Deputy PM praises firefighters during visit to Brant County
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Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Harjit Sajjan, Canada’s Minister of Emergency Preparedness, praised the work of volunteer firefighters during a visit to Brant County.
Following a tour of the Brant County Fire Department’s Cainsville Station Wednesday, they also touted the country’s Triple A credit rating, spoke about housing and how the federal government’s recent budget helps volunteer firefighters.
The federal government is proposing to double the tax credit to $6,000 from $3,000 for volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteers.
“Volunteer firefighters have other jobs and when they’re involved in training or responding to an emergency, they are spending time away from their jobs and families,” Sajjan said. “This is one way of saying thank-you.”
Sajjan said the visit to Brant County was a way of showcasing the training it takes to be a volunteer firefighter and put a spotlight on their contributions to communities across Canada.
Volunteer firefighters help strengthen communities, Sajjan said.
“Every year thousands of volunteers step up to help their communities in times of emergencies,” Sajjan said. “They sacrifice their time and safety responding to wildfires.
“They go above and beyond to help protect their communities.”
Freeland thanked the firefighters for their efforts and the tour of the station. She also said the government is providing $800,000 in funding to partner with the International Association of Fire Fighters to help provide specialized training to combat wildfires safely.
Freeland also noted in her remarks that Moody’s, one of the world’s leading credit agencies, has reaffirmed Canada’s Triple A rating with a stable outlook.
“Moody’s predicts that in the medium term Canada will see more economic growth than some other Triple A economies,” Freeland said.
A Triple A credit rating means Canada’s economy is strong and the country’s fiscal plan is strong and responsible, Freeland said.
“It means that we can afford to make the investments Canada needs and create the jobs that Canadians need,” Freeland said. “It means that the federal government can responsibly invest and borrow at lower costs.”
Responding to a question about affordable housing, Freeland said she agreed that housing is the Number 1 economic and social challenge facing Canadians across the country.
“That’s why, at the heart of the budget, is a huge further investment in getting more homes built faster including affordable housing,” Freeland said. “Taken together our government now has a plan to get nearly four million additional homes built by 2031.
“I know that here in Brant County – Brantford there has been record home construction over the past few years including last year – well done and you need to keep on doing it.”
In 2021, the federal government and the province contributed $200,000 to Brantford for affordable housing.
Freeland was asked why the city’s application for financial support from the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund was turned down.
“On the Housing Accelerator Fund, I think it’s important to have continued conversations,” Freeland said. “The principle is ‘race to the top.’
“The principle is that if you really want to build more homes faster, if you want to cut the red tape and cut the zoning rules that are making it too hard to build new homes, we’re (the federal government) going to be there to provide further support directly to municipalities.”
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