The Liberal government laid out its plan to guide the country through the rest of the COVID-19 pandemic in its throne speech today.
Here are some of the highlights of the throne speech delivered by Gov. Gen. Julie Payette.
Jobs
One of the pillars of the speech is a promise by the Liberal minority government to create over one million jobs. The government said it will do this through “direct investments in the social sector and infrastructure, immediate training to quickly skill up workers, and incentives for employers to hire and retain workers.”
As part of that plan, the government says it will extend the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy through to next summer.
The program, which was set to end at the end of the year, initially offered to cover 75 per cent of wages, up to a weekly maximum of $847, for workers at eligible companies and non-profits affected by the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Watch: Government commits to creating one million jobs
Gov. Gen. Julie Payette delivered the 150th speech from the throne in the Senate chamber on Wednesday. 2:08
As of Sept. 13 the program has paid out more than $35 billion.
“People losing their jobs is perhaps the clearest consequence of the global economic shock that Canadians — like those in other countries — have faced,” says the speech.
Women, the economy and child care
To address the pandemic’s disproportionate economic effects on women, the throne speech touched on the government’s pledge to get more women into the workforce.
As part of that effort, the government is promising “significant, long-term, sustained investment to create a Canada-wide early learning and childcare system.”
The government said it also remains committed to subsidizing before- and after-school program costs.
Criminal Code changes for seniors
Noting that one of the greatest tragedies of the crisis has been the lives lost in long-term care homes, the government is promising to amend the Criminal Code to penalize people who neglect seniors under their care.
The government said it also will work with the provinces and territories to set new national standards for long-term care
Canadian Disability Benefit
The speech also included a promise to another group that has been hit hard by the pandemic: Canadians living with disabilities.
The government said it is working on a Canadian disability benefit, modelled on the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors.
Climate change
The government is promising to bring forward a plan to exceed its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
It’s also promising to legislate Canada’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
The throne speech includes promises to create thousands of jobs by retrofitting homes and buildings and to make zero-emissions vehicles more affordable.
Systemic racism
While most of the speech focused on Canada’s COVID-19 recovery plan, one section was dedicated to addressing systemic racism in Canada.
Most of those initiatives have been announced already, or were hinted at over the summer as Black Lives Matter protests erupted across North America and the RCMP dealt with the blowback from a number of controversial arrests and use-of-force incidents.
The Liberals are reopening Parliament with a renewed promise to introduce legislation to shake up the criminal justice system “from diversion to sentencing, from rehabilitation to records.”
It also said it will move forward on enhanced civilian oversight for the RCMP — which falls under the minister of public safety’s portfolio — and address standards on the use of force.
New airline routes
The Liberals say they will work with partners to support regional routes for airlines.
“It is essential that Canadians have access to reliable and affordable regional air services,” says the speech.
“This is an issue of equity, of jobs, and of economic development. The government will work to support this.”
Watch: Government lays out four approaches to pandemic and economy
Gov. Gen. Julie Payette began the 150th speech from the throne by explaining how these four ‘foundations’ can help the economy recover. 1:53
LONGUEUIL, Que. – People in a part of Longueuil, Que., were being asked to stay indoors with their doors and windows closed on Thursday morning after a train derailed, spilling an unknown quantity of hydrogen peroxide.
Police from the city just east of Montreal said it didn’t appear anyone was hurt, although a CN rail official told a news conference that three employees had been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
The derailment happened at around 9 a.m. in the LeMoyne area, near the intersection of St-Louis and St-Georges streets. Mathieu Gaudreault, a spokesman for CN rail, said about eight cars derailed at the Southwark rail facility, including four that toppled over.
“As of this morning, the information we have is it’s hydrogen peroxide that was in the rail car and created the fumes we saw,” he said, adding that there was no risk of fire.
François Boucher, a spokesman for the Longueuil police department, said police were asking people in the area, including students at nearby schools, to stay indoors while experts ensure the air is safe to breathe.
“It is as a preventive measure that we encourage people to really avoid exposing themselves unnecessarily,” he told reporters near the scene.
Police and fire officials were on site, as well as CN railworkers, and a large security perimeter was erected.
Officers were asking people to avoid the sector, and the normally busy Highway 116 was closed in the area. The confinement notice includes everyone within 800 metres of the derailment, officials said, who added that it would be lifted once a team with expertise in dangerous materials has given the green light.
In addition to closing doors and windows, people in the area covered by the notice are asked to close heating, ventilation and air exchange systems, and to stay as far from windows as possible.
Gaudreault said it wasn’t yet clear what caused the derailment. The possibilities include a problem with the track, a problem with a manoeuvre, or a mechanical issue, he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s Liberal party is promising to improve cellphone service and invest in major highways if the party is elected to govern on Nov. 26.
Party leader Zach Churchill says a Liberal government would spend $60 million on building 87 new cellphone towers, which would be in addition to the $66 million the previous Progressive Conservative government committed to similar projects last year.
As well, Churchill confirmed the Liberals want to improve the province’s controlled access highways by adding exits along Highway 104 across the top of the mainland, and building a bypass along Highway 101 near Digby.
Churchill says the Liberals would add $40 million to the province’s $500 million capital budget for highways.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the three major political parties were expected to spend much of today preparing for a televised debate that will be broadcast tonight at 6 p.m. local time.
Churchill will face off against Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston and NDP Leader Claudia Chender during a 90-minute debate that will be carried live on CBC TV and streamed online.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
TORONTO – A group of hotel service workers in Toronto is set to hold a rally today outside the Fairmont Royal York to demand salary increases as hotel costs in the city skyrocket during Taylor Swift’s concerts.
Unite Here Local 75, the union representing 8,000 hospitality workers in the Greater Toronto Area, says Royal York employees have not seen a salary increase since 2021, and have been negotiating a new contract with the hotel since 2022.
The rally comes as the megastar begins her series of six sold-out concerts in Toronto, with the last show scheduled for Nov. 23.
During show weekends, some hotel rooms and short-term rentals in Toronto are priced up to 10 times more than other weekends, with some advertised for as much as $2,000 per night.
The union says hotel workers who will be serving Swifties during her Toronto stops are bargaining for raises to keep up with the rising cost of living.
The union represents hospitality workers including food service employees, room attendants and bell persons.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
