Top 6 takeaways from Throne Speech for Vaughan-Woodbridge MP Francesco Sorbara

Boosting old age security, fighting systemic racism among highlights identified by Liberal MP

Yorkregion.com
Sept. 25, 2020
Dina Al-Shibeeb

The Speech from the Throne Sept. 23 included myriad promises, from extending the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, to curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

Many of the promises affect the country as a whole, so we asked Vaughan-Woodbridge MP Francesco Sorbara what he thoughts were some of the main points of interest for Vaughan residents.

1. COMMITMENT TO INCREASE OLD AGE SECURITY BY 10 PER CENT

"I think for Vaughan and York Region, the commitment is to increase the old age security by 10 per cent, when they turn 75, boosting the Canada Pension Plan survivor's benefit, those are very tangible things that we can do automatically in a budget, we can put mechanisms there."

2. 'VERY POWERFUL': FREE AUTOMATIC INCOME TAX FILING

The MP also dubbed the "notion of bringing in free automatic income tax filing for low-income seniors, low-income individuals," as "very powerful".

"We know that about 15 per cent of folks in Ontario, working age, do not file their taxes and they tend to be the most vulnerable," he said.

"So, from that angle, that is something great because people deserve the credits and benefits they deserve."

3. INVESTMENT IN CHILD CARE, EARLY EDUCATION

"We're going to make an investment in childcare and early learning education," Sorbara said. "I think that’s going to be something very powerful in Vaughan and York Region because we know the cost of childcare and early education is significant.

"We need to get women in the labor force," he added. "They've been impacted by COVID and we need to help them out."

4. TRAINING OF WORKERS, BE IT TRADES OR KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY

Making Canada a fertile ground for a thriving knowledge economy, either through training or welcoming highly-skilled immigrants, was emphasized.

"So we've committed to make the largest investment in Canada's history in training for workers, and that is going to be significant,” Sorbara said.

"That is going to be, those type of investments are going to get more people into the middle class, but also get people the skills they need to be successful, and to succeed in this economy."

By collaborating with unions or educational institutions, the government will be able to "identify areas" to invest in "so we don't have a shortage of skills".

He said it will be a mix of both trade and knowledge-economy-based skills, and emphasizing the need to connect employers with workers.

5. ENABLING FIRST-TIME HOME BUYERS

While detached homes aren’t as expensive as those in Toronto, Vaughan is not a cheap city in which to buy, especially for young people attempting to buy their first home.

"We introduced the first-time home buyers incentive in a prior budget," he said. "What we'll see now is enhancing" the ability for first time home buyers to own property.

"We know in Vaughan, in Canada's larger cities, in the GTA, Vancouver, the prices for homes are a little bit different than in other parts of the country, so we're going to definitely look at ensuring that first-time home buyers can live and work in the area where they choose."

6. FIGHTING SYSTEMATIC RACISM

There are more than 105 languages spoken in the City of Vaughan. However, this diverse city has woken up, in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, to the fact that it's named after Benjamin Vaughan, a British politician, who owned slaves and opposed the end of slavery.

Sorbara noted there was a "large component" in the speech that focuses on uplifting "all Canadians, particularly those that are impacted by systemic racism".