Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland pumped up her government’s efforts to improve affordability and the country’s economic recovery in a visit to Newmarket June 30.
The Minister of Finance toured Newmarket’s Exco Engineering Plant, which produces car parts. The stop was meant to promote the government's $8.9 billion affordability plan.
She said it felt inspiring to see the work happening at the plant and the success of Excon, a Canadian-based company.
“Our government is working hard to help great businesses like this one continue to hire, continue to provide great jobs, continue to grow, continue to be competitive and world-beating,” she said.
Freeland announced her affordability plan earlier this month. It includes elements such as the child care cost costs, increases to the Canada Workers Benefits and Old Age Security, and a one-time $500 subsidy to low-income renters.
The plan came in response to increasing cost pressures for Canadians, reaching a nearly 40-year high last month.
The visit included some private meetings between dignitaries and Exco. Newmarket-Aurora MP Tony Van Bynen, who joined the visit, said it is important for politicians to get out into the community to hear firsthand from workers and citizens.
“As we deal with global inflation making life more expensive for people, it is virtually and vitally important that policymakers like the deputy prime minister know what’s happening outside of Ottawa and what’s happening on the ground here,” he said.
Exco Engineering CEO Darren Kirk said they were honoured to host the visit.
“We were very excited to share our facility this afternoon,” he said. “A lot of enthusiasm for where this industry is going.”
When asked about addressing high gas prices, Freeland said that Canadians should “first and foremost” blame Russian President Vladimir Putin and his unjust war in Ukraine.
Freeland said she believes the government’s affordability measures will help the situation. But she added that it is important to highlight that the country is rebounding from the pandemic, with the strongest job recovery in the G7 and expected to have the strongest growth in the G7 next year.
“That is really meaningful in the lives of Canadians, in the lives of Canadian small businesses,” she said.
Public health experts are expecting another wave of COVID-19 to come in the fall. When asked about managing the economy through that, Freeland said the country got through the first two years of the pandemic relatively well, and that vaccination enthusiasm would be important.
“We’re going to need to be nimble, agile, be aware that we may need to bring some of the measures,” she said. “I’m not wearing a mask today. Maybe we’ll all need to go back to wearing masks (in the fall).
On the eve of Canada Day, she reflected on celebrating the country and said she felt lucky to be Canadian.
“It is a challenging time for the world, and it is a challenging time for Canada,” she said. “I really believe that there is no country in this world which is better positioned to survive and thrive in these turbulent economic times than Canada.”
