The Speech from the Throne opens every new session of Parliament. The Speech introduces the government’s direction and goals, and outlines how it will work to achieve them.
On September 23, 2020, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, delivered the Speech from the Throne to open the second session of the 43rd Parliament and outline the government’s agenda.
Read the full text of her speech.
Below we have pulled sections directly from the speech that may be relevant to our business community.
Business & Jobs
- The Government will extend the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy to Summer 2021.
- The Government will eliminate remaining barriers between provinces to full, free internal trade.
- The Government will scale up the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, to provide more paid work experiences next year for young Canadians.
- This fall, the Government will expand the Canada Emergency Business Account to help businesses with fixed costs; improve the Business Credit Availability Program; and introduce further support for industries that have been the hardest hit, including travel and tourism, hospitality, and cultural industries like the performing arts.
Workers & Families
- As the economy reopens, recipients of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) will instead be supported by the Employment Insurance (EI) system. For people who would not traditionally qualify for EI, the Government will create the transitional Canada Recovery Benefit.
- Over the coming months, the EI system will become the sole delivery mechanism for employment benefits, including for Canadians who did not qualify for EI before the pandemic, including for the self-employed and independent workers for short-term commitments.
Economic Response
- This fall, the Government will release an update to Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. This will outline the Government’s economic and fiscal position, provide fiscal projections, and set out new measures to implement this Throne Speech.
- The Government will act to ensure that 'digital giants' share their revenue more fairly with our creators and media, and will also require them to contribute to the creation, production, and distribution of our stories, on screen, in lyrics, in music, and in writing.
Targeted Response
- The Government will create an Action Plan for Women in the Economy to help more women get back into the workforce.
- The Government will accelerate the Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy, to help women across Canada grow their businesses.
- The Government has invested in economic empowerment through the Black Entrepreneurship Program.
Climate Change
- The Government will immediately bring forward a plan to exceed Canada’s 2030 climate goal. The Government will also legislate Canada’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
- The Government will launch a new fund to attract investments in making zero-emissions products and cut the corporate tax rate in half for these companies to create jobs and make Canada a world leader in clean technology.
- The Government will continue its policy of putting a price on pollution.