JUSTIN TRUDEAU LIBERAL
OUR APPROACH to economic development takes into account the spirit and uniqueness of our regions, towns and cities. We will help almost 160,000 small and medium-sized businesses adopt new technologies and digitize their offerings, and create jobs for almost 30,000 young people. We have invested more than $8 billion to accelerate the delivery of high-speed internet and wireless service across Canada. This year alone over 400,000 more Canadians will have access to high-speed internet. Finally, we are adding $450 million to scale up access to venture capital; adding new regional development supports to help growing businesses; providing 100-per-cent writeoffs for small businesses that invest in new equipment, software or machinery; and expanding access to up to $500,000 in low-interest lines of credit for small businesses.
EVERY CANADIAN deserves a place to call home. And for many — young people in particular — the dream of owning their own home feels like it’s moving further out of reach. The Liberal party has the most aggressive and ambitious plan to build and revitalize more homes that are an affordable and safe place to live. One of the key innovations is a new $4-billion housing accelerator fund, which will grow the annual housing supply in the country’s largest cities every year, creating a target of 100,000 new middle-class homes by 2024-25. This application-based fund will support municipalities that grow housing supply faster than their historical average; increase densification; speed up approval times; tackle NIMBYism and establish inclusionary zoning bylaws; and encourage public transit-oriented development.
WE WANT to lay a foundation on which Canadians and Canadian businesses can grow and prosper while providing support when times are tough. That has been evident throughout the pandemic with the wage and rent subsidy programs for businesses and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and Canada Recovery Benefit for millions of Canadians. Thanks to that rapid and unprecedented action, our job market has rebounded faster and stronger than the U.S., and we have avoided many new bankruptcies. Moving forward, we will launch a $1-billion COVID-19 proof of vaccination fund to support provinces and territories that implement a requirement for proof of vaccine credentials, allowing businesses to reopen safely.