For Immediate Release
April 19, 2021
STATEMENT: Mayor Crombie Responds to the 2021 Federal Budget
I want to thank Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland for delivering a federal budget today that provides Canadian families and small business owners with the support they need to continue weathering the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m also pleased that today’s budget ensures Canada’s recovery will be one that focuses on protecting the environment and battling the ongoing climate crisis.
Above all else, I was simply elated to see that the federal government will be investing $30 billion over the next five years to reduce regulated childcare by 50 per cent by 2022, and eventually provide Canadians with $10/day childcare by 2026.
This is a huge moment for Canadian families, and in particular women. We know that roughly 1 in 4 women are considering scaling back their careers or leaving the workforce entirely due to the pandemic – we simply can’t let that happen. Affordable childcare is key to keeping women in the workforce and allowing women to fully realize their professional and economic goals.
In that vein, I was also extremely encouraged to see more than $146 million invested over the next four years to support women entrepreneurship, as well as $601 million over five years to support a National Action Plan to end gender-based violence, something that has risen dramatically during the pandemic.
The extension of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy and the Lockdown Support beyond June 2021 is also welcome news, as Mississauga businesses need continued financial support. Along with Toronto, Peel Region has been in lockdown longer than any other region in North America, and many of our small business owners are barely surviving. The additional $500 million to help the tourism sector is also very good news, as we know that sector has been severely impacted given COVID-19 travel restrictions.
The $17.9 billion in the federal budget to fight climate change is also a significant and much needed investment. While the world’s attention has largely been focused on fighting COVID-19 for over a year now, the harsh reality is that we still face a climate crisis that threatens our way of life. I want to thank the federal government for making critical investments that will help businesses, and entire economic sectors, transform in order to reduce their emissions, while also providing homeowners and landlords with the financial support to make their homes and buildings greener.
I want to thank the federal government for the doubling of the Federal Gas Tax for 2021, now known as the Canada Community Building Fund, from $2.2 billion to $4.4 billion – an investment that was previously announced and that will be critical for helping Mississauga move forward with key infrastructure priorities.
The federal government also previously announced a $14.9-billion investment in transit over the next eight years and a commitment of $3 billion in a permanent transit fund starting in 2026. I have long been advocating for permanent and predictable infrastructure funding from the federal government and this is a huge step in the right direction.
While there was no mention of Safe Restart Funding 2.0, I am very hopeful that support will come shortly, as cities like Mississauga need financial support to offset huge revenue loses from a drastic decrease in transit ridership and the closure of recreational and cultural facilities.
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