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Julie Dzerowicz Member of Parliament
Davenport

Davenport Friends and Neighbours / Amis et Voisins de Davenport,

This is the last of our regular bi-weekly updates for the season. The House of Commons has now risen, and I am home in Davenport until the third week of September. We will still be in touch over the summer — my team and I will send you topic-specific updates as news breaks — but the bi-weekly rhythm pauses here until the fall.

There is nowhere I would rather be than home. I will be out across the riding all summer, and there is nothing I love more than seeing you in person. If there is a street party, a backyard conversation, a festival, or a gathering you would like me to join, please reach out to my office at (416) 654-8048 or julie.dzerowicz@parl.gc.ca. I want to see and speak with as many of you as I can.

Already this season it has been a joy to celebrate Pride at Earlscourt Park, to join neighbours at Fairbank Summerfest and the Day Avenue Street Festival, and — on a more solemn note — to honour the life and service of a beloved Toronto police officer many knew simply as “Pinner.”

This is also graduation season, and speaking with our Class of 2026 has filled me with hope. Our young people are bright, thoughtful, and genuinely lovely, and they leave me inspired about the future of our community and our country. To every graduate in Davenport: congratulations — you are what we are building for.

A productive session in Ottawa. This was a busy and productive session, and our government delivered on affordability, public safety, and housing. Among the bills now passed into law are the Making Life More Affordable Act, which includes a middle-class tax cut and cancels the consumer fuel charge, and major Criminal Code reforms that, among other things, make femicide first-degree murder. You will find the full list of announcements and links at the end of this update.

Protecting our trade. On the trade file, Canada, the United States, and Mexico hold their first trilateral CUSMA review meeting on July 1. Canada and Mexico have formed a common front, and both intend to seek a 16-year extension of the agreement. I will be watching this closely all summer.

Making homes more affordable. Earlier this week I was proud to join Housing Minister Gregor Robertson, the Premier, and Mayor Olivia Chow to announce that Toronto is receiving $1.5 billion to cut development charges by 40 to 60 per cent — about $83,000 off a new single or semi-detached home, and support for roughly 44,000 new homes. This is Toronto’s share of the $8.8-billion Canada–Ontario partnership announced on March 30, and it stacks with the removal of the full 13% HST (8% federal, 5% Ontario) on new homes up to $1 million (up to $130,000 in savings). Together, these measures can lower the cost of a new home in Ontario by as much as $200,000.I am very pleased to share that the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act is now law. It brings more than 80 changes to the Criminal Code, making bail harder to get for repeat and violent offenders and sentences tougher and longer, shaped by extensive consultations with police, mayors, provinces, and victims’ advocates right across the country. Alongside it, we have advanced the Combatting Hate Act and the Protecting Victims Act.

A more affordable summer. Two things are worth knowing as you plan the season. First, even as global oil prices ease, our federal government is keeping 10 cents per litre off gasoline through September 7. Second, the Canada Strong Pass is active now through September 7 — free admission to national parks and museums (children free), plus VIA Rail discounts for kids and young adults, with no sign-up required.

Building big at home. We are also building for the long term. Our federal government launched a new Nuclear Energy Strategy and, for the first time, began the process to list major nation-building projects — including the Mackenzie Valley Highway and the Grays Bay Road and Port — under the Building Canada Act. And on rail, Transportation Minister MacKinnon released Alto’s “What We Heard” report and named Kingston as a potential stop on Canada’s first high-speed rail network.

Canada on the world stage. Our Prime Minister returned from the G7 in France with real wins: leaders backed Canada as a reliable energy supplier to the world, and Canada signed critical-minerals and defence partnerships expected to draw more than $5 billion in investment — including a Montréal company that will build made-in-Canada military radios for our ally Poland. The Prime Minister also announced new sanctions on Russia to keep up the pressure over Ukraine, and he next travels to the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7–8 to turn allies’ defence commitments into concrete plans.

Where I stand on Billy Bishop. Many of you have written to me about the future of the airport, and I want you to know exactly where I stand. I have set out my full position in a recent letter, which you can read here. The waterfront belongs to Torontonians, and I will keep that front of mind at every step.

And finally — football, Pride, and Canada Day. For the first time ever, Team Canada has reached the World Cup knockout round, and they play South Africa this Sunday, June 28, at 3 p.m. — go Canada! 

As the MP for the riding home to Canada’s largest Portuguese community, I will also be cheering hard for Portugal as they face Colombia on Saturday, June 27, to decide first place in their group — likely the final World Cup for the great Cristiano Ronaldo. And here is wonderful news: should Portugal finish second, their next match would be played right here in Toronto on July 2.

This Sunday is also the Toronto Pride Parade, and we close the week celebrating Canada Day on July 1. Força Portugal, Happy Pride, and Happy Canada Day!

It is, as always, the true honour and privilege of my life to serve you, Davenport. I wish you a safe, joyful, and restful summer, and I look forward to seeing you out in the community.

My best regards,

MP Julie Dzerowicz
Member of Parliament for Davenport
Chair, Toronto Caucus
Chair, Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration
Chair, Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association