Last year was a challenging year for Greater Victoria and Canadians generally as COVID-19 threw the economy for a loop and threatened our physical and mental well-being.
Canadians persevered, and now signs of hope abound.
Almost one third of Canadians have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, and millions of doses are set to arrive this month and next. By the end of June, all willing adult Canadians will have received their initial dose and enough vaccine supply will be on hand for 17 million Canadians to receive their second shot.
Youth aged 12 to 17 in B.C. are now approved for vaccination, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s Provincial Health Officer, indicates that this group will likely receive their first dose by the end of June as well.
"Every nation on earth is scrambling to procure sufficient vaccine supply for their citizens, but thankfully our federal government responded quickly and aggressively by ordering and securing 100 million doses", explains Nikki Macdonald, the nominated federal Liberal candidate for Victoria.
"The federal government is also committed to rebuilding domestic vaccine manufacturing capability. Canada has also been an early investor in the international COVAX program that supports global equitable access to vaccines."
The 2021 federal budget includes excellent news for Greater Victoria.
"We will finish the fight against COVID. We will all get back to work. We will come roaring back", says the Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
Childcare is the centrepiece of Budget 2021, with a multi-billion-dollar investment to create an affordable Canada-wide early learning and childcare system. Experts say that Canada's GDP will jump by 1.2% annually from this national childcare plan as 240,000 women join or rejoin the workforce leading to increased economic opportunity for thousands of women in Greater Victoria alone.
The recent federal budget extends business and income supports that helped Canadians through the pandemic, which is welcome news for small and medium-sized businesses in Greater Victoria.
The federal budget also invests in 500,000 new training and work opportunities, including 215,000 jobs for youth.
Tourism, arts and culture, sectors of our local economy that were particularly hard hit by the pandemic, will also see $1 Billion in additional support.
Budget 2021 also establishes a $15 federal minimum wage and reaffirms the federal government's commitment to a net-zero economy with over $17 billion to help industry and individuals reduce pollution, make 200,000 Canadian homes greener and protect 25% of our lands and oceans by 2025.
"For more than a decade, I have focused on the ocean and climate solutions," says Victoria candidate Nikki Macdonald, Ph.D. "Budget 2021 recognizes that we can better steward our environment by committing to increased protection of our land and oceans and support economic growth by investing in innovation and sustainable technologies. These are the priorities of Victorians and the Federal government is listening."
In response to the federal budget and its priorities, the Bank of Canada has revised its 2021 economic growth forecast to 6.5%, the most significant increase since 1998 and one of the strongest recovery rates in the industrialized world.
