Budget 2019 Invests in the Future of Canada's North

April 24, 2019 – Whitehorse, Yukon – Department of Finance Canada

Canada has an opportunity—and a responsibility—to be a world leader in sustainably developing and investing in the North, and in the hard-working and ambitious people who call the North home. When businesses in the Arctic region succeed, more people can find good, well-paying jobs where they live, in communities they know and love.

Today, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, Joël Lightbound, joined the Member of Parliament for Yukon Larry Bagnell to speak to members of the Yukon Chamber of Commerce about how Budget 2019, Investing in the Middle Class, will help ensure that Arctic and northern communities continue to grow and prosper.

Parliamentary Secretary Lightbound also spoke with entrepreneurs and business leaders in northern Canada's growing tech sector, meeting at TechYukon to discuss the ways Budget 2019 furthers the Government's commitment to science, technology and skills.

With Budget 2019, the Government is supporting northern businesses and communities by:

• Ensuring every home and business in the North has access to high-speed internet, so that northerners can study, stay connected to friends and family, and take part in the digital economy.
• Building or expanding northern infrastructure projects through a doubling of the federal municipal infrastructure commitment in 2018-19, which will help northern and First Nations communities pay for crucial repairs and other important local projects. This includes $16.5 million each for Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
• Better connecting northern communities, businesses and exporters with new dedicated funding for transportation infrastructure in the National Trade Corridors Fund.
• Making education and training more accessible in the North by helping Yukon College transition to become Canada's first northern university, as well as lowering the interest rates on Canada Student Loans and creating new opportunities for northern students to learn abroad.
• Expanding post-secondary education options by establishing a Task Force to make recommendations on reinforcing the post-secondary education system in Canada's North.
• Helping 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.
• Supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs and Indigenous economic development, with help for First Nations and Inuit communities to build business plans, expand existing Indigenous-led businesses and launch new Indigenous-led start-ups.

Although only a small number of people call the Arctic home, all Canadians can be proud of our identity as a northern country. Through Budget 2019, the Government is helping to build strong northern and Arctic communities, to the benefit of all Canadians.