Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has presented a six-point “affordability plan” outlining how the government intends to address inflation, based on pre-existing commitments.
The measures, totalling $8.9 billion in spending this year, include planned boosts to the Canada Workers Benefit and Old Age Security program, as well as citing the federal government’s child and dental care plans.
In a noon-hour keynote address at Bay Street’s Empire Club in Toronto, Freeland spoke about the state of the Canadian economy and about the federal government’s next steps to address the affordability crunch with measures rolling out to eligible Canadians soon.
The federal government has been under growing pressure to help reassure Canadians who are facing rising costs of living, on everything from gas to grocerie
The speech is the first major remarks from Freeland on the topic since the 2022 federal budget was tabled in April