By Chris Brown

Charting a course

Throne speech lays out Liberals’ plan to bring Canada through COVID-19 and rebuild

Sep 23, 2020 | 1:07 PM

OTTAWA – The federal Liberal government has delivered its plan for how Canada will get through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Gen. Julie Payette delivered the speech from the throne this afternoon in Ottawa.

Payette says the government’s approach will have four foundations – to fight the pandemic and save lives, supporting people and businesses through the process as long as it lasts, rebuild better to create a stronger, more resilient Canada through jobs, a stronger middle class and safer communities for everyone, and to “stand up for who we are as Canadians.”

“This is our generation’s crossroads. Do we move Canada forward, or let people be left behind? Do we come out of this stronger, or paper over the cracks that the crisis has exposed?”, the speech reads.

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The throne speech sought to find a balance between the “unprecedented reality” created by the pandemic and fulfilling prior promises made on issues such as climate change, economic inequality and systemic racism.

Direct measures to combat the possibility of a second wave drowning the country include promises to help boost testing capacity and targeted support to businesses ordered shut by local public health authorities.

And in the meantime, they’re pledging an expansion of the employment insurance system, extending the federal wage subsidy program through to next summer and more money for some of Canada’s hardest-hit sectors.

On climate change and the energy sector, the government says it will immediately bring forward a plan to exceed Canada’s 2030 climate goal and legislate Canada’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. The plan includes creating jobs by retrofitting homes and buildings, reducing the impact of climate-related disasters and making zero-emissions vehicles more affordable.

“Canada cannot reach net zero without the know-how of the energy sector, and the innovative ideas of all Canadians, including people in places like British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador,” the speech reads.

The government says it will support manufacturing, natural resource, and energy sectors as they work to transform to meet a net-zero future, creating good-paying and long-lasting jobs and recognize farmers, foresters, and ranchers as key partners in the fight against climate change, supporting their efforts to reduce emissions and build resilience.

The government will also “continue its policy of putting a price on pollution, while putting that money back in the pockets of Canadians. It cannot be free to pollute.”

The suite of promises comes without a price tag and few timelines, with the Liberals saying the course of events will determine what gets done when and that they’ll make protecting and supporting Canadians their top priority.

“This is not the time for austerity,” reads the speech. “Canada entered this crisis in the best fiscal position of its peers, and the government is using that fiscal firepower on things like the Canada Emergency Response benefit and on the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy so that Canadians, businesses and our entire economy have the support needed to weather the storm.”

“Canadians should not have to choose between health and their job, just like Canadians should not have to take on debt that their government can better shoulder.”

A plan to create more than one million jobs includes direct investment in the social sector and infrastructure, immediate training to skill-up workers and incentives for businesses to hire and retain workers.

An Action Plan for Women in the Economy includes a Canada-wide early learning and child care system, and accelerating the Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy.

The government aims to identify additional ways to tax extreme wealth inequality and ensure the revenue of “web giants” is shared more fairly with creators and media. It will also require them to “contribute to the creation, production, and distribution of our stories, on screen, in lyrics, in music, and in writing.”

On seniors, the government says it will work with the provinces and territories to set new, national standards for long-term care so that seniors get the best support possible and take additional action to help people stay in their homes longer.

The speech says the government will continue to address the opioid epidemic and increase access to mental health resources. It also remains committed to a national, universal pharmacare program.

The government is also promising to invest “in all types of infrastructure, including public transit, energy efficient retrofits, clean energy, rural broadband, and affordable housing, particularly for Indigenous Peoples and northern communities.”

With files from The Canadian Press