Century Initiative welcomes the federal government’s commitments to economic benefits of immigration, investments in child care and infrastructure
Toronto, September 23, 2020 – Century Initiative issued the following statement in response to today’s Speech from the Throne:
Today’s Speech from the Throne set out an ambitious policy agenda during one of the most disruptive social and economic periods in Canadian history. Century Initiative’s vision for the future of Canada will require wide-ranging investments and planning for our long-term success. It is encouraging that the Speech clearly focused on policies and programs that will support recovery today, while building a globally competitive economy long into the future.
Century Initiative welcomes the federal government’s acknowledgement that immigration is a key driver of Canada’s economic growth. The only way that we can ensure a bigger, bolder, more diverse and resilient future for Canada is to thoughtfully grow our population. Our aging population and low birth rates are simply not enough to support the quality of life we have all come to associate with Canada.
As today’s Speech noted, while other countries are choosing to reject the global talent that could help revitalize their economies, Canada has a tremendous opportunity to leverage our advantage when it comes to immigration and keep us competitive globally.
Century Initiative also welcomes commitments in today’s Speech to a Canada-wide early learning and childcare system, as well as to significant infrastructure investments, including affordable housing and accelerating the delivery of universal broadband services. Equally, we are pleased to see a commitment to ensuring we all benefit from Canada’s success, and that Canada remains bold in its approach to creating jobs and prosperity while tackling climate change.
Together, these are the kinds of measures Century Initiative has identified as critical to propelling Canada’s prosperity, both as we emerge from the pandemic and much further into our future. We are pleased to see the federal government making these concrete commitments and we look forward to hearing more details about how the government proposes to implement its priorities.
Century Initiative remains committed to working with the federal government on these priority commitments so that together, we can build a more prosperous, diverse, resilient and influential Canada for future generations.
