As the House returns for 2026, there are two main focuses for the government: making life more affordable for Canadians and defending Canadian sovereignty.
I’m sure many of you have seen the Prime Minister’s Davos speech, but if you haven’t I encourage you to watch it here. Having received global recognition for the speech, the main message is clear: Canada – as a middle power – can work with like-minded and other middle powers to protect ourselves in this new world. As the Prime Minister likes to say, we must focus on what we can control: building our internal economy, finding new export markets and protecting our sovereignty. With the CUSMA review upcoming, this is more important than ever. I – like our government – have confidence in Canadians. We have faced headwinds before and our ingenuity and resilience has gotten us through in the past and it will in the future.
The external threats to our economy have added to the day to day challenges every day Canadians are facing, be it at the grocery store, when it comes to housing or other every day essentials. That’s why on Monday, the Prime Minister announced the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit which will support up to 12 million Canadians by increasing the GST rebate and several other measures to support low and modest income Canadians. Read the full announcement here.
In Ottawa, the Finance Committee, which I chair, has begun our study of the Budget Implementation Act, which enables the measures announced in Budget 2025. My work will focus on hearing from Ministers and witnesses on the Bill and managing the committee as they propose amendments to the Budget over the coming weeks,
I was delighted to kick off the year with my 11th Annual New Year’s Levee, which I talk about in greater detail below. In the lead up to the House returning I had the chance to engage with local businesses, organizations, constituents and students at the Universities of Guelph and Waterloo.
Stay warm through these frigid temperatures and check the City of Burlington’s website for information on heating centres if you or a loved one is in need.
With gratitude,
