Highlights from the Dec. 5 Speech from the Throne

On Dec. 5, 2019, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, delivered the Speech from the Throne to open the 43rd session of Canada's Parliament and outline the federal government's agenda.For a full transcript of the speech, please click the link or head to canada.ca. You can also watch a recording on YouTube below:Here are some of the highlights from the throne speech.Fighting Climate ChangeThe government will:

• Help make energy efficient homes more affordable, and introduce measures to build clean, efficient and affordable communities;
• Subsidize the purchase of zero-emission vehicles; and
• Plant two billion trees.

Strengthening the Middle ClassThe government will:

• Cuts taxes “for all but the wealthiest”;
• Invest in affordable housing;
• Make it easier for people to buy their first home;
• Cut the cost of cellphone and wireless services by 25%;
• Continue to invest in infrastructure;
• Increase the federal minimum wage; and
• Reduce red tape making it easier to start and run small or startup businesses.

ReconciliationThe government will:

• Do more to improve the quality of life of Indigenous people in Canada; and
• Introduce legislation to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Keeping Canadians Safe and HealthyThe government will:

• Ban “military style” firearms;
• Allow municipalities and provinces to ban handguns;
• Develop a National Action Plan on the Gender-Based Violence Strategy; and
• Make it easier for people to get the help they need with opioid and substance abuse.

MY TAKE:Lots of good news here for cities, and we look forward to further details and funding opportunities. The priorities match many of the asks from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the Large Urban Mayors' Caucus of Ontario (LUMCO) mayors and me when meeting with all three of the MPs for Burlington (Burlington, Oakville North-Burlington and Milton), including tree-planting, affordable housing and infrastructure investments and cutting red tape.I completely support the measures on energy-efficient homes and communities, subsidies for zero-emissions vehicles and especially the planting of 2 billion trees. I also support the investments in affordable housing, increasing the minimum wage, a reduction in wireless service costs and cutting red tape — that latter mirrors the goal of my Red Tape Red Carpet Task Force initiative.Lastly, I welcome a national plan on reducing gender-based violence and dealing with opioid addictions.— Mayor Marianne Meed Ward--*Posted by John Bkila, the Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist.