Mr. Carlos Leitão was elected to the National Assembly of Québec in 2014 and held the position of Minister of Finance of Québec between 2014 and 2018. During that time, he was also Chairman of the Committee on Public Administration, Alternate Chairman of the Treasury Board, a member of the Public Finance Committee, and a member of the Ministerial Committee for the Economy, Job Creation and Sustainable Development. Between 2018 and 2022, while in Opposition, he was Chair of the Public Accounts Committee.
Today, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, announced the appointment of Jeffrey Heath to the Board of Directors of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) for a four-year term.
Mr. Jeffrey Heath is the current chair of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Advisory Panel on Resolution, and also serves on the boards of the Alzheimer Society of Ontario and the Northeast Power Coordinating Council.
I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are gathering here today on the Treaty Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, Huron, and Wendat.
The Government of Canada today announced it is delivering on the Budget 2023 commitment to lower credit card transaction fees for small businesses by finalizing new agreements with Visa and Mastercard, while also protecting reward points for Canadian consumers offered by Canada’s large banks.
In the face of multiple and complex global challenges, we renewed our commitment to upholding the free, fair and rules-based multilateral system and elevated our engagement with international partners to new heights through an extensive dialogue to advance international cooperation and deliver prosperity for all. We highly valued the productive dialogue with Brazil, Comoros, India, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, and Singapore. G7 members and Finance Ministers of these countries exchanged views on recent global economic developments and major challenges to foster robust and sustainable growth, and committed to jointly tackle a range of global economic challenges, fight poverty, and achieve strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive global growth.
Today, Bill C-46, the Cost of Living Act, No. 3, received Royal Assent. This legislation delivers new inflation relief to the Canadians who need it most through the new Grocery Rebate, and strengthens public health care with a $2 billion Canada Health Transfer (CHT) top-up to help reduce backlogs and wait times, and support pediatric hospitals and emergency rooms.
The challenges of this generation are not the monopoly of any one country or continent—nor will they be solved by anyone acting alone. And as you set off into the world today, there is not a Graduate class anywhere that is better prepared to face them. So to the Graduate class of 2023: congratulations!
Today in Ottawa, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Chrystia Freeland, held a productive bilateral meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Poland, Mariusz Błaszczak.
