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Chrystia Freeland

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Lethal Weapons and More Cash Going To Ukraine

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A federal announcement came for more tools for to help in the fight overseas as well as Ukrainians seeking refuge in Canada .

Lethal Weapons

Minister of Defense, Annita Annand announced that more lethal weapons are being sent over to help Ukrainian troops fight the battle against the Russians.

Up to 4,500 rocket launchers and 7,500 hand grenades are being sent over from current stockpiles in the Canadian Armed Forces.

On top of what has already been promised, a million dollars is also going to the Ukrainian government to purchase high resolution satellite imagery.

Travel Visa’s

The Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada, Sean Fraser announced that there would changes coming for Ukrainian nationals looking to travel to Canada to escape the conflict in their country.

People from Ukraine coming to Canada have been getting priority and will continue until the new system is up an running in the next two weeks. Once that is launched, Canada will allow an unlimited number of Ukrainian nationals into the country on travel visa’s. Those applications will be much simpler to apply with and the fees associated with them will be waived. However, applicants will have a security check and will still need to supply biometrics.

Once approved, they will be allowed to stay in Canada for up to two years and they will be allowed to work or study within the country once they arrive.

The second program that the Minister announced today was an “expedited path” for people of Ukraine coming to Canada to become permanent residents and join family members that already live within the country. An expansion on the circle of family members will be able to sponsor incoming Ukrainians that want to live here permanently.

It has been questioned as to why Canada can’t waive visa’s for those fleeing the conflict, and Fraser explained that after a detailed look it would require regulation changes as well as broad spectrum internal and international IT changes that could take upwards of 14 weeks. Where as this new visa laneway will be up and running in the next two weeks.

So far more than 6,100 people from Ukraine have arrived in Canada since January.

New Tariffs

Deputy Prime Minister, Chrystia Freeland announced new tariffs directed at Russia.

Freeland declared that Canada is the first country to revoke “most favoured nation” status within the World Trading Organization to both Russia and Belarus. Both countries will now face tariffs of 35 per cent on exports to Canada. The only other country that is also treated this way is North Korea.

During the briefing, the Deputy Prime Minister had harsh words for the Kremlin and the oligarchs that associate with Putin;

…We’re going to keep on going. There is a tremendous willingness among the worlds democracies to keep ratcheting up the pressure. And as I hope the Russian leadership has seen, we are being very creative. We are using tools which no one would even have imagined deploying just a week ago, and there’s more to come.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister also noted that sanctions that were only enacted on Monday are already affecting the Russian economy. The ruble has fallen by 30 per cent, the Bank of Russia’s interest rate has jumped to 20 per cent. As well, Thursday marks the fourth day that the Russian stock market has been closed.

Two out of three of the world’s top credit rating agencies have labelled Russia’s debt as “junk”; a rating that tells the world that their debts are likely to go unpaid.

Meantime, a statement from the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Canada has led to calls for Ottawa to expel the ambassador.

The document was put out Monday (pictured below) and says that Russia is strictly working to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine.

“We understand that the ambassador in Ottawa is a mouthpiece for (Vladimir) Putin, and is saying the same kind of things that are Russian propaganda and disinformation,” remarked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday.

Oleg Stepanov was appointed to the post on March 9, 2021, and arrived in Canada on April 4th.

Trudeau stressed the next step has to balance the power the ambassador has with the work that’s being done by Canadians in the ground in Russia.

“We are of course looking at what our allies are doing, and what we need to do to not only send the strongest signals but also be as effective as we can in pushing towards an end to (the invasion),” added Trudeau.

The statement ended with the words “Russia is not starting wars, they are ending them.”

(With files from Kevin Jeffrey)

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Feds Announce $100M In Humanitarian Aid For Ukraine

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Canadian officials have announced $100 million for humanitarian assistance to aid Ukraine and a ban on Russian ships in Canadian ports and internal waters.

A pair of federal announcements on Tuesday are the latest actions to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

At a briefing, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland did not mince words when addressing the matter.

“President [Vladimir] Putin has made a grave and historic error. This is not the behaviour of a superpower, this is the last gasp of a failing kleptocracy, and President Putin has now become an international pariah,” said Freeland, adding more sanctions will be announced in the days and weeks ahead.

International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan said the additional $100 million will support life-saving services such as shelter, water, sanitation, and food assistance. Ministers also announced 1600 fragmentation vests and nearly 400,000 individual meal packs to aid Ukraine.

Earlier in the day, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced Canada will ban Russian-owned or registered ships and fishing vessels in Canadian ports and internal waters. It’s expected this measure will come into effect later this week.

“Russia must be held accountable for its aggression in Ukraine. Canada will continue to do what is necessary to respond,” Alghabra said in a statement.

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Justin Trudeau To Unveil His New Cabinet October 26th

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The prime minister will unveil his new cabinet before the end of the month.

Justin Trudeau is set to announce his roster of cabinet ministers on October 26th and recall Parliament on November 22nd.

The ministers will guide his government into a third mandate focused on the battle with COVID-19 and rebuilding the economy.

A news release confirms cabinet will remain gender-balanced.

Chrystia Freeland will continue to serve as the deputy prime minister and the minister of finance.

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Budget Includes Child Care Plan

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The first federal budget since the pandemic began and the first since 2019 includes $104 billion in total spending increases over the next three years and a deficit that has ballooned to $354.2 billion.

Spending highlights include a three-month extension of the federal wage and rent subsidies.

The supports will now be available until September 25th, at a cost of approximately $12 billion.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland also announced $30 billion over five years for a national child care plan, which the Trudeau government believes will help with economic growth.

“This is social infrastructure that will drive jobs and growth,” Freeland says, “Early learning and childcare is a national economic policy we need now.”

Also in the budget is $13.5 billion over five years for Indigenous communities, $17.5 billion for a green recovery fund, $1 billion for the tourism sector, $2.5 billion for affordable housing, and a proposed $15 an hour federal minimum wage.

There is also a new digital service tax of 3 percent on large e-commerce businesses, $2.2 billion over seven years for the sciences, and $82.5 million for COVID-19 testing at major airports.

Smokers will once again be helping to pay for programs with a $4-per-carton increase.

The financial plan looks promising for northwestern Ontario seniors, according to Patty Hajdu.

The Thunder Bay Superior North MP says long-term care homes are getting a boost that she expects will be reassuring for our aging population.

“The $3 billion to ensure that those standards that we’re creating now are actually monitored and enforced across the country is something I have heard over and over and over as Member of Parliament,” she says, and expects the increase to the Old Age Security pension for those over age 75 will be “welcome news” as well.

Hajdu adds the budget is also beefing up the project funding agency FedNor by making it an independent body.

However, Jagmeet Singh is disappointed that the federal budget isn’t raising taxes on the richest Canadians.

While it does contain a tax on so-called luxury goods, the federal NDP Leader isn’t impressed, saying that would only be a good step alongside other measures.

“On its own, it’s not going to actually increase revenues in any significant way, nor is it realy going to get at the fact that the ultra-rich have profited, in just significant and substantial ways, record profits in this pandemic,” Singh says.

Singh argues the budget is forcing workers and families to fund Canada’s recovery from the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the federal Conservative leader says the Trudeau government’s latest budget is an “incredible letdown.”

Erin O’Toole said they wanted to see a plan that would secure jobs for all Canadians across the country.

“Mr. Trudeau failed to put forward a plan to help Canadians and he’s leaving them behind,” O’Toole said. “That’s why the Conservatives will be proposing amendments and our own policies because we feel this falls so incredibly short.”

O’Toole said the Liberal budget has no plan for small business and is a temporary band-aid for young people.

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UPDATE: Feds Sign $5.9B Aid Deal With Air Canada

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Ottawa has signed an agreement with Air Canada which will see the airline receive $5.9 billion in federal support.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the money will come in the form of repayable loans and equity investment in the airline.

“This support comes with strict conditions to protect Canadian travellers, Canadians’ tax dollars and Air Canada’s workers,” Freeland, who is also the country’s finance minister, said during a news conference Monday evening.

As part of the deal, Air Canada says eligible customers who bought a non-refundable ticket for travel on or after Feb. 1, 2020, but did not fly can now obtain a refund.

The revised COVID-19 refund policy covers tickets and Air Canada Vacations packages purchased before April 13, 2021, for flights cancelled either by the airline or by the customer for any reason.

The deal also requires Air Canada to resume service at 13 suspended airports no later than June 1, 2021, including:

  • Bathurst
  • Comox
  • Fredericton
  • Gander
  • Goose Bay
  • Kamloops
  • North Bay
  • Penticton
  • Prince Rupert
  • Saint John
  • Sandspit
  • Sydney
  • Yellowknife

For seven airports where Air Canada had permanently cancelled service, the airline will seek interline agreements with other carriers to ensure those Canadians continue to have convenient access to their preferred airports and the flights they need.

As part of the deal, Air Canada must maintain jobs at current levels — the airline currently has 14,859 active Canadian employees — respect collective bargaining agreements and protect workers’ pensions.

Dividends and share buybacks will be restricted, and executive compensation will be capped, said Freeland.

“I’m confident this agreement sets a standard for how such interventions should be designed with the interests of Canadians and workers coming first,” said Freeland.

“This is a good and fair deal for Canada and Canadians.”

Freeland said the federal government is in talks with other airlines to see what help they may need.

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Feds Announce Date For 2021 Budget

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We now know when the Trudeau government will deliver its next federal budget.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Tuesday that the 2021 budget will be tabled on April 19.

“Canada entered this global pandemic in a strong fiscal position, which allowed our government to provide unprecedented support to Canadians,” Freeland said during Question Period on Tuesday.

“We will continue to do whatever it takes to support Canadians and Canadian businesses and we have a plan for jobs and robust growth.”

This will be the first official budget from the federal government in more than two years.

The 2020 budget was postponed indefinitely after Parliament was suspended for several weeks due to COVID-19.

Opposition parties have been calling on the Liberal government to bring forward a budget.

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U.S. Drops Tariff On Canadian Aluminum

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The United States has dropped its 10 per cent tariff on Canadian aluminum imposed in August.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said imports have declined sharply from the surges experienced earlier in the year.

Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Minister Mary Ng welcomed the news during a news conference Tuesday.

“Tariffs would have harmed workers and industry on both sides of the border, disrupting linked supply chains that have made North American aluminum more competitive around the world,” said Ng.

“It is a testament to the Team Canada approach as we’ve all worked relentlessly to ensure these unjustified tariffs on Canadian aluminum were removed,” she added.

The news came just hours before the Canadian government was set to implement retaliatory measures of its own.

The USTR said Tuesday that tariffs could be reimposed if Canadian exports exceed a certain level.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada will not hesitate to act if that happens.

“Let me be clear: Should tariffs be reimposed on our aluminum exports in the future, Canada will retaliate with perfectly reciprocal dollar-for-dollar tariffs as we have done in the past,” said Freeland.

“We will always stand up for our workers and our industry. We will always stand up for the national interests.”

Government Extends CERB By Four Weeks

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Canadians expecting to exhaust their Canada Emergency Response Benefits at the end of August will now have more support.

Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough announced Thursday that the CERB will be extended by four more weeks to a maximum of 28 weeks.

“For Canadian families who rely on the CERB, this means that they’ll be supported as they figure out what’s happening with school and daycare for their kids in the fall,” said Qualtrough.

Most people who are still receiving the benefit as of Sept. 27 will be transitioned to a revamped Employment Insurance program.

Canadians with a minimum of 120 hours of insurable work will receive at least $400 a week for a minimum of 26 weeks.

To help people qualify with a minimum of 120 hours of work, EI claimants will receive a one-time credit of 300 insurable hours for regular benefit claims and 480 insurable hours for special benefit claims.

“Very simply, this means that most Canadians who’ve worked during the qualifying period will now be able to claim EI,” said Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

According to the federal government, 8.5 million individuals have benefitted from the CERB as of early August, and more than four million have transitioned off the CERB and returned to work.

The federal government is also proposing three new recovery benefits to help those who may not qualify for EI benefits and those who become sick with COVID-19.

The Canada Recovery Benefit would provide $400 per week for up to 26 weeks to workers who are not eligible for EI, mainly the self-employed and those working in the gig economy.

The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit would provide $500 per week for up to two weeks for workers who are sick or must self-isolate for COVID-19-related reasons.

The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit would provide $500 per week for up to 26 weeks per household for eligible Canadians unable to work because they must care for:

  • a child under age 12 due to the closures of schools or daycares because of COVID-19.
  • a family member with a disability or a dependent because their day program or care facility is closed due to COVID-19.
  • a child, a family member with a disability, or a dependent who is not attending school, daycare, or other care facilities under the advice of a medical professional due to being at high-risk if they contract COVID-19.

New legislation to support the new benefits is expected to be introduced when Parliament resumes in late September.