The Liberal government is promising to bring the pandemic to an end while building the economy, fighting climate change, rolling out new child care deals with the provinces and pursuing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, Canada’s first Indigenous governor general, unveiled those priorities today in a speech from the throne that pointed to progress in the relationship between the federal government and Indigenous peoples.
“Already, I have seen how Canadians are committed to reconciliation. Indigenous Peoples are reclaiming our history, stories, culture and language through action,” Simon said In a speech delivered in English, French and Inuktitut.
“Non-Indigenous peoples are coming to understand and accept the true impact of the past and the pain suffered by generations of Indigenous Peoples. Together, they are walking the path toward reconciliation.”
Simon said that, to strengthen that relationship, the federal government will take action on health care and climate change and get to the root of what took place at residential schools across the country.
Since the early spring, several Indigenous communities across the country have reported the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at the sites of former residential schools.
Simon thanked MPs and civil servants for their work on fighting the pandemic, acknowledging the losses and hardships of the past 18 months.
“It has touched us all, including those in this chamber who lost a cherished colleague just a few days ago, Sen. Forest-Niesing. To her family and to all of you, my deepest sympathies,” she said.
“Priority number one remains getting the pandemic under control. The best way to do that is vaccination.”
Simon said that effort will require strengthening the health care system across the country and supports for seniors, veterans and people with disabilities.
“To ensure no one is left behind, support will be extended or added for industries that continue to struggle,” she said.
WATCH: Gov. Gen. Mary May Simon, prime minister enter Senate chamber for throne speech
Usher of Black Rod calls on MPs to attend throne speech
2 hours ago
In keeping with Parliamentary tradition, the Usher of the Black Rod summons members of Parliament to attend the throne speech delivered by Gov.-Gen. Mary May Simon in the Senate. 6:08
Simon said the Liberal government is committing to supporting and promoting the French language, both in and outside of Quebec, by reintroducing the proposed Act for the Substantive Equality of French and English.
Earlier this year, the Liberal government said that because digital technology encourages the use of English over French, it would reinforce the place of French in Canada by using the act to guarantee the right to work in French in federally regulated private businesses with more than 50 employees.
“To support Canadian culture and creative industries, the government will also reintroduce legislation to reform the Broadcasting Act and ensure web giants pay their fair share for the creation and promotion of Canadian content,” Simon said.
The economy and the environment
“There is work to be done. On accessibility. On care in rural communities. On delayed procedures. On mental health and addiction treatment. On long-term care,” she said.
Improving the quality of life for Canadians, she said, means making life more affordable for everyone.
“While Canada’s economic performance is better than many of our partners, we must keep tackling the rising cost of living,” she said. “To do that, the government’s plan includes two major priorities — housing and child care.”
Strengthening the country’s economic rebound will require the federal government to continue working with provinces to establish a national $10 a day child care program, Simon said.
Watch: Usher of Black Rod calls on MPs to attend throne speech:
O’Toole reacts to throne speech
58 minutes ago
Leader of the Official Opposition Erin O’Toole discusses the contents of the throne speech. 4:00
She said the government also sees immigration as essential to the post-pandemic economic recovery.
“That is why the government will continue increasing immigration levels and reducing wait times, while supporting family reunification and delivering a world leading refugee resettlement program,” Simon said.
Simon cited the Liberal government’s goal of capping and cutting oil and gas sector emissions while working toward a “net-zero electricity future.”
Guns, floods, conversion therapy
“The government will also strengthen action to prevent and prepare for floods, wildfires, droughts, coastline erosion and other extreme weather worsened by climate change,” Simon said.
The Liberal government is also pledging to continue its gun control efforts by implementing a “mandatory buyback” program for banned assault-style weapons and to work with any province or territory that wants to ban handguns.
Simon said the Liberal government will also ensure the ban on conversion therapy is realized.
After months of debate and some Conservative opposition, the last bill on this topic died on the order paper when the government called the September election.
Watch: Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole reacts to throne speech .:
Singh reacts to throne speech
47 minutes ago
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh discusses the contents of the throne speech. 2:34
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole criticized the speech, saying the Liberal government spent more on pandemic assistance than the United States and has seen slower economic growth.
O’Toole said the Liberals are ignoring the plight of workers in the energy, auto and steel industries and that his party would provide those workers with a voice.
“We’ve seen a recycled set of promises going back to the first throne speech on reconciliation, other issues like that. The same language, no concrete actions,” O’Toole said after the speech.
“What we’d like to see — a focus on the cost of living crisis, get the country back to work, get expenses under control and work on national unity at the same time.”
Don’t count on us, says NDP, Bloc
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said the speech showed the Liberal government has “run out of ideas and run out of steam.”
“We see a throne speech that does not respond to the urgency of the crisis that we are up against,” he said.
Singh said he did not see enough emphasis in the speech on affordable housing, measures to fight climate change and adequate funding for health care.
“This is not a speech that demonstrates a willingness to work together or shared values about building a better Canada,” Singh said. “We want to make it clear to the Liberals … Don’t take our support for granted. This is not a speech that looks like they are interested in working together.”
WATCH: NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh discusses the contents of the throne speech
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said the speech had a lot of buzzwords but little to say.
“There is just an assemblage of 24 pages of completely empty words,” Blanchet said.
“Even read slowly, the throne speech is short so that prompts me to conclude, unfortunately, that I have absolutely no reason to vote in favour of the throne speech. I have no reason to vote against the throne speech.”
OTTAWA – Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says the government is making some changes to mortgage rules to help more Canadians to purchase their first home.
She says the changes will come into force in December and better reflect the housing market.
The price cap for insured mortgages will be boosted for the first time since 2012, moving to $1.5 million from $1 million, to allow more people to qualify for a mortgage with less than a 20 per cent down payment.
The government will also expand its 30-year mortgage amortization to include first-time homebuyers buying any type of home, as well as anybody buying a newly built home.
On Aug. 1 eligibility for the 30-year amortization was changed to include first-time buyers purchasing a newly-built home.
Justice Minister Arif Virani is also releasing drafts for a bill of rights for renters as well as one for homebuyers, both of which the government promised five months ago.
Virani says the government intends to work with provinces to prevent practices like renovictions, where landowners evict tenants and make minimal renovations and then seek higher rents.
The government touts today’s announced measures as the “boldest mortgage reforms in decades,” and it comes after a year of criticism over high housing costs.
The Liberals have been slumping in the polls for months, including among younger adults who say not being able to afford a house is one of their key concerns.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 1.4 per cent to $71 billion in July, helped by higher sales in the petroleum and coal and chemical product subsectors.
The increase followed a 1.7 per cent decrease in June.
The agency says sales in the petroleum and coal product subsector gained 6.7 per cent to total $8.6 billion in July as most refineries sold more, helped by higher prices and demand.
Chemical product sales rose 5.3 per cent to $5.6 billion in July, boosted by increased sales of pharmaceutical and medicine products.
Sales of wood products fell 4.8 per cent for the month to $2.9 billion, the lowest level since May 2023.
In constant dollar terms, overall manufacturing sales rose 0.9 per cent in July.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets climbed to their best week of the year.
“It’s been almost a complete opposite or retracement of what we saw last week,” said Philip Petursson, chief investment strategist at IG Wealth Management.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.
While last week saw a “healthy” pullback on weaker economic data, this week investors appeared to be buying the dip and hoping the central bank “comes to the rescue,” said Petursson.
Next week, the U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut its key interest rate for the first time in several years after it significantly hiked it to fight inflation.
But the magnitude of that first cut has been the subject of debate, and the market appears split on whether the cut will be a quarter of a percentage point or a larger half-point reduction.
Petursson thinks it’s clear the smaller cut is coming. Economic data recently hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been that bad either, he said — and inflation may have come down significantly, but it’s not defeated just yet.
“I think they’re going to be very steady,” he said, with one small cut at each of their three decisions scheduled for the rest of 2024, and more into 2025.
“I don’t think there’s a sense of urgency on the part of the Fed that they have to do something immediately.
A larger cut could also send the wrong message to the markets, added Petursson: that the Fed made a mistake in waiting this long to cut, or that it’s seeing concerning signs in the economy.
It would also be “counter to what they’ve signaled,” he said.
More important than the cut — other than the new tone it sets — will be what Fed chair Jerome Powell has to say, according to Petursson.
“That’s going to be more important than the size of the cut itself,” he said.
In Canada, where the central bank has already cut three times, Petursson expects two more before the year is through.
“Here, the labour situation is worse than what we see in the United States,” he said.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.
— With files from The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
