Hello Davenport Friends and Neighbours,

What a glorious fall day! It’s so lovely to be surrounded by such beautiful fall colours. 

There is so much to say that I do not know where to start.

I’ve been watching the Emergency Act Inquiry and it’s fascinating to see  it all unfold. Today was the testimony of former Ottawa Chief of Police Peter Sloly, after a week of hearing from other government leaders and levels of police.  There is still a lot more testimony ahead.  

It’s all important.  I am glad that this inquiry is underway.  We need to understand the factors that lead to invoking the Emergency Act.  I also believe it will help us see the toxic impact of misinformation and disinformation and the gaps we have in all three levels of policing working together for the common good.  My hope is we take the learnings and make much needed changes. 

Affordability continues to be top of mind for Davenport residents.  This week the Bank of Canada has increased interest rates from 0.5 to 3.75%.   The bad news is that interest rates are going up; the more positive  news is that inflation seems to be slowing down so the rate increase wasn’t as high as expected. 

And the great news is that dental care benefits has passed third reading in the House of Commons, which means final approval is anticipated in the coming days by the Senate and the Governor General.    Households under $90,000 without access to dental insurance can get up to $650 this year and next for dental care for each child under 12.  The doubling of the GST credit for 11 million Canadians will take place in November.   No need to apply, if you already get a credit (because you filed your taxes) your GST doubling will automatically happen.  Finally, child care costs are estimated to go down by approximately 50% per child due to the federal government funding of the day care program in Ontario.  I’ve had so many parents come up to thank me as they are so happy with the anticipated savings.

Health care is also top of mind for Davenport residents.  The current situation is nothing short of critical  and deeply worrisome.   We have a serious issue of medical professional shortage – we need our nurses to be paid more (not the cap that the provincial government currently has in place) and the credentials of legitimate foreign doctors and medical professionals who are here in Canada to be recognised. We need them.

In Ontario I am also horrified that the Ford  provincial  government continues to SAY they are addressing the health care issues but literally doing NOTHING.  

 There is a lot of misinformation and disinformation that is being pushed by the provinces and territories via the Council of the Federation. Read this excellent article in the Toronto Star that does a great job of digging into the details and the numbers.

Our federal ministers will be sitting down with the provinces soon but we have indicated the following:

• We want to ensure that the provinces spend the money on health care as intended, and not on tax cuts or to run up surpluses (as they have in Ontario)
• Federal government already provides about one-third of health care costs to provinces and territories 
• Any additional funding would come with clear accountability measures.

Our telecommunications industry is not competitive and our cell service costs are among the highest in the world. The Minister of Innovation, Francois-Phillipe Champagne has announced that he rejected Rogers proposal for wholesale access to Shaw’s wireless frequencies.  Read  more here.

Climate change continues to be a top priority for our federal government. Read more about our progress and some of our latest announcements here.

This week marks the 40th day since the passing of Masha Amini – the Iranian woman who died in the hands of Iranian authorities as a result of failing to fully cover her hair and defying Iran’s strict dress codes.  I share the strong sentiment in Davenport – to condemn the death of Masha Amini, to call for the Iranian authorities to be held to account for her death and all the subsequent abuses due to their efforts to shut down all protests and opposition, and to stand with the Iranian people who want their rights and freedoms.

If you would like to read the full Weekly Update, click here.

A belated Happy Diwali to all Davenport residents who celebrate.  Have a  wonderful weekend.

It’s a true honour and privilege to serve you.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend!

My very best regards,

Julie Dzerowicz
Member of Parliament, Davenport