesses, the core of communities like Orléans, continue to keep their workers employed as they endure a rotation of lockdowns that keep customers away from their doors and demand low.
Meanwhile, the Canada emergency rent subsidy has kept our bricks and mortar businesses in place. This means a start-up restaurant can continue to offer delivery, an independent florist can offer curbside pickup or a gym will be able to resume from where it left off as soon as public health measures relax.
With the help of these subsidies, businesses have more freedom to make the moves they need to adjust to health measures and endure lockdowns.
There has rarely been a darker time to run many businesses than right now, but budget 2021 is investing in a brighter future. The Canada recovery hiring program only furthers these efforts. Aimed at helping the businesses that continue to see a decline in revenue, the CRHP encourages them to invest in their workforce and bounce back strong.
The budget also proposes major investments, $1.4 billion in skills training and digital adoption technology. It will allow Canadian private corporations to immediately expense up to $1.5 million of eligible capital investments made between April 19 of this year and 2024. The government is priming Canadian businesses to adjust for the future and it gives them the tools they need to fuel growth. By supporting this budget, we are assuring the very people who keep our economy moving that we have their backs and that we believe in what they do for our communities.
My constituents also make it clear time and time again that the environment and a transition to a green economy is a top priority for Orléans. Canadians are concerned for the future of our planet. They worry about the impacts of climate change and how they will affect life for their children and grandchildren. The Orléans Youth Council, who I meet with every month alongside my provincial and municipal counterparts, echoes this. They will inherit whatever we leave behind today and they cannot wait for their generation to be in power before action is taken. We need to move now.
The government’s plan for a green recovery is the kind of action they can believe in. Budget 2021 proposes investing $5 billion over seven years in Canada’s net-zero accelerator to help to decarbonize large emitters. It proposes investing $319 million in the research and development of carbon capture technology and a tax credit to incentivize capital investment in carbon capture projects. It proposes slashing tax rates in half for businesses that manufacture zero-emission technologies, making green jobs and new technology a central focus for our economic recovery.
As someone who saw the devastating impact of flooding in my community in 2017 and 2019, I am relieved to see the budget propose $63.8 million over three years to create updated flood maps for high-risk areas. However, for so many of our homeowners, environment and climate change has also become an everyday pocketbook issue. That is why I am pleased to see that budget 2021 wants to give homeowners interest-free loans of up to $40,000 so they can make energy-efficient home improvements. By replacing old heating systems, drafty windows and doors or inefficient insulation, these loans give residents the power to make an investment in their own property that pays off in reduced costs every month. It addresses a long-overlooked impact of emissions on everyday Canadians, even those who may not yet feel the impact of a climate emergency still bear the burden through their monthly bills.
Interest-free loans for retrofits will provide much-needed relief. Since budget day, my team has already received several inquiries from enthusiastic residents about this incredible incentive. The greatest relief would come from one very important program: the government’s plan to establish a Canada-wide early learning and child care system. For years, this has been raised with me as a top priority among parents, grandparents, educators and anyone with a stake in the well-being of our children. The budget’s plan to provide $10-a-day child care by 2026 would give more parents the flexibility they need to participate in the workforce and massively reduce one of the largest costs that families incur.
We also know that the heavy burden of child care is often borne by women. This plan is a revolutionary step toward the economic empowerment of Canadian mothers.
When I speak to my constituents of all political stripes, they remind me that, above all, the government works for them, both as individuals and as members of the community. I take pride in being able to show them a budget that takes their needs seriously and believes that the government has a stake in ensuring their growth. It is presenting serious investments in small businesses, the green economy and day care, but also in students, housing for veterans, racialized communities, official languages and biomanufacturing.