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Julie Dzerowicz Member of Parliament
Davenport

Prime Minister Mark Carney during a pull-aside with Liberal MP Julie Dzerowicz during the caucus retreat in Edmonton, Alberta on September 11, 2025. Le premier ministre Mark Carney tient une rencontre informelle avec la députée libérable Julie Dzerowicz durant la retraite du caucus à Edmonton, en Alberta, le 11 septembre 2025.

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Davenport friends & neighbours,

I hope everyone had a great summer!  This morning I arrived back from Edmonton, after meeting with Prime Minister Carney and the entire Liberal caucus team.   We are energized and ready for the fall session which begins on Monday, Sept 15.   Here is the Prime Minister’s speech – it gives you an idea of the context of the world we live in and the work we are focused on.

We  have a very ambitious agenda this fall as there are no shortage of challenges and amazing opportunities.  Our federal government worked hard over the summer and we will be making announcements in the coming days and weeks.

We are committed to our climate targets – it is just that the plan on how we get there has changed.
There is a lot of talk about our federal government no longer honouring our climate targets and commitments.  I do not believe this is true.  We are committed to our net-zero targets; and all of our national building projects will have to meet emissions reductions targets or they will not be approved.

Our PM is a global climate finance expert and our Liberal government and team are fully committed to achieving net-zero by 2050. Our approach will be different than that of  the previous government as there is a rupture in the global economy due to Trump tariffs and actions/inactions re climate change. The world has changed and so we have to have a different plan and approach. Do not underestimate the strength of our commitment.   More details to be unveiled in the coming weeks and months.

Bail Reform & Public Safety 
Canadians will shortly be hearing of legislation we plan on introducing bail reform and sentencing, on more protections against intimate sexual partner violence, on protecting children online and on protecting Canadians who are practicing their faith including criminalizing obstruction and intimidation. 

Continued Geopolitical Deterioration
The geopolitical situation in many parts of the world continues to get worse. It is extraordinarily stressful and troubling. I have heard and spoken to many Davenport residents who feel horrified about the continued deterioration of international rules based order, the strengthening of autocrats and autocracy in places like China, India, and the worsening situation in Gaza and Ukraine.  

Here is the latest on Israel – Gaza. and here is the latest on arms embargo.
Here is the latest on Ukraine and Russia’s latest escalation.

Federal Support for Asylum Seekers
Over the last 10 years, our federal government has been an excellent partner to the City of Toronto, providing historic funding for housing, infrastructure, public transit, social programs and asylum seekers.  

We  understand the important role Toronto plays as a main arrival point for many asylum claimants and appreciate the city’s hard work in supporting them. 

Since 2017, nearly $670 million has been invested in Toronto through the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP) to help with urgent housing needs.   Toronto received the lion’s share of this national fund. 

Originally, IHAP focused on covering short-term costs like hotels and shelters. However, last year (2024), our federal government shifted our support for asylum seekers towards more long-term, cost-effective solutions such as welcome centres and transitional housing.

Toronto will receive about 26% of its funding request for the 2025-2027 timeframe, as our IHAP program shifts to support not just Toronto but the entire Greater Toronto Area and other communities facing similar pressures.  

But we will be investing in WELCOME CENTRES! Our federal government will be funding new long-term welcome centres and transitional housing across the GTA. This is the proper place for asylum seekers to come and receive support to file their work permit applications and find short term housing while their asylum claim is under review.

In my opinion, they should not take up spots in our shelters that are meant to be spaces for so claimants currently in Toronto can be better supported and moved out of short-term facilities faster. 

Our government remains committed to working closely with Toronto and partners to monitor the situation and ensure asylum claimants have access to safe, stable housing both now and in the future.

Toronto Caucus
As the Chair of Toronto Caucus I have organised a number of meetings related to housing, immigration and economic development.   More information below. 

There is so much going on, to stay up to date and in the moment, kindly consider following me on  social media – @juliedzerowicz (Facebook, X, Instagram); @juliedzerowiczMP (YouTube)

As always, it is a true honour and pleasure to serve you Davenport!  

With gratitude and warm regards,

Julie Dzerowicz
Member of Parliament – Davenport