Minister O’Regan highlights budget investments to make life more affordable

April 3, 2023          Hamilton, Ontario          Employment and Social Development Canada

Today, Minister of Labour Seamus O’Regan Jr. is meeting with workers in Hamilton, Ontario, to talk about Budget 2023’s investments in new, targeted inflation relief to make life more affordable for Canadians as well as its transformative investments to create good-paying jobs in Canada’s growing clean economy.

The Minister will be joined by Lisa Hepfner, Member of Parliament for Hamilton Mountain, and Chad Collins, Member of Parliament for Hamilton East–Stoney Creek. They will be touring LiUNA Local 837’s E.H. Mancinelli Training Centre, as well as the Ironworkers Local 736’s training facility, where they’ll meet with members of the Hamilton-Brantford Building and Construction Trades Council. Minister O’Regan will later host a town hall at Milton’s Orange Snail Brewers, joined by Adam van Koeverden, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health and to the Minister of Sport, and Pam Damoff, Member of Parliament for Oakville North–Burlington. They will speak with union workers in the trades and in health care on Budget 2023 measures aimed at making life more affordable today while creating good-paying jobs to support long-term prosperity.

One of the most significant investments in Budget 2023 is in tax credits. Following consultations with unions and other stakeholders, the Budget announces additional details on the labour requirements for the clean technology and clean hydrogen investment tax credits. To be eligible for the highest tax credit rates, businesses must pay workers the prevailing wage. Additionally, at least 10% of the tradesperson hours worked must be performed by registered apprentices in the Red Seal trades. Ensuring workers are paid fairly and supporting apprenticeships that lead to good-paying jobs will make life more affordable for Canadian workers and their families.

Budget 2023 also delivers multiple investments to help make life more affordable at home. The new Grocery Rebate will offer targeted inflation relief for 11 million Canadians and families who need it most, with up to an additional $467 for eligible couples with children, an additional $234 for single Canadians without children, and an additional $225 for seniors, on average. When it comes to broken appliances or devices, high repair fees and a lack of access to specific parts often mean Canadians are pushed to buy new products rather than repairing the ones they have. This is expensive for people and creates harmful waste. Budget 2023 announces that the Government will work to implement a right to repair, to make it easier and cheaper for Canadians to repair, rather than replace, their home appliances and electronics. The Government is also taking action to crack down on junk fees and predatory lending, lower credit card transaction fees for small businesses, and help Canadians keep more money in their pockets.

With a responsible fiscal plan that will see Canada maintain the lowest deficit and the lowest net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7, Budget 2023 will help to build a Canada that is more secure, more sustainable, and more affordable for people from coast to coast to coast.