FINA Committee Report
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List of Recommendations
As a result of their deliberations committees may make recommendations which they include in their reports for the consideration of the House of Commons or the Government. Recommendations related to this study are listed below.
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance recommends that the Government of Canada, in accordance with the powers of each jurisdiction:
Recommendation 1
Support Canadian businesses in leveraging AI for economic growth by prioritizing domestic AI commercialization and data sovereignty strategies.
Recommendation 2
Encourage strategic investments in AI.
Recommendation 3
Make Budget 2023’s investment in the College and Community Innovation Program permanent.
Recommendation 4
Establish a polytechnic and college research growth fund to propel applied research solutions to Canada’s major challenges.
Recommendation 5
Evaluate the economic benefits of innovation granting councils and refocus their mandates towards intellectual property and R&D.
Recommendation 6
Increase investments to support deep-tech incubators and commercialization to stimulate Canadian innovation and support SMEs.
Recommendation 7
Support research partnerships between organizations and universities to increase research and development activities, especially of SMEs.
Recommendation 8
Implement framework legislation with specific mechanisms and measures to strengthen the Social Innovation and Social Finance ecosystem in Canada, following the lead of jurisdictions around the world and in Quebec.
Recommendation 9
Invest in an advanced technology accelerator for industries at the heart of the northeast semiconductor and quantum technology corridor.
Recommendation 10
Support university hubs in quantum science and technology to strengthen collaborative relationships between universities as part of the renewal of Canada’s National Quantum Strategy.
Recommendation 11
Reform the SR&ED program, such that all Canadian companies doing research and development in Canada have equal access to the program.
Recommendation 12
Finalize the reform of SR&ED tax credit to commercialize intellectual property.
Recommendation 13
Promptly announce changes to the SR&ED program, raise the base rate and the eligible expenditure threshold, and make capital and pre-marketing expenditures eligible.
Recommendation 14
Implement a national innovation box (patent box) regime.
Recommendation 15
Reduce barriers for entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups and communities – including Black, Indigenous and women – by providing additional financial support, including renewing funding for the Black Entrepreneurship Program.
Recommendation 16
Implement a series of measures to promote intrapreneurship within Canadian companies and encourage this model’s implementation to increase productivity and business growth.
Recommendation 17
Implement an economic spillover lens to foreign direct investment.
Recommendation 18
Provide new funding for sustainable tourism and local economic development.
Recommendation 19
Promote business conversions to co-operatives for corporate succession planning.
Recommendation 20
Promote a harmonized, pro-innovation regulatory approach for the financial sector based on the key principle of “same activity, same risk, same regulation.”.
Recommendation 21
Finalize and implement Canada’s Consumer-Driven Banking Framework in 2025.
Recommendation 22
Continue funding the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to support its new mandate of overseeing the open banking framework.
Recommendation 23
Establish an industry advisory committee, including credit unions, to ensure the needs of the sector are communicated and taken into account as the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada takes on its new mandate of overseeing the open banking framework.
Recommendation 24
Consider the crucial role it must play in Canada’s legal and regulatory balance in the financial sector and take into account the provincial frameworks already in place, particularly with regard to Canada’s Consumer-Driven Banking Framework.
Recommendation 25
Encourage initial public offerings and stimulate institutional investment in Canadian public and private companies, specifically by promptly eliminating the 30% rule for domestic investments by large pension funds, encouraging a minimum allocation of pension fund assets to venture capital, and eliminating eligibility criteria for tax incentives related to Canadian-controlled private corporation status.
Recommendation 26
Amend the Pension Benefits Standards Regulations, 1985 to require pension plans to adopt transition plans and reconcile their climate-related policies with their investment portfolio and require that federally regulated pension plan administrators, under their current obligations to establish a written statement of investment policies and procedures, determine how their climate resilience policies (mitigation and adaptation) pertain to the plan’s portfolio of investments and loans.
Recommendation 27
Study the possibility of removing the federal qualifier from section 39.02 of the Bank Act and simply refer to a financial institution, an inclusive expression that already exists in the Act.
Recommendation 28
Develop a green and transition finance taxonomy, in accordance with the Sustainable Finance Action Council’s recommendations, as quickly as possible to set standards for classifying climate-related financial instruments and benchmarking climate risk management.
Recommendation 29
Make climate disclosures mandatory for companies incorporated under the Canada Business Corporations Act.
Recommendation 30
Adopt a coherent legislative framework that will enable the financial sector and federally regulated entities to align their activities with Canada’s international commitments and nationally legislated targets, as minimally defined by Bill S-243, An Act to enact the Climate-Aligned Finance Act and to make related amendments to other Acts, especially as it relates to the annual reporting on credible climate transition plans.
Recommendation 31
Clarify its climate resilience commitments and investments, particularly with respect to housing and the national flood insurance program for properties at high risk of flooding.
Recommendation 32
Fully fund the core operations of the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation reinsurance subsidiary, which is needed to govern and implement a low-cost, high-risk National Flood Insurance Program.
Recommendation 33
Reduce credit card swipe fees and remove credit card interchange fees on the tax portion of sales made by credit card, as was committed in 2019.
Recommendation 34
Increase incentives and enact reforms to stimulate innovation, investment, and the adoption of advanced technologies in Canada’s manufacturing sector.
Recommendation 35
Amend the Clean Technology Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit to include manufacturing of carbon capture and storage facilities.
Recommendation 36
Create a national strategy for the aerospace industry and create an aerospace development council consisting of sector stakeholders, including the unions, to put the strategy into effect.
Recommendation 37
Support innovation and research infrastructure in aerospace technologies developed by the École de technologie supérieure and its industrial partners.
Recommendation 38
Enhance protection from unfair steel imports through improved trade tools and enforcement, including through a better alignment with anti-circumvention standards in the United States.
Recommendation 39
Grow Canada’s share of the global zero-emission vehicles supply chain.
Recommendation 40
Increase zero-emission vehicles supply chain capacity, security and resiliency.
Recommendation 41
Make the 10% tax credit more flexible for investment in the electric vehicle supply chain in order to open eligibility to businesses operating in at least one segment of the chain.
Recommendation 42
Eliminate all subsidies, public financing, and other fiscal supports provided for the extraction of fossil fuels and the production of petrochemicals.
Recommendation 43
Ensure that oil, gas and petrochemical companies fund the complete costs of the environmental clean-up of their operations.
Recommendation 44
Create a climate recovery fund by imposing a new tax on oil and gas companies.
Recommendation 45
Continue its support and funding for the deployment of clean energy and regional electricity transmission infrastructure.
Recommendation 46
Support electrical grid modernization by relaunching the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program and investing in a grid support program to align with rapid housing and infrastructure development.
Recommendation 47
Expand eligibility of the Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit to include intra-provincial transmission.
Recommendation 48
Invest into the Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydro Project.
Recommendation 49
Expand the Clean Fuels Fund eligibility criteria to include hydrogen production and infrastructure to level the playing field with the United States.
Recommendation 50
Invest in domestic biofuel production and green solutions to power Canada’s transportation network.
Recommendation 51
Support the production and supply of Canadian-made sustainable aviation fuel.
Recommendation 52
Prioritize the production and supply of Canadian-made low carbon fuels.
Recommendation 53
Put in place a loan program that enables lumber companies to borrow a portion of the duties collected on their exports to the United States.
Recommendation 54
Provide a federal support package for lumber companies with mechanisms to deal with bonding requirements.
Recommendation 55
Provide adequate support for workers in the forestry industry who risk losing their jobs because of decrees intended to protect woodland caribou, and invest to support and diversify forestry activities.
Recommendation 56
Incentivize investment in the composite wood products manufacturing sector with dedicated measures that directly support the sector’s capital projects, growth and decarbonization.
Recommendation 57
Encourage the production and use of sustainable, long-lived wood products by incenting and stimulating market acceptance of structural and non-structural wood products through the Canada Green Building Strategy and associated tax incentives for the private sector.
Recommendation 58
Establish a personal silvicultural savings and investment plan for Canadian forest owners.
Recommendation 59
Support the rapid development of Canada’s critical mineral supply chains.
Recommendation 60
Invest in the Grays Bay Road and Port Project by:
- allocating amounts from the Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund to enhance the project’s capabilities and develop connections to critical minerals projects and to the Northwest Territories;
- designating Grays Bay as a Northern Operational Support Hub; and
- ensuring that Canada is the primary construction funder once the project is shovel ready.
Recommendation 61
Renew the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit and the Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit for a minimum of 5 years, thereby aligning availability of these two incentives.
Recommendation 62
Amend the Clean Technology Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit to reduce the 90% threshold applicable to qualifying mineral activities to 50%.
Recommendation 63
Use the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy to help producers in Canada be leaders in sustainable and innovative agriculture, with a resilient and diversified food system.
Recommendation 64
Invest in research, technology transfer and programs to support farming businesses in adopting beneficial management practices and in their efforts to fight climate change.
Recommendation 65
Provide a cost-sharing program for organic certification and provide permanent funding for the process of reviewing organic standards every five years.
Recommendation 66
Foster sustainable agricultural practices by funding the ecosystem services provided, maximizing the economic and environmental performance of marginal land, and implementing a soil health strategy.
Recommendation 67
Develop programming and infrastructure that support the adoption and implementation of sustainable technology on Canadian farms.
Recommendation 68
Permanently set the interest-free limit for advances under the Advance Payment Program to $350,000.
Recommendation 69
Continue funding and improve the AgriRecovery program to intervene promptly among agricultural businesses that have suffered serious losses due to extreme weather events.
Recommendation 70
Expand the AgriStability program by increasing the coverage rate to 85% of the reference margin while keeping the compensation rate of 80% as introduced in the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership.
Recommendation 71
Protect family farmland and facilitate succession by creating an Agricultural Gifts Program and a fund to support access to farmland.
Recommendation 72
Create a new funding program that supports agriculture aid and partner initiatives in developing countries that share the skills, expertise and practices of Canadian farmers.
Recommendation 73
Provide a 40% tax credit to small-scale agricultural businesses that purchase equipment to ensure growth and profitability.
Recommendation 74
Enact policies that promote farmers’ ability to repair and choose their equipment.
Recommendation 75
Improve tax assistance for food donations made by an agricultural producer.
Recommendation 76
Create a limited statutory deemed trust, as established in Bill C-280, the Financial Protection for Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Farmers Act, to provide critical financial protection to produce sellers.
Recommendation 77
Upholds its commitment to protect supply-managed sectors in all future trade negotiations and continue to roll out, in a timely and efficient manner, the mitigation programming to egg and poultry farmers as a result of the market concessions granted under recent trade agreements.
Recommendation 78
Make no further concessions on supply-managed products in future trade negotiations by supporting Bill C-282, An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (supply management).
Recommendation 79
Ensure the reciprocity of production standards – including animal welfare measures and food safety practices – between domestic and imported products, and increase resource allocation to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to ensure capacity for enforcement.
Recommendation 80
Establish food labelling guidelines and standards of identity for simulated or imitation product alternatives to increase transparency in the Canadian marketplace and allocate resources to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to ensure the enforcement of guidelines and regulations.
Recommendation 81
Ensure the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is appropriately resourced during a time of crisis regarding animal health to better support Canadian farmers.
Recommendation 82
Increase funding resources for core fisheries science in support of management decision‑making.
Recommendation 83
Prioritize the hiring and retention of fisheries scientists specializing in quantitative stock assessment.
Recommendation 84
Recognize that marine conservation and sustainable use cannot be viewed as mutually exclusive.
Recommendation 85
Implement rebate programs to incentivize the adaptation of more sustainable commercial fishing gear and technologies.
Recommendation 86
Support a national seafood marketing and communications program.
Recommendation 87
Exempt regulated utilities from the Excessive Interest and Financing Expenses Limitation rules.
Recommendation 88
Mandate an economic lens for regulators, where appropriate, to attract new economic opportunities to Canada, reduce red tape, and increase economic growth and competitiveness.
Recommendation 89
Modernize Canada’s regulatory system and reduce red tape to support the Canadian manufacturing sector.
Recommendation 90
Cut red tape for small businesses.
Recommendation 91
Modernize Canada’s regulatory framework to increase investment, economic growth, and jobs by addressing the web of overlapping regulations between Canadian jurisdictions, so businesses are better able to trade within Canada and beyond.
Recommendation 92
Create a transparent registry of interprovincial and regulatory barriers to trade that inhibit productivity and efficiency.
Recommendation 93
Expedite credential recognition to let qualified workers fully use their skills wherever they are needed across the country.
Recommendation 94
Create dignified income support programs to support people aged 18 to 64 living in households experiencing food insecurity and poverty by transforming the GST/HST credit into a Groceries and Essentials Benefit and, the Canada Workers Benefit, into an enhanced Canada Working-Age Supplement.
Recommendation 95
Develop a national basic income program using one of the provinces as a demonstration pilot.
Recommendation 96
Increase Old Age Security benefits for seniors aged 65 to 74.
Recommendation 97
Enhance the Old Age Security program indexing formula to ensure that annual indexation is the highest of the Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index or salaries.
Recommendation 98
Commit to reducing food insecurity by 50% and eliminating severe food insecurity by 2030, relative to 2021 levels.
Recommendation 99
Continue and extend funding for the National School Food Program.
Recommendation 100
Embed the National School Food Program into legislation to secure long-term funding and stability for students.
Recommendation 101
Increase the Canada Disability Benefit to lift all Canadians living with disabilities above the poverty line and detach eligibility from the Disability Tax Credit.
Recommendation 102
Establish a pathway to eligibility for the Canada Disability Benefit through provincial and territorial income assistance programs for people with disabilities.
Recommendation 103
Expand the home accessibility tax credit to explicitly cover home modifications that address the needs of all people living with disabilities.
Recommendation 104
Convert the Canada caregiver credit from a non-refundable tax credit to a refundable tax-free benefit, per the 2021 Minister of finance Mandate letter commitment.
Recommendation 105
Implement a monthly refundable tax credit for home support services to enhance the affordability and accessibility of senior care, using the Quebec model as a blueprint.
Recommendation 106
Close the parental leave gap to ensure that every newborn in Canada has the right to protected time with a parent or caregiver with adequate income during at least the first 6 months (26 weeks) of life.
Recommendation 107
Expand non-profit and publicly owned early learning and child care by increasing the federal transfers to the provinces and territories under the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreements.
Recommendation 108
Re-structure and advance funding under an Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families to advance the reduction of the number of Métis children in care.
Recommendation 109
Support the development of a Métis-specific “Child First Initiative” aimed at enhancing family support and community resources to realize greater social, educational, and health outcomes.
Recommendation 110
Commit funding to meet the long-standing target of 0.7% Official Development Assistance to gross national income over five years, in support of achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, with a focus on the rights and needs of children.
Recommendation 111
Address climate goals through targeted actions for children, including expanding ambitious nationally-determined contributions and embedding a child-rights lens to climate action.
Recommendation 112
Designate an annual Nonprofit Day of Appreciation to recognize the economic and social contributions of the non-profit organizations across Canada.
Recommendation 113
Continue to support the important work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and increase Canada’s contributions.
Recommendation 114
Support the Canadian Cardiovascular Society in defining wait times targets for screening, diagnosis, and management of heart failure as part of Canada’s health systems’ recovery from COVID‑19.
Recommendation 115
Provide funding for bi-annual visits to podiatrists for individuals living with diabetes to proactively manage foot health and prevent complications.
Recommendation 116
Provide funding for annual podiatric visits for senior citizens, particularly those in rural or underserved areas, to manage age-related foot conditions, improve mobility, and prevent falls and complications that may lead to hospitalization.
Recommendation 117
Provide earmarked funding for the implementation of the National Autism Strategy.
Recommendation 118
Create a new refundable income tax credit to help offset the high cost of gluten‑free foods.
Recommendation 119
Invest in research and work with health charities to enhance research in Canada.
Recommendation 120
Enhance the quality of arthritis statistics and health data.
Recommendation 121
Ensure that the barriers in cancer clinical trials are addressed as the federal government continues to modernize clinical trial systems.
Recommendation 122
Accelerate multiple sclerosis (MS) research for a cure by supporting MS Canada to co-lead a global initiative to prevent MS with an investment in leading-edge MS research.
Recommendation 123
Invest to expand CAPTURE ALS from a pilot initiative to a world-leading platform to enable Canadian and global researchers to understand why people experience ALS symptoms and progression differently and, in turn, help identify treatment targets, support earlier diagnosis, strengthen clinical trials, reduce economic burden associated with the disease and improve the quality of life for the more than 4,000 Canadians affected by ALS.
Recommendation 124
Invest in cures research for type 1 diabetes, with a focus on cell therapy research to get closer to functional cures for the disease.
Recommendation 125
Implement an ambitious vision for health research and innovation in Canada, supported by increased funding, that fosters a strong research ecosystem.
Recommendation 126
Establish a universal, comprehensive and single-payer pharmacare program through promptly negotiating bilateral agreements with the provinces and ensuring adequate funding for the program.
Recommendation 127
Ensure equitable and comprehensive access through national pharmacare and other federal pharmaceutical policy initiatives.
Recommendation 128
Maintain Quebec’s universal and mixed pharmacare plan and telemedicine services, including the coverage offered by Quebec employers through private providers.
Recommendation 129
Prioritize patient needs and preferences, comprehensive medication access, quick approval for new drugs, and the sustainability of Canadian health care in developing the national pharmacare program.
Recommendation 130
Finalize funding for the National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases to include all provinces and territories and expand the plan to consider the broader aspects and issues related to rare disorders.
Recommendation 131
Make research on the brain and mental health a national priority with stable, targeted funding for the creation of a Canadian brain research initiative, and a dedicated, sustained commitment to fund this priority to improve health outcomes and quality of life for people in Canada.
Recommendation 132
Restore funding for the national Dementia Strategy.
Recommendation 133
Invest to implement national standards for diagnosis, treatment and care for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Recommendation 134
Invest in a Community Mental Health Fund to build capacity for mental health organizations.
Recommendation 135
Provide funding, starting in 2025-2026, to the Public Health Agency of Canada to develop a National Suicide Prevention Strategy.
Recommendation 136
Provide funding in 2025-2026 to Health Canada to develop a strategic framework on youth mental health.
Recommendation 137
Increase access to culture-based, and intergenerational trauma-informed mental health and wellness interventions for First Nations communities.
Recommendation 138
Improve health outcomes of Métis citizens through self-determination by investing in the Canada-Métis Nation Health and Wellness Sub‑Accord.
Recommendation 139
Establish a federal fund to create a national network of addictions treatment facilities administered in accordance with the Canada Health Act and provide a five-year investment to secure and expand supervised consumption and harm reduction services nationally, as part of a comprehensive suite of measures.
Recommendation 140
Create a national peer-support fund through a funding allocation to the Substance Use and Addictions Program.
Recommendation 141
Work with the physical activity sector to develop and implement the Active Canada Action Plan.
Recommendation 142
Enhance the First Nations health workforce to bring accessible care closer to home.
Recommendation 143
Ensure the ongoing collection of pan-Canadian health sector workforce data across the public and private sectors.
Recommendation 144
Expand the list of countries eligible for automatic certification by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
Recommendation 145
Work with other orders of government to introduce limited certification options for international medical graduates from qualifying countries so that they can provide care in Canada as they work towards full certification.
Recommendation 146
Work with other orders of government to investigate the possibility of condensing the current time requirements prior to full certification of international medical graduates.
Recommendation 147
Work with other orders of government to build mentorship and exam preparation processes to ensure success and smooth adaptation to the Canadian work environment of international medical graduates.
Recommendation 148
Restore the Employment Insurance (EI) temporary measures including a lower, uniform entrance requirement of 420 hours and other measures to increase access to EI benefits and active labour-market programming.
Recommendation 149
Prioritize a reform of the Employment Insurance program that adequately and permanently solves the “black hole” problem, establishes a universal entrance requirement based on a hybrid criterion of hours and insurable weeks, allows for the stacking of special benefits and regular benefits, and limits disentitlements from benefits.
Recommendation 150
Review how the Employment Insurance system functions in order to increase eligibility, make benefits more generous and correct the discrimination that this system perpetuates.
Recommendation 151
Extend the Employment Insurance benefit period to a maximum of 52 weeks for caregivers who temporarily quit their jobs to care for a family member.
Recommendation 152
Place the Employment Insurance fund outside its accounting parameters.
Recommendation 153
Restore the top-up to provincial and territorial Labour Market Development Agreement transfers withheld from Budget 2024 and take other steps to strengthen training and workforce development.
Recommendation 154
Restore funding for the Labour Market Development Agreements and the Workforce Development Agreements.
Recommendation 155
Increase workforce attraction and training funding in the aerospace industry, in partnership with provincial governments, which have jurisdiction in these fields.
Recommendation 156
Introduce a refundable career extension tax credit to compensate experienced workers for reductions in Guaranteed Income Supplement benefits and encourage them to remain in the workforce.
Recommendation 157
Increase the total earnings exemption on income from employment or self-employment to $6,500 in calculating the Guaranteed Income Supplement.
Recommendation 158
Scale up investment in workforce preparedness by creating green job and training opportunities for youth, expanding regional workforce development approaches, enabling Indigenous economic pathfinding, and undertaking the labour market analysis needed for a smooth transition to a low-carbon economy.
Recommendation 159
Establish a Youth Climate Corps to provide jobs and training for Canadian youth aged 35 and under to address the climate crisis with an investment that would grow to accommodate demand.
Recommendation 160
Increase funding for the Canada Summer Jobs program and prioritize job programs that provide staffing for accessible camp and physical activity experiences for children, youth and adults in all parts of Canada.
Recommendation 161
Develop an “All of Ministries” approach to immigration that coordinates support and funding from different federal departments in addition to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Recommendation 162
Implement a more flexible funding model for the settlement and integration sector.
Recommendation 163
Continue its expansion of the Canada Student Loan forgiveness program to include audiologists, dietitians, chiropractors, denturists, occupational therapists, optometrists, and speech-language pathologists.
Recommendation 164
Provide an additional amount to the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award to increase the value of the scholarship while maintaining the number of awards granted to Canadian youth.
Recommendation 165
Increase the maximum Canada Student Grant.
Recommendation 166
Provide proportional official language education funding, both in English and French, to accommodate the influx of newcomers to Canada.
Recommendation 167
Maintain competitive Canadian graduate student funding levels by indexing awards to inflation.
Recommendation 168
Narrow the Indigenous post-secondary education gap by raising the funding for Post-Secondary Student Support Program and equivalent Métis and Inuit Post-Secondary Education Strategies to reflect increasing Indigenous secondary school graduation rates.
Recommendation 169
Reinvest in and reopen applications for the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund (or create a new green campus fund) to help campuses across the country lower GHG emissions, build capacity to help meet Canada’s labour market needs, and grow for the future.
Recommendation 170
Permanently increase the College and Community Innovation Program budget and allocate funding to equitably fund and expand the Technology Access Centre program.
Recommendation 171
Build on past investments in skills training by making a strategic reinvestment to support the Business + Higher Education Roundtable’s national work-integrated learning programming.
Recommendation 172
Undertake an inventory of critical skills training infrastructure to ensure Canada has the training space necessary to meet the needs in key economic sectors going forward, in conjunction with the Critical Skills and Training Infrastructure Fund.
Recommendation 173
Restore support for the three nationally recognized institutions for professional training in the audiovisual sector by reintroducing the National Training Program and the Film and Video Sector.
Recommendation 174
Attract the next generation of tradespeople by increasing funding to the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant.
Recommendation 175
Foster a net-zero economy by investing in workforce development to provide training and skills development paths that are aligned with projected growth sectors in a clean economy and providing paid internship and training programs for young people seeking careers in climate- and nature-related sectors.
Recommendation 176
Invest in the Student-Work Placement Program to create work-integrated learning opportunities for post-secondary students.
Recommendation 177
Announce ongoing investments under the Student Work Placement Program until 2030.
Recommendation 178
Invest in workforce readiness through continued investment in the Student Work Placement Program and in artificial intelligence work-related learning opportunities for students.
Recommendation 179
Renew the Global Skills Opportunity program to send Canadian students abroad to equip them with the skills required to thrive in a rapidly changing labour market.
Recommendation 180
Replace the Canada Training Credit with a voluntary professional development savings plan.
Recommendation 181
Expand funding for applied research at Canada’s colleges, cégeps and institutions to drive ongoing innovation in new and emerging technologies.
Recommendation 182
Support the development of interdisciplinary research, issues-oriented research and the international missions of the new umbrella organization for research funding through a new dedicated investment.
Recommendation 183
Expand financial support for research commercialization and knowledge mobilization programs.
Recommendation 184
Leverage the skills of academic researchers to grow research and development and commercialization opportunities.
Recommendation 185
Provide the budget increases promised in Budget 2024 to the granting agencies now and use the funds to rebalance the funding system as follows:
- allocate the increase to the base budget of the three granting agencies among them on a pro-rata basis to faculty, students and post-doctoral fellows in the disciplines they cover and allocate this increase to core grant programs to enable researchers toincrease the number and value of scholarships available to students under their supervision; and
- establish a minimum gradual Canada Research Chair quota within two years based on the institution’s relative faculty weight of the overall Canadian faculty; use the same formula to establish the minimum quota for Canadian graduate scholarships, applied t the graduate student population and post-doctoral fellows; and distribute a minimum of 50% of the funds of the relevant programmes within five years.
Recommendation 186
Explicitly state the duty to support research development across Canada’s academic regions and cities in the mission statement of the new framework organization and the three granting agencies.
Recommendation 187
Dedicate a significant portion of new research investments to supporting the production and dissemination of scientific research results in French.
Recommendation 188
Create grant programs for cross-disciplinary research groups, particularly to address health issues.
Recommendation 189
Match Budget 2024 investments with increased support for the full costs of research through the Research Support Fund and Incremental Project Grants.
Recommendation 190
Fully support enhancing Canada’s digital research infrastructure as an enabler of world-class research initiatives.
Recommendation 191
Act immediately to maximize support for the development of research collaborations through Canada’s participation in Horizon Europe.
Recommendation 192
Provide funding for full participation in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act’s implementation oversight mechanisms, and targeted Action Plan Measures implementation activities.
Recommendation 193
Provide investments to support the resolution of specific claims, and joint legislative and policy reform, including funds to establish an Independent Centre for the Resolution of Specifics Claims.
Recommendation 194
Develop new fiscal arrangements for First Nations.
Recommendation 195
Pursue legislation to institutionalize the Canada-Métis Nation Accord and Permanent Bilateral Mechanism.
Recommendation 196
Advance Métis women and gender equality through Métis Nation governance, support for capacity-building and core funding for Métis women and gender equality initiatives.
Recommendation 197
Advance economic reconciliation with Indigenous Nations and support the North and remote communities.
Recommendation 198
Expand and coordinate existing investments and programs to deliver retrofits that integrate health, affordability, and adaptation targets, and accommodate the unique needs of Indigenous, northern and remote communities.
Recommendation 199
Provide investments to fully implement the Indigenous Languages Act.
Recommendation 200
Provide financial support to the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association to provide strategic top-ups to Indigenous financial institutions that require additional support to increase their capital base and ensure consistency across the network.
Recommendation 201
Fund the Aboriginal Savings Corporation of Canada to establish a national First Nations home ownership program.
Recommendation 202
Provide ongoing, stable, flexible and sufficient financial support to National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association to develop permanent tailored services for young Indigenous entrepreneurs.
Recommendation 203
Provide ongoing, stable, flexible and sufficient financial support to the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association in establishing a permanent program aimed at supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs in tourism.
Recommendation 204
Fund the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association to establish and administer a First Nations-Led Procurement Organisation.
Recommendation 205
Provide funding to establish a dedicated infrastructure monetization fund and for fund operations for First Nations seeking innovative ways to address their housing and infrastructure needs, and for loan servicing on First Nations Finance Authority’s infrastructure “Reconciliation Debenture.”.
Recommendation 206
Support the development of a bonding and surety fund to provide the required collateral for on-reserve Indigenous-led contractors that enables them to get market-price insurance to fairly bid on infrastructure contracts, and support the research, engagement and creation of a stand-alone not-for-profit authority, governed by Indigenous contractors.
Recommendation 207
Support regulatory changes, enabled under section 141 of the First Nations Fiscal Management Act, to allow First Nations Finance Authority to lend directly to special purpose vehicles where a federal or provincial loan guarantee is applied or where provincial or territorial backed entities is providing long-term guaranteed agreements.
Recommendation 208
Allocate annual funding to Women and Gender Equality Canada’s Women’s Program for core funding or renewable capacity building grants for feminist organizations that operate at the national level.
Recommendation 209
Increase the international assistance envelope to build on Canada’s leadership in supporting women’s rights and feminist movements globally and ensure that further assistance to Ukraine be provided in addition to the existing aid envelope so that it does not impinge on the increase of assistance to the rest of the world.
Recommendation 210
Support diversity and inclusion in the skilled trades by mandating Community Benefits Agreements on federally funded infrastructure projects.
Recommendation 211
Continue to implement Canada’s Black Justice Strategy, in consultation with Black communities across Canada, to address anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination in the criminal justice system.
Recommendation 212
Renew and enhance the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative.
Recommendation 213
Ensure the permanence of the Black-Led Philanthropic Endowment Fund by supporting full rights and interests to the Foundation for Black Communities.
Recommendation 214
Review all federal grant programs to ensure that only projects that align with Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy receive federal funding.
Recommendation 215
Invest in a dedicated national anti-Islamophobia strategy that includes increased funding both to Canada’s Special Representative Office on Islamophobia, as well as to the York University Islamophobia Research Hub and an investment into public education campaigns to drive down anti-Muslim sentiment.
Recommendation 216
Dedicate funding to develop a five-year program to enhance the literacy of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism amongst post-secondary aged Canadians.
Recommendation 217
Provide funding for the Holodomor National Awareness Tour Program.
Recommendation 218
Extend the current GST/HST relief for purpose-built rental housing to include non-profit affordable ownership housing.
Recommendation 219
Remove the GST paid on the sale of affordable homes built by non-profit affordable homeownership providers until those homes are sold to market.
Recommendation 220
Extend GST exemptions to not-for-profit builders and social service providers operating and building transitional housing units.
Recommendation 221
Significantly improve the GST new housing rebate.
Recommendation 222
Relaunch Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, with improved eligibility criteria.
Recommendation 223
Implement a punitive capital gains tax on speculative investments of non-principal residence, single-family homes, if not held for at least two years.
Recommendation 224
Support new financial instruments that track speculative housing demand.
Recommendation 225
Secure existing affordable rental homes through an accelerated and sector-led Canada Rental Protection Fund to enable co-operative and non-profit housing organizations to purchase rental properties that are for sale.
Recommendation 226
Increase funding for the new Canada Rental Protection Fund and reserve this funding exclusively for various forms of social housing.
Recommendation 227
Support and incentivize purpose-built rental housing, including by allowing capital gains deferral where proceeds are re-invested in social housing.
Recommendation 228
Continue funding and further enhance the Tenant Protection Fund.
Recommendation 229
Tie federal housing funding to a 5-year moratorium on rent increases beyond inflation targeted at temporary rent control across the country.
Recommendation 230
Increase the Canada Housing Benefit and reform unnecessarily restrictive qualifications.
Recommendation 231
Place conditions on federal funding for purpose-built rentals to ensure that at least 25% of all new rental units have a form of rent control or are rent-geared-to income units.
Recommendation 232
Adjust the affordability criteria so that rents are affordable for the clienteles targeted by various programs and invest the necessary funds to make the projects sustainable.
Recommendation 233
Continue to invest a portion of the Affordable Housing Fund into affordable homeownership.
Recommendation 234
Earmark the Affordable Housing Fund to the non-profit sector, increase funding for the Rapid Housing Stream and enhance its “subsidy” stream with the expectation that government funding will be sufficient to complete project financing packages.
Recommendation 235
Provide sufficient funding for the Affordable Housing Fund and the Apartment Construction Loan Program so that all projects that meet the criteria can be funded.
Recommendation 236
Commit to creating 500,000 new affordable housing units within 5 years, and allocate a sizable portion as non-market or rent-geared-to-income public housing.
Recommendation 237
Establish targets and timelines for increasing non-market rental housing’s share of Canada’s total housing stock to align with other developed OECD countries by 2034.
Recommendation 238
Aim to achieve a Canadian non-market housing rate of 20%.
Recommendation 239
Increase investments in non-market housing, including not-for-profit and co-operative housing, to match average funding for social housing by other developed OECD countries.
Recommendation 240
Reallocate all funding for the construction, maintenance and renovation of housing in Canada’s Housing Plan as well as additional funding to significantly expand social housing in Canada, including public social, cooperative and non-profit housing units.
Recommendation 241
Make the Federal Community Housing Initiative permanent.
Recommendation 242
Offer low-cost loans to non-profit and co-op housing providers and builders by reallocating existing financing or opening new finance options.
Recommendation 243
Eliminate taxes for non-profit and co-op housing providers and builders to reduce financial burdens, including developers of student housing.
Recommendation 244
Prioritize the allocation of surplus public land for housing to non-profits and co-ops instead of private developers at no or very low cost and provide new, recurring and predictable funding for the Federal Lands Initiative for this purpose.
Recommendation 245
Create a federal financing program targeted at building significantly more co-operative homes across Canada, informed by the measures implemented by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in the 1970s and 1980s to stimulate the creation of affordable housing units by non-profit co-operative housing.
Recommendation 246
Ensure that the eligibility criteria for the new Co-op Housing Development Program require that affordability thresholds be met to ensure low- and modest-income renter households have adequate housing.
Recommendation 247
Maintain and fund a pre-startup fund for social housing in a loan or grant form, like the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Seed Funding program, that is sufficient to meet needs, to support the initial phases of project development.
Recommendation 248
Reach agreements with provincial and territorial government to pool funds under a self-sustaining program specifically designed to fund community and social housing to create a funding continuum that accelerates project delivery.
Recommendation 249
Continue discussions with other levels of governments to ensure that funding related to housing financing programs are rapidly deployed.
Recommendation 250
Adjust federal programs that help fund affordable housing to align with Quebec programs sponsored by the Société d’habitation du Québec and other public or private funders to encourage their inclusion in the same funding package, and thereby speed up product delivery.
Recommendation 251
Ensure that the affordability criteria used to determine base rent costs by region are adjusted to the local reality of each community and social housing construction program to maintain consistency with Quebec programs and encourage their inclusion in the same funding package.
Recommendation 252
Adjust the grant application forms by retaining the same references and definitions to ensure program compatibility.
Recommendation 253
Establish gender-responsive budgeting processes to address differing impacts on the housing experiences of women and gender-diverse persons that recognizes the distinctive and urgent obligation to protect the right to life of Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people in accordance with the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Calls to Justice.
Recommendation 254
Advance Indigenous housing rights by fully implementing the Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy.
Recommendation 255
Address the critical housing needs of the Métis Nation by re-allocating Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Housing funding through a distinctions-based approach.
Recommendation 256
Provide Yänonhchia’ Housing Finance with funding to establish its capital facility and support its phase I activities, which will enable it to expand its on-reserve housing renewal and financing activity outside of Quebec to five additional regions in Canada to support residential construction and employment, and mitigate the housing crisis in Indigenous communities.
Recommendation 257
Add students to the National Housing Strategy’s priority populations.
Recommendation 258
Further integrate funding for student housing construction and renovation projects into funding programs for affordable housing.
Recommendation 259
Create a specific fund for the acquisition, construction, renovation and operation of student housing for new constructions and existing residences.
Recommendation 260
Support the development of student residences in all regions, not just in large urban centres.
Recommendation 261
Renew the Women and Children Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative as an ongoing initiative of the National Housing Strategy.
Recommendation 262
Amend the National Housing Strategy to establish a new ten-year investment for the dedicated acquisition, conversion, and construction of 100,000 supportive mental health housing units and strengthen intergovernmental coordination to unlock access to operational dollars.
Recommendation 263
Move quickly to reach agreements with the provinces and territories on the conditions for using the funding for addressing homeless encampments.
Recommendation 264
Adopt a Special Advisor on Homelessness and Homeless Encampments to coordinate, oversee, and implement an interjurisdictional plan to address and prevent homelessness and encampments on a priority basis.
Recommendation 265
Adjust investments in homelessness programs in alignment with the Parliamentary Budget Officer report, with a view to ending homelessness within clear timelines and monitoring processes to track progress.
Recommendation 266
Invest in deeply affordable housing and reduce chronic homelessness by partnering with the non-profit sector.
Recommendation 267
Develop a capital funding program for temporary housing and vulnerable populations.
Recommendation 268
Allow continuous type funding for programs specifically aimed at building community housing and social housing for vulnerable clienteles instead of falling back on the project proposal approach.
Recommendation 269
Prioritize projects aimed at housing low-income households and specific vulnerable clienteles rather than following the “first come, first served” principle until all funds have been expended.
Recommendation 270
Stimulate offsite construction technologies and supply across the housing continuum through various funding streams, including incentives under the Housing Accelerator Fund and the new Homebuilding Technology and Innovation Fund.
Recommendation 271
Establish a permanent mechanism to collaborate and coordinate housing policy and development, such as a national housing secretariat or roundtable, that brings together all levels of government with housing stakeholders to coordinate housing policy and development across the housing continuum and address the housing crisis.
Recommendation 272
Consider allowing mortgages on new energy-efficient certified homes to have an increased maximum amortization period.
Recommendation 273
Consider extending the maximum amortization period for insured mortgages to 30 years for all buyers.
Recommendation 274
Ease the stress test by relaxing or eliminating the mortgage renewal test, periodically reviewing increases in the mortgage contract rate based on financial market conditions to avoid amplifying real estate market cycles, and allowing borrowers to qualify for a five-year fixed rate when taking out a mortgage – regardless of the type of loan – if it is more advantageous.
Recommendation 275
Engage with stakeholders to develop and implement a National Infrastructure Assessment and create a long-term strategy for addressing infrastructure needs in communities across Canada.
Recommendation 276
Involve industry stakeholders in the early stages of all federal infrastructure projects to ensure optimal return on investment and cost assurance.
Recommendation 277
Acknowledge the need for long-term, consistent infrastructure spending – particularly for the underground infrastructure sector – and renew funding for the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
Recommendation 278
Increase the funding allocated to the Canada Community-Building Fund and move quickly to reach agreements with the provinces and territories to ensure that the funding provided for under the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund is made available to municipalities.
Recommendation 279
Reinvest in parks, sport, and recreation infrastructure to ensure the health and well-being of the population.
Recommendation 280
Significantly increase its investment in the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund to accelerate the deployment of climate-resilient infrastructure.
Recommendation 281
Help fund the AdapT Institute to promote resilient infrastructure and a sustainable economy in Canada.
Recommendation 282
Bring forward the start date for the funding provided for under the Canada Public Transit Fund to ensure public transit systems have equitable and rapid access to capital funding and move quickly to reach agreements with the provinces and territories on the terms for using this funding while respecting municipal jurisdiction over land-use planning.
Recommendation 283
Streamline the application process and remove barriers to the Canada Public Transit Fund to maximize participation.
Recommendation 284
Increase funding to the Canada Public Transit Fund to account for asset maintenance needs in the sector.
Recommendation 285
Support public transit development through financial support for operations.
Recommendation 286
Protect the Canada Public Transit Fund by enshrining it in legislation and including an annual funding escalator tied to the cost of construction to ensure the fund maintains its value over time.
Recommendation 287
Establish a national taskforce with provincial and local governments, and transit agencies to develop a national public transit strategy with a new funding model for Canada’s public transit agencies.
Recommendation 288
Take immediate and concrete actions to increase investments in Canadian trade-enabling infrastructure at ports, marine terminals, inland terminals and railways to remain competitive in the global market and respond to the significant investment made by the U.S., in collaboration with private sector partners, and prioritize projects that address bottlenecks and build surge capacity.
Recommendation 289
Take action to secure the effective movement of goods across Canada’s ports and railways.
Recommendation 290
Develop a re-financing plan for the National Trade Corridors or introduce a new long-term trade infrastructure funding program to drive tangible progress and alleviate infrastructure challenges in the supply chain into the future.
Recommendation 291
Commit to long-term investment through a Canada Trade Infrastructure Plan, which includes solidifying supply chains for international and domestic trade corridors, to establish Canada as a reliable business partner.
Recommendation 292
Advance the development of the National Supply Chain Strategy and explore the creation of a national industrial strategy.
Recommendation 293
Replace Canada’s winter road network with all-season alternatives built to a gravel road standard.
Recommendation 294
Make transformative investments in Canada’s airport infrastructure.
Recommendation 295
Address the sustainable infrastructure and energy efficiency needs of all Canadian airports.
Recommendation 296
Significantly increase the funding allocated to the Airports Capital Assistance Program.
Recommendation 297
Invest in regional, northern and remote airport infrastructure, including the construction of food terminals and warehouses, to address food and economic security in the North.
Recommendation 298
Support the Pearson Economic Zone Strategy.
Recommendation 299
Implement airport lease model reforms for airport stability and growth.
Recommendation 300
Adopt digital tools to enhance passenger experience in airports.
Recommendation 301
Modernize the Duty Free Shop Regulations to allow for the sale of duty-free products to all international arriving passengers at Canadian international airports.
Recommendation 302
Establish a Tourism Infrastructure Fund and an incentive tax credit to drive major capital investments in the sector, especially from private capital markets domestically and internationally.
Recommendation 303
Support the viability of the Canadian airline industry by taking concrete and immediate actions to address pilot supply challenges in Canada.
Recommendation 304
Establish a special program with dedicated funding that addresses the maintenance and infrastructure needs of small craft harbours and harbour authorities.
Recommendation 305
Adjust criteria for Canada Port Authorities’ access to Canada Infrastructure Bank funds.
Recommendation 306
Ensure Canada Border Services Agency’s funding is dedicated and increased in predictable and sufficient manner to support port and supply chain services and trade facilitation.
Recommendation 307
Renew funding for the National Trade Corridors Fund, or provide more focused funding for the ports that are unable to leverage capital to borrow or capitalize subsidiaries or joint ventures.
Recommendation 308
Put in place more direct and indirect assistance programs for shipoperators making the green shift, to better support them through their energy transition, in particular by reinvesting in the Green Shipping Corridor Program.
Recommendation 309
Adequately support shipyards with specific assistance programs to help them modernize, including assistance for automation and technological innovation, so that shipyards can retain and develop their expertise, as this expertise is highly strategic for the country.
Recommendation 310
Accelerate the program to build new icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard, if built in Canada, to ensure adequate and continuous service to keep essential waterways in service.
Recommendation 311
Make new investments in outdoor waterway infrastructure, such as boat ramps and access points.
Recommendation 312
Provide resources for a consultation process with other levels of government so regional and local boating authorities are consulted when new restrictions are proposed under the Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations.
Recommendation 313
Close the First Nations infrastructure gap.
Recommendation 314
Meet First Nations community infrastructure needs, including buildings, ports and wharfs, transportation infrastructure, and utilities.
Recommendation 315
Continue to invest in a distinctions-based Inuit-led fund for Nunavut infrastructure.
Recommendation 316
Increase funding and accelerate the development of digital infrastructure, including broadband, mobile and satellite Internet services, and energy infrastructure in rural and remote and northern communities.
Recommendation 317
Ensure First Nations meet the standards outlined in Canada’s Connectivity Strategy.
Recommendation 318
Address barriers to zero-emission vehicles adoption.
Recommendation 319
Continue purchase incentives for new passenger zero-emission vehicles but focus on value for electric-only range.
Recommendation 320
Make zero-emission vehicles more accessible for low- and modest-income households.
Recommendation 321
Remove caps on incentives for zero-emission vehicles for carshare, rideshare or other ride-hailing fleets.
Recommendation 322
Increase funding for electric vehicle consumer education programs, including test drives and dealership training programs, to support salesforce and to implement these programs across Canada.
Recommendation 323
Offer a vehicle scrappage program for all types of vehicles.
Recommendation 324
Continue the transition of the heavy-vehicle subsector by increasing dedicated funding for electric school buses, in addition to offering a point-of-sale rebate.
Recommendation 325
Make the transition to electric transit buses more affordable.
Recommendation 326
Work across jurisdiction to accelerate electric school bus adoption.
Recommendation 327
Accelerate the integration of electric trucks into commercial fleets.
Recommendation 328
Electrify vehicle fleets in ports, airports, and similar federal facilities.
Recommendation 329
Support the electrification of Canada’s ferry services.
Recommendation 330
Modernize the incentives for the Zero-Emission Vehicles program, green levy, Zero Emission Transit Fund and Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure program.
Recommendation 331
Reduce the kilometres travelled by personal and freight transportation vehicles and replace them with kilometres travelled by electric bicycles through a grant.
Recommendation 332
Increase investments in electric vehicles charging infrastructure and establish specific targets for construction and deployment.
Recommendation 333
Make 1,6 million condominiums and apartments ready for electric vehicles by 2030.
Recommendation 334
Add electric vehicle charging requirements to national building codes.
Recommendation 335
Establish public charging “hubs” on underutilized government-owned lands.
Recommendation 336
Provide a connection rebate to cover costs levied by utilities when building large-scale charging stations.
Recommendation 337
Support regulatory reform to allow for proactive grid upgrades and fund utilities to establish capacity maps.
Recommendation 338
Include electric vehicle charger installation in home and public building energy retrofit programs.
Recommendation 339
Create a fund dedicated to improving tourism infrastructure vis-a-vis electric vehicle charging stations in rural areas enabling Canada to meet its 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan.
Recommendation 340
Invest in electric vehicle level 2 infrastructure in parking space in multi-unit residential buildings across Canada.
Recommendation 341
Work with provinces and industry to develop programs and funding to ensure electric vehicle infrastructure are more rapidly and widely expanded to service rural regions across the country.
Recommendation 342
Increase its allocations towards arts, culture, and heritage in 2025-2026 by providing funds to the Canada Council for the Arts and funds to the Department of Canadian Heritage, and permanently allocate at least 1% of its overall spending towards arts, culture, and heritage thereafter.
Recommendation 343
Integrate the additions made to the Building Communities through Arts and Heritage program and the Canada Arts Presentation Fund since 2019-20 into the programs’ base budgets.
Recommendation 344
Deliver on its commitment to permanently increase the Canada Music Fund.
Recommendation 345
Create a labour-based tax credit for the live performance industry similar to those that exist for the film industry.
Recommendation 346
Renew funding for Artsvest, a national program which provides skills training to arts and culture organizations across Canada.
Recommendation 347
Make the Major Events and Festivals Support Initiative permanent.
Recommendation 348
Provide permanent and stable funding for urban festivals, with particular emphasis on those festivals which provide accessible programming.
Recommendation 349
Provide funding to the 2026 Toronto Biennial of Art.
Recommendation 350
Provide immediate funding to the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, as well as over the next three years.
Recommendation 351
Create a tourism-focused program dedicated to the growth and marketability of Canadian festivals and events, managed by the regional development agencies.
Recommendation 352
Fund the Black Screen Office to make Canada’s screen industries’ practices free of anti-Black racism and to proactively empower Black Canadians working in screen industries to thrive and share stories from uniquely Black perspectives.
Recommendation 353
Allocate funding for the Canadian Independent Screen Fund for Black and People of Colour Creators to support important new and existing projects by Canadian creators.
Recommendation 354
Implement the Minister of Canadian Heritage’s mandate letter commitment to support Canadian authors and book publishers by increasing funding for the Canada Book Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts.
Recommendation 355
Provide additional annual funding for the Public Lending Right program, which should be in the form of a directed allocation to the Canada Council for the Arts.
Recommendation 356
Enforce the Revised Foreign Investment Policy in Book Publishing and Distribution, with more meaningful assessments of “net benefit to Canada.”.
Recommendation 357
Review the definition of sound recording in the Copyright Act so that rights holders can receive remuneration when the fruits of their labour are incorporated into an audiovisual work.
Recommendation 358
Revise the private copying regime in the Copyright Act, so that it is technologically neutral and allows royalties to be collected on media such as electronic tablets and smart phones, and confirm the ability of the Copyright Board of Canada to set levies for unlicensed private copies made on audio recording media and audio recording devices.
Recommendation 359
Withdraw the exemption applicable to commercial radio stations under the Copyright Act allowing them to pay only $100 on the first $1.25 million of their annual advertising revenue.
Recommendation 360
Implement solutions that encourage fair remuneration of rights-holders for use of copyright protected work through reform of the Copyright Act and ensure that the Act protects all creators and copyright holders and that the educational publishing industry is sustainable.
Recommendation 361
Immediately amend the Copyright Act to repair the damage to the cultural economy from unregulated educational copying of published works.
Recommendation 362
Ensure that artificial intelligence systems comply with transparency obligations, such as publicly disclosing the copyright-protected works they use as well as with fair market principles to obtain licences and compensate copyright owners for the use of their works; and that no new exceptions from copyright or other intellectual property rights are created.
Recommendation 363
Amend the language of the exemption at section 32.2(3) of the Copyright Act to clarify that the exemption only applies where an organization acts “without motive of gain.”.
Recommendation 364
Implement new financial and fiscal resources to support the traditional media and identify predictable and sustainable funding for CBC/Radio‑Canada.
Recommendation 365
Explore options to better support ethnic media.
Recommendation 366
Allocate funds to community, Indigenous, and campus radio.
Recommendation 367
Introduce tax measures to incent businesses to advertise with private sector Canadian news outlets and eliminate the tax-deductibility of advertising purchased from foreign websites to ensure media organizations are not deprived of revenues.
Recommendation 368
Return to the long-standing policy of exempting community newspapers with commercial inserts from the Consumers’ Choice program.
Recommendation 369
Dedicate more of the Government of Canada’s advertising expenditures to Canadian-owned media.
Recommendation 370
Extend the refundable labour tax credit for costs related to content production for all media, including print, television and radio.
Recommendation 371
Extend the Canadian journalism labour tax credit to broadcast news organizations.
Recommendation 372
Continue to invest in magazines eligible to receive support through the Special Measure for Journalism (SMJ) component of the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) by making the SMJ a permanent component of the CPF, starting in 2025‑26.
Recommendation 373
Increase the core funding allocated to National Sport Organizations to adjust for inflation since 2005, adequately resource organizations for the long-term to address critical sport system priorities, and eliminate the forecast funding gap these organizations require to effectively deliver on their mandates.
Recommendation 374
Make the amounts included in the most recent Action Plan for Official Languages permanent to ensure the sustainable and sustained development of minority language communities.
Recommendation 375
Provide dedicated, ongoing funding for police of jurisdiction, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Canada Border Services Agency to support their delegated responsibilities as it relates to port security, and improve information sharing between these and other actors and Canada Port Authorities.
Recommendation 376
Play its coordinating role with the provinces and municipalities in efforts to combat vehicle theft and adopt measures in areas under its jurisdiction, such as border services and vehicle safety standards.
Recommendation 377
Stabilize the violence against women shelter and transition house sector and address fundamental funding gaps in the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence by adequately funding the core community-based, feminist, survivor-serving organizations.
Recommendation 378
Support First Nations-led Implementation of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Calls for Justice.
Recommendation 379
Enhance the First Nations Policing Program to establish new forces, achieve equity with federal services, provide wrap-around and culturally reflective services, and transition to legislation recognizing First Nations jurisdiction and policing as an essential service.
Recommendation 380
Make new investments to support and strengthen Canada’s ability to monitor and prevent terrorism, including funding to enhance the capacity and expand the capabilities of Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams.
Recommendation 381
Go further in leveraging Canadian flagged ships and infrastructure operating in the North to ensure sovereignty and improve Arctic intelligence gathering about environmental and security situations.
Recommendation 382
Implement a co-ordinated, cross-sector anti-scam action plan to protect Canadians.
Recommendation 383
Ensure adequate resources to hold individuals accountable for financial crimes under the Criminal Code.
Recommendation 384
Continue to improve Canada’s anti-money laundering regime to focus on priority risks, high value reporting, prosecutions and statistics that enable evidence-based policies.
Recommendation 385
Strengthen Canada’s anti-corruption and anti-money laundering efforts by introducing a national and comprehensive whistleblower reporting and protection framework.
Recommendation 386
Grant a digital income verification tool to the mortgage industry to help crack down on fraud.
Recommendation 387
Address non-compliance in the trucking sector, including labour abuse and tax evasion, by ensuring labour and taxation laws are enforced.
Recommendation 388
Support domestic innovators’ capacity and leverage it to strengthen national cybersecurity and meet NATO’s 2% of GDP defense spending target.
Recommendation 389
Create a new tax credit or other financial incentives for SMEs that implement cyber-security measures.
Recommendation 390
Conduct an audit of existing endpoint cybersecurity strengths and gaps across all departments and agencies in order to identify the investment needed to reduce vulnerabilities and ensure comprehensive security measures are taken.
Recommendation 391
Establish and fund a Centre of Excellence for Peace and Justice focused on research, education and training in conflict resolution, diplomacy, and peace operations for Canadian civilians, police, military personnel, and the international community.
Recommendation 392
Increase wildland fire resiliency as identified in the Canadian Wildland Fire Prevention and Mitigation Strategy, including expanded investments in prevention and mitigation.
Recommendation 393
Provide funds to the Université du Québec to establish a consortium for eastern Canada on the resilience of forests, infrastructure and communities to forest fires.
Recommendation 394
Renew and expand existing funding to continue Canada’s leadership on nature protection and deliver on Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework obligations.
Recommendation 395
Provide financial assistance to municipalities so that they can acquire land in order to protect biodiversity and fight climate change.
Recommendation 396
Dedicate additional resources to identifying and combating aquatic invasive species (AIS), and support additional programs and initiatives for AIS prevention or management.
Recommendation 397
Provide dedicated funding for First Nations-led conservation to act on key Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan themes.
Recommendation 398
Invest in the development of additional Nauttiqsuqtiit Conservation Centres.
Recommendation 399
Strengthen First Nations-led water stewardship, including research and monitoring, and engagement on freshwater legislation, policies, and programs.
Recommendation 400
Advance First Nations-led marine conservation and engagement in Crown-led conservation initiatives, advancing their commitment to protecting all forms of biodiversity.
Recommendation 401
Extend the Natural Heritage Conservation Program beyond 2026.
Recommendation 402
Ensure Parks Canada has sufficient resources to conduct meaningful consultations for the expansion of urban parks.
Recommendation 403
Work with industry to develop an investment plan, including investment incentives, to build recycling infrastructure to keep plastic products out of the environment and in the economy.
Recommendation 404
Limit the production of residual materials by creating a home appliances and electronics repair fund and a reusable container and packaging fund.
Recommendation 405
Implement the Canada Green Building Strategy and support measures with adequate funding.
Recommendation 406
Recapitalize the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program or create a successor program.
Recommendation 407
Invest in measures that promote green affordable retrofits for low-income households.
Recommendation 408
Adjust program parameters so that the additional costs involved in achieving reduced building energy consumption and greenhouse gas targets do not limit housing affordability for low and moderate-income households.
Recommendation 409
Support transformative climate action through the implementation of the Assembly of First Nations National Climate Strategy.
Recommendation 410
Move quickly to reach agreements with the provinces and territories so that funds from the Local Leadership for Climate Adaptation program and the Growing Canada’s Community Canopies program are transferred to municipalities.
Recommendation 411
Implement a Net Zero Action Plan to support and invest in SMEs in relation to a National SME Industrial Path To Net Zero Program in order to measure and quantify carbon and GHG emissions from SMEs and their supply chain.
Recommendation 412
Provide the necessary education, training, and financial support for quantification of carbon emissions from SMEs and their supply chain.
Recommendation 413
Implement a new single senior non-refundable tax credit equivalent to half of the basic personal amount.
Recommendation 414
Increase the pension income amount for single seniors.
Recommendation 415
Increase the income clawback thresholds under the Old Age Security Act and for the purposes of claiming the age amount for single seniors.
Recommendation 416
Mitigate barriers to accessing the Canadian Disability Benefit for low-income people with disabilities by improving and investing in accessibility and outreach measures, including:
- mandating that the Canada Revenue Agency implement automatic tax filing for all Canadians and provide resources to accelerate its implementation;
- funding for non-profits to support benefit uptake;
- training for Service Canada staff to support eligible recipients in successfully applying; and
- addressing barriers to applying for the Disability Tax Credit.
Recommendation 417
Amend section 209 of the Income Tax Regulations to allow taxpayers to receive a digital version of all tax slips for investments from the same financial institution.
Recommendation 418
Add additional top income tax brackets.
Recommendation 419
Implement a progressive wealth tax.
Recommendation 420
Introduce targeted investment tax credits to spur innovation and productivity.
Recommendation 421
Ensure co-operative entrepreneurs and their related Canadian-controlled private corporations can access the small business deduction.
Recommendation 422
Address corporate greed by closing loopholes and implementing fair tax reforms.
Recommendation 423
Amend the Income Tax Act to make the tax-deferred cooperative share measure permanent.
Recommendation 424
Support international coordination on the taxation of multinationals and ultra-high net worth individuals.
Recommendation 425
Keep its commitment to the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS to promote the inclusiveness and fairness of the process, including by reviewing and improving the instruments already implemented such as Pillar Two (the global minimum tax).
Recommendation 426
Support and contribute to setting up international tax cooperation governance under the aegis of the United Nations.
Recommendation 427
Continue its sustained efforts to reform Canada’s tax system by studying and implementing unilateral measures to help curb tax avoidance.
Recommendation 428
Continue to combat tax havens, specifically by abolishing arrangements that allow the tax-free repatriation of dividends declared in a country that has a Tax Information Exchange Agreement with Canada.
Recommendation 429
No longer provide charitable status to anti-abortion organizations.
Recommendation 430
Amend the Income Tax Act to provide a definition of a charity which would remove the privileged status of “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose.
Recommendation 431
Follow-through on the Budget 2022 commitment and plan for a review of the disbursement quota rate by 2027 and commit to a regular review.
Recommendation 432
Invest in the further development of the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP) and CVITP Grant program to support free tax-filing assistance for Canadians with low incomes delivered by community organizations.
Recommendation 433
Adopt a progressive, growth-oriented, federal excise rate schedule that would notably reduce the excise duty for the first 500,000 hectolitres of beer produced, allowing Canadian breweries to grow to without encountering a significant increase in the excise rate.
Recommendation 434
Provide a significant excise duty exemption on the first 50,000 litres of absolute ethyl alcohol (LAA) of production of distilleries, and an increasingly smaller excise duty exemption on the next 50,000 LAA, and the last 100,000 AA, respectively, bringing production to 200,000 LAA.
Recommendation 435
Remove the GST from all essential goods and services, including home heating, basic home and cellular telephone and internet services, children’s clothes, school supplies, and all food and health products.
Recommendation 436
Repeal the luxury tax on the sale of aircrafts made in Canada.
Recommendation 437
Exempt acers (maple wines) from excise duty in the same way as meads (honey wines) and ciders (apple wines).
Recommendation 438
Begin collecting taxes from foreign online platforms selling in Canada.
Recommendation 439
Introduce a new Visitor GST/HST Rebate Program.
Recommendation 440
Amend the Excise Tax Act to resolve the ambiguous application of the GST/HST based on where the goods are released into Canada when imported.
Recommendation 441
Develop carbon tariff policy tools to prepare for global developments regarding carbon border adjustments.
Recommendation 442
Focus on fiscal prudence, recognizing the need to balance strategic investments with rigorous management of government spending.
Recommendation 443
Implement a government-wide productivity agenda to focus public policy on securing Canadians’ future prosperity.
Recommendation 444
Continue with the implementation of a progressive fiscal and budgetary policy, which means running low budget deficits as a share of GDP with a view to present a plan to balance the budget within five years and subsequently pass balanced budget legislation.
Recommendation 445
Invest in and increase the number of Canada Revenue Agency auditors.
Recommendation 446
Provide the Competition Bureau with additional funds in accordance with the new powers and responsibilities it was given to better protect Canadians and promote affordability.
Recommendation 447
Establish a federal construction secretariat or department.
Recommendation 448
Ensure that all departments, especially Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and all regional economic agencies, recognize the non-profit social enterprise business model as a strategic means to meet their economic, social, and environmental goals, and expand and fund support for non-profit social enterprise business capacity and access to finance.
Recommendation 449
Earmark a sufficient budget to establish a sustainability taskforce within the Competition Bureau to ensure it has expertise and capacity to act on greenwashing and sustainability issues.
Recommendation 450
Re-establish and fund a co-operatives secretariat or dedicated centre.
Recommendation 451
Expedite the formation of a Cabinet-level National Space Council, consisting of key Cabinet Ministers with the Privy Council Office acting as secretariate.
Recommendation 452
Provide funding to establish a unit within Statistics Canada whose mandate is to collect, analyze, and share data on the non-profit sector.
Recommendation 453
Provide funding for creating and maintaining a Canadian Non-profit Data Lab.
Recommendation 454
Continue and strengthen the critical partnership between the federal government and the non-profit and charitable sector.
Recommendation 455
Establish and adequately resource a unit within the federal government to act as a champion of the non-profit sector.
Recommendation 456
Maximize Canadian content in all aerospace-related government procurements.
Recommendation 457
Implement and optimize “buy clean” policies to reduce emissions from public infrastructure and prepare the industrial and construction sectors for a net-zero future.
Recommendation 458
Implement reciprocal procurement policies to generate North American market demand for clean, locally produced materials and attach reciprocity conditions to any federally funded projects, wherever possible.
Recommendation 459
Strengthen and increase the transparency of Canada’s weapons export permit and procurement processes to ensure that Canada does not support war crimes.
Recommendation 460
Support Métis entrepreneurs through the Métis Business Directories and a Métis Procurement Institute.
Recommendation 461
Ensure the inclusion of social enterprises in the implementation of the Policy on Social Procurement, as a strategic means for government to meet the policy’s objective of enhancing best value in procurement.
Recommendation 462
Reform the public sector innovation procurement regime to spur economic growth and deliver for Canadians.