Ottawa, ON – Today, the Hon. Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance unveiled the next phase of Economic Action Plan 2013, a plan for jobs, growth and long term prosperity to the House of Commons. Budget 2013 commits to returning to a budgetary surplus by 2015 without raising taxes on Canadians.
Skills training and job creation are the central theme of Budget 2013. The Government is introducing the Canada Job Grant that will transform the way Canadians receive training by potentially providing $15,000 or more per person. This Grant will work by matching funds with provincial governments and employers to ensure Canadians are able to access the training they need to get jobs in high-demand fields. Once implemented it is expected to provide nearly 130,000 Canadians each year with access to training.
“Particularly in Alberta it is essential our young people and those who are looking to upgrade their skills get the necessary support so we can create jobs and grow our economy,” said MP Hawn.
Budget 2013 also announced measures to create more opportunities for apprentices. To further reduce barriers to accreditation in the skilled trades in Canada the Government will work with provinces to harmonize requirements for apprentices. Additionally the Government will examine the use of practical hands-on tests as a method of assessment in targeted skilled trades. This will ensure more apprentices complete their training and encourage mobility across the country to areas in high demand for skilled workers.
“I cannot stress enough the importance of connecting Albertans with available jobs. We need to ensure local businesses can find the right people and the talent they need to expand their businesses and create jobs,” said MP Hawn.
Budget 2013 offers a new Building Canada Plan, which provides long-term, predictable funding for infrastructure such as roads, bridges and public transit. Budget 2013 builds on our record investments and the new Building Canada Plan will be the largest investment in job-creating infrastructure in Canadian history.
The new Building Canada plan has three main components:
Community Improvement Fund – $32.2 billion consisting of an indexed Gas Tax Fund and the increased GST Rebate for Municipalities to build roads, public transit, recreational facilities and other community infrastructure across Canada.
New Building Canada Fund – $14 billion in support of major economic infrastructure projects that have a national and regional significance.
Renewed P3 Canada Fund – $1.25 billion to continue finding innovative ways to build infrastructure projects faster and provide better value for Canadian taxpayers through public-private partnerships.
In addition, over the next 10 years, our Government will invest $6 billion in existing infrastructure funding and $17 billion to build, operate and maintain federal public infrastructure. Overall, the new Building Canada plan includes $70 billion in federal infrastructure funding over 10 years, the largest federal investment in job-creating infrastructure in Canadian history.
“I am very proud of this budget as we are investing in skills training and new infrastructure but we are also on track to return to surplus by 2015. It is important we continue to remain focused on creating jobs and implement the next phase of our Economic Action Plan,” concluded MP Hawn.