Week in Review: July 20-24

The government announced that the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) will be increased again for the 2020-2021 benefit year to keep pace with the increased cost of raising children. This benefit is increasingly more important during the COVID-19 crisis, as many SMEs, entrepreneurs and workers have lost income and are staying home to help take care of children while schools and daycares are closed.

Minister Jordan announced $4.2 million to help small businesses in rural Nova Scotia who have been hit particularly hard through COVID-19. This investment will help support our local businesses and the people that they employ continue to navigate this crisis and be well placed for recovery.

Tuesday July, 21^st

Minister Bains announced close to $230 million in funding to continue helping research facilities adjust their work to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more here.

Wednesday July, 22^nd

Minister Anand announced the Essential Services Contingency Reserve – helping essential service organizations, like hospitals and clinics, get access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and other critical supplies.

Thursday July, 23^rd

Minister Ng visited Trillium Health Partners – Mississauga Hospital to highlight the one-year anniversary of the launch of our government`s CAN Health Network. As we work to combat COVID-19, it is critical that Canada remain at the cutting edge of health care technology to offer the best possible care to Canadians, while supporting small businesses and creating good jobs in this sector.

The government launched the CAN Health Network to help streamline the procurement process for innovative companies and create a receptive marketplace This integrated market builds a bridge between the needs of health care organizations and the technologies of Canadian entrepreneurs, helping businesses develop their solutions domestically and export their made-in-Canada ideas to the world.

S&P Global Ratings reaffirmed Canada’s AAA credit rating. Going into the global pandemic, Canada was well poised to leverage a strong fiscal position to support Canadians.

Friday July, 24^th

As the economy reopens, childcare is an absolutely vital part of helping families in communities across the country, especially women who are both entrepreneurs and mothers. The government announced $625 million to support Canada’s child care sector – ensuring that safe and sufficient child care spaces are available.

Minister Ng participated in the first-ever virtual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers meeting to discuss strengthening rules-based trade and upholding stable and predictable global supply chains. During the virtual meeting, Minister Ng announced Canada’s intention to move forward with Phase II of the APEC-Canada Growing Business Partnership.

This partnership, which began in 2016, has helped Canadian innovative entrepreneurs start up, scale up, access resources and connections in the Asia-Pacific region – with a focus on sustainable development. Phase II will help small businesses reduce barriers to trade, give back to their communities, and build economies that work for everyone – including women.

Minister Ng and her Asia-Pacific counterparts also signed onto a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to work together toward a path of inclusive, sustainable, and quick economic recovery for citizens and small businesses amid the global pandemic.

This meeting builds on the recent ministerial APEC joint statement on COVID-19 that highlighted Canada and its APEC partners’ unwavering commitment to collaborate on mitigating the health and economic impacts of the pandemic on our people.

Learn more here.