By: Hon. Lena Metlege Diab, Member of Parliament for Halifax West
Happy summer, everyone! I’m pleased to share my latest MP update with you and can’t wait to see you on your doorstep or at an event in our community over the next few months.
PARLIAMENT’S SPRING SITTING
In our spring sitting, my colleagues and I passed a bold federal budget that included major new investments in growing our clean economy and significantly increased funding for public health care—including for the Canadian Dental Care Plan. We also passed several significant bills that will help Canadians, including legislation to establish a game-changing new benefit for people with disabilities, enshrine our investments in affordable child-care in law, take big new steps on gun control, and strengthen environmental protection legislation while recognizing the right to a healthy environment.
We also took action to protect Canada’s culture and identity, and ensure our stories are told. This included modernizing our Official Languages Act, ensuring that online streaming companies help support our artists, and requiring big tech giants to fairly compensate Canadian publishers and journalists for the content shared on their platforms.
ACTION ON HEALTH CARE
To strengthen public health care in Canada, our government is investing $78.5 million in three new projects to grow and support our health care workforce. These initiatives include developing a competency assessment framework for international medical graduates, creating a National Registry of Physicians, and supporting the training of health care workers in teambased primary care settings.
We have also launched category-based selection for our Express Entry immigration program to better select future permanent residents with work experience in health care. On June 28, we invited 500 health workers to apply through the program and, on July 5, we are inviting 1,500 more.
KEEPING LIFE AFFORDABLE
This month, several federal benefits will change or be issued. Here’s what you need to know:
- On July 1, eligible families can apply for period two of the interim Canada Dental Benefit, providing up to $650 per child for dental care services provided over the next year.
- On July 5, the Grocery Rebate will be delivered to regular GST tax credit recipients (alongside their normal payment).
- By July 21, all Nova Scotians will receive their first, quarterly, carbon rebate payment.
- On July 20, parents’ Canada Child Benefit payments will be adjusted for inflation.
- On July 28, low-wage workers will receive automatic advance payments of the Canada Workers Benefit.
I hope you all have a wonderful summer! Thank you for your continued support
