THE MORE OVERLOOKED PARTS OF BUDGET 2021.
❚ $77 million in new money is being added to the battle against military sexual misconduct while the government says it will be redirecting another $158 million from other parts of the Armed Forces to address the issue in the ranks.
❚ $100 million over three years for innovative mental health interventions for populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including health-care workers, front-line workers, youth, seniors, Indigenous people, and racialized and Black Canadians.
❚ $50 million over two years for those suffering from PTSD and other mental-health trauma from COVID-19.
❚ $28.6 million over five years, and $5.7 million per year ongoing, to address antimicrobial resistance.
❚ $82.5 million this year to help Canadian airports better test for COVID-19, $6.7 million to acquire and use sanitization equipment, and $271 million for pandemic screening efforts.
❚ $57.6 million to help employers offset the costs of isolating temporary foreign workers upon their arrival in Canada.
❚ $656.1 million over five years, and $123.8 million ongoing, to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to modernize Canada’s borders, including touchless and automated systems, contraband detection systems and infrastructure security.
❚ $9.9 million over two years for the Canadian Space Agency to plan the next generation of Earth-observation satellites.
❚ $17.6 million over five years, and $3.4 million per year ongoing, to create a Data Commissioner that would help government and business protect people’s personal data and encourage innovation in the digital marketplace.
❚ $60 million over the next two years to protect wetlands and trees on farms, and $10 million over the next two years to power farms with clean energy.
❚ $200 million through the regional development agencies to support major festivals, and $200 million through Canadian Heritage to support local festivals, community cultural events, outdoor theatre performances, museums, amateur sport events, and more.
❚ $300 million over two years to establish a recovery fund for the heritage, arts, culture, heritage and sport sectors and $70 million over three years to help the livemusic sector.
❚ $21 million in 2021-22 to support Cbc/radio-canada through the pandemic.
❚ $39.3 million over two years to the book industry.
❚ $101 million over two years to help wineries adapt to ongoing challenges.
❚ $200 million to establish a fund to combat anti-black racism and improve social and economic outcomes in Black communities.
❚ $15 million over three years for a new fund to address challenges facing the LBTQ community.
❚ $116 million over two years to address the opioid epidemic and other substance-abuse concerns.