A new metro line, perhaps?
The Government of Canada just released the 2017 federal budget, a report that millions of Canadians were anxiously awaiting.
Ranging from healthcare and infrastructure to childcare and taxes, below you’ll find a breakdown of the 2017 budget as it pertains to us Montrealers.
Healthcare & Social Programs
- $6 billion over 10 years for home care
- $5 billion over 10 years for mental health initiatives through individual deals with the provinces and territories
- $691.3 million over 5 years for a new EI caregiving benefit, that would allow Canadians to take up to 15 weeks to care for an adult family member who needs significant support to recover from a critical illness or injury
- $11.2 billion over 11 years on social housing, including $5 billion for a National Housing Fund to address critical housing issues and provide support for Indigenous Canadians living off-reserve
- 3.4 billion over 5 years for critical needs of Indigenous communities including infrastructure, healthcare, and education
Transit
- $20.1 billion over 11 years for public transit
- $867.3 million over 3 years for Via Rail
Childcare
- $7 billion over 10 years to create up to 40,000 more affordable childcare spaces
- Parents will be allowed to extend their parental leave from 12 months to 18 months
- Women be allowed to start their maternity leaves 12 weeks before their due dates rather than 8 weeks before
Gender Rights
- $100.9 million over 5 years to fund a national strategy to fight gender-based violence
- $3.6 million over 3 years to create an LGBTQ2 secretariat at the Privy Council Office to advance human rights
Taxes
- $523.9 million over five years to prevent tax evasion and improve tax compliance
- An Uber Tax has been introduced that allows GST to be collected on the popular ride-sharing service
Other initiatives budgeted for include $62.9 million over 5 years for immigration and refugee legal aid services, $27.5 million over 5 years for an employment strategy for newcomers, and $55 million over 5 years to create and fill 28 new federally appointed judge positions to speed up access to justice.
In total, new spending over the next year is estimated at $1.3 billion.
To read the 2017 federal budget in its entirety, click here.