Top news
At a meeting with the Premiers on Tuesday the Prime Minister released the government’s long awaited proposal on health care funding. The federal government is proposing $46.2B in new funding over the new 10 years. Most of the new funding is tied to specific priority areas which will be agreed to in the individual agreements the federal government is negotiating with each province. While the premiers expressed disappointment that the offer was far short of the $28B a year they had requested, most provinces indicated a willingness to proceed with finalizing deals with the federal government. The premiers plan to meet on Monday to discuss the next steps.
Government Announcements
- The federal government announced it will match up to $10M in donations to the Red Cross to support relief efforts following earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.
- Minister Wilkinson launched the Green Industrial Facilities and Manufacturing Program (GIFMP). The program will provide up to $20 million per proposal in financial assistance for industrial facilities to help them maximize energy efficiency and reduce emissions in their operations
- As part of International Development Week 2023 Minister Sajjan announced a total of $23.4 million in funding to extend programming for Canadian public engagement on international development goals and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
- The Ministers of Natural Resources and Fisheries released a statement on Canada’s position on seabed mining which noted Canada does not have legal framework for seabed mining that that the government will not authorize any projects unless regulations are first put in place.
- Minster Hussen announced that Foundation for Black Communities has been selected to enter into negotiations for the administration of the $200 million Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund.
- Minister Gould launched consultations on domestic implementation of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals that Canada has committed to under the 2030 Agenda. The consultations will help inform the SDG Voluntary National Review the Minister will release this summer.
- Minister Freeland made a joint announcement with Premier Ford today on the 250-megawatt (MW) Oneida Energy storage project. The federal government is contributing $50M to indigenous led initiative that will build the largest battery storage project in Canada.
In Parliament
- C-226: A Green Party PMB calling for the creation of a national strategy to address environmental racism was approved at Report Stage in the House.
- C-282: A Bloc PMB meant to protect Canada’s supply management sector from concessions as part of trade negotiations was approved at 2nd Reading in the House.
- C-293: An Act respecting pandemic prevention and preparedness was approved at 2nd Reading in the House.
- A Conservative motion calling for the government to immediately introduce reforms to Canada’s bail system was defeated with the Liberal, Bloc, NDP and Green MPs voting against.
- All MPs voted for a recommendation to the Auditor General that she launch an audit into the federal government’s contract with McKinsey.
Economic Numbers of the Week
- 150,000: Statistic Canada reported today that the January Labour Force Survey found 150,000 net new jobs were created last month substantially more than expected. The unemployment rate remains at 5%.
Coming Up
- The Public Order Emergencies Commission is expected to release its report on the use of the Emergencies Act to deal with the 2022 protests on February 20th.