By Hon. Lena Metlege Diab, Member of Parliament
I want to wish the residents of Halifax West and all Nova Scotians a warm and joyous holiday season! As you and your loved ones share in your celebrations, I hope this time is filled with peace, happiness, and hope. To all the students finishing another semester, I wish you well with your final exams and papers. May you all enjoy a well-deserved break this winter.
Late last month, we shared our government’s Fall Economic Statement, an economic update that includes concrete action plans to address housing and affordability. We are tackling these challenges head on by supporting renters, buyers, and homeowners, all while keeping grocery prices down.
The 2023 Fall Economic Statement:
- Introduces a new Canadian Mortgage Charter to protect mortgage holders and make sure banks offer tailored mortgage relief to borrowers facing financial difficulty.
- Increases competition in the grocery sector to drive down prices and creates a Grocery Task Force to ensure big grocers keep their promises to stabilize prices.
- Provides $1 billion in new funding for non-market and affordable housing.
- Unlocks $15 billion in low-cost financing for rental construction to get thousands of new housing units built.
- Protects the supply of long-term rental units by cracking down on Airbnb’s.
In the fall sitting of Parliament, we also advanced a number of important bills to help build a greener, more prosperous economy where workers come first. This work included:
- Bill C-49, which will help attract major new investment and create green jobs in Nova Scotia in the rapidly growing offshore renewable energy sector.
- Bill C-50, to ensure that Canada helps create more sustainable jobs, while supporting workers and communities, and helping the workforce gain the training needed to fill the jobs of a low carbon world.
- Bill C-58, which bans the use of replacement workers in federally regulated industries and allows employees and employers to reach better deals at the negotiating table.
- Bill C-57, which enacts the 2023 Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement, bolstering both countries’ economies and helping Ukraine rebuild.
Although Conservatives have opposed these measures, we have persisted. They’re good for workers, the environment, and our economy, and we need to get them done quickly.
To everyone celebrating, Merry Christmas and Joyeux Noël. Be kind and generous to one another, and enjoy the magic of the season. As I spend more time at home in Halifax West this January, I can’t wait to connect with you and your neighbours out in the community. Be well this holiday season!
