Budget 2019: Building a Better Canada

From: Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

News release

March 28, 2019 — Peachland, BC — Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

Since 2015, hard-working Canadians have proven what has long been understood: a strong economy starts with a strong middle class.
    
Nearly four years ago, Canadians chose a plan to invest in the middle class and offer real help to people working hard to join it.
    
Today, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, was in Peachland to highlight Budget 2019, Investing in the Middle Class, the Government's plan to create more good well-paying jobs, support our cities, put homeownership within reach of more Canadians, help working people get the training they need to succeed, support seniors, and lay the foundation for national pharmacare.
    
In Budget 2019, the Government of Canada proposes to:

  • Support municipalities' local infrastructure priorities by proposing a one-time top-up of $2.2 billion through the federal Gas Tax Fund that will double the Government's commitment to municipalities in 2018-19, and make sure communities have the funds they need to pay for crucial repairs and other important local projects.
  • Make homeownership more affordable for first-time buyers by implementing a First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, a shared equity mortgage program that would reduce the mortgage payments required to own a home; and by providing greater access to their Registered Retirement Savings Plan savings to buy a home.
  • Help workers gain new skills with the creation of the new Canada Training Benefit, a benefit that will give workers money to help pay for training, provide income support during training, and, with the cooperation of the provinces and territories, offer job protection so that workers can take the time they need to keep their skills relevant and in-demand.
  • Prepare young Canadians for good jobs by helping make education more affordable through lowered interest rates on Canada Student Loans, making the six-month grace period interest-free after a student loan borrower leaves school, and creating up to 84,000 new student work placements per year by 2023-24.
  • Help Canadians with the cost of prescription drugs by taking steps towards a national pharmacare plan, starting with creating a new Canadian Drug Agency that could lower Canadians' drug costs by as much as $3 billion per year, developing a national formulary for prescription drugs, and a national strategy for high-cost drugs for rare diseases.
  • Give all Canadians access to high-speed internet so all Canadian homes and businesses have access to 50 Mbps high-speed internet no matter where they live – including people and businesses in rural, remote and northern communities.
  • Lower Canadians' energy costs by partnering with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to increase energy efficiency in residential, commercial and multi-use buildings, and by introducing a new incentive for buying electric battery or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with a manufacturer's suggested retail price under $45,000.

With the new investments in Budget 2019, combined with lower taxes, more money in their pockets each month and more good jobs, there is good reason for middle class Canadians to feel more confident about what the future holds for themselves and their families.

Quotes

"This country is only as strong as the strength of communities of which it is comprised. Nearly four years ago, Canadians chose a plan to invest in the middle class and communities. Those investments are paying off. Budget 2019 is the next step in the Government's plan to support communities by keeping Canada's economy growing, and make life more affordable for Canadians."

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett, M.D., P.C., M.P.
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

"The announcement of a significant increase in the Gas Tax Fund is exciting news for Peachland. As with many smaller communities, we struggle with the cost of infrastructure related projects. An increase in funding will address much needed infrastructure projects that may otherwise be delayed."
    
Cindy Fortin
Mayor of Peachland, British Columbia

Quick facts

  • Over the past four years, the Government has focused on strengthening and growing the middle class, and offering real help to people working hard to join it, so that everyone has a real and fair chance at success.

  • Under the Government's plan, hard-working Canadians have created over 900,000 new jobs, most of them full-time, driving the unemployment rate to its lowest levels in more than 40 years. This includes especially strong employment gains by women.

  • The Canada Child Benefit is helping families with the high cost of raising children by putting more money in the pockets of nine out of ten Canadian families, and helping to lift nearly 300,000 children out of poverty.

  • More than nine million Canadians are benefitting from the Government's middle class tax cut, which gives them more money to save or spend on the things they need.

  • An enhanced Canada Pension Plan, which will raise the maximum CPP retirement benefit by up to 50 per cent over time, is giving today's and future Canadian workers greater income security when they retire.

  • Historic investments in infrastructure, including the National Housing Strategy, which is helping more Canadians find a safe and affordable place to call home.

Associated links

Contacts

For more information, media may contact:

Matthew Dillon-Leitch
Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
819-997-0002
    
Media Relations
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
819-934-2302
RCAANC.media.CIRNAC@canada.ca

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