Sonia Sidhu
Sonia Sidhu
Member of Parliament for Brampton South
Constituency Office Update | October 13, 2020
October 13, 2020

CONSTITUENCY OFFICE UPDATE (1)
Dear Constituents,

It has been a historic couple of weeks, as we’ve witnessed generational victories for all Bramptonians in our Governments Throne Speech. 

I have been advocating for our seniors in long-term care, and for the gaps in our social systems to be addressed and I couldn’t be more proud that our Liberal government has delivered.

We have a plan to take bold action on the things that matter most to you. We’re pledging to create one million new jobs, establish National standards for long-term care, and make significant investments in child care. 

We have a vision to build back a better, stronger, and more resilient Canada by building more inclusive, and safer communities for everyone. This will give everyone in Brampton South a fair and equal chance to succeed. Find our priorities and commitments below.

This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for each and every one of you. Our community wouldn’t be where we are today without you! I’m putting out a public plea to please remain safe and cautious, as cases of COVID-19 in Peel continue to rise. Please stay safe, limit gatherings, and practice frequent hand-washing to keep each other safe. 

As your Federal Member of Parliament, I will always stand up for you and do my best to ensure that every voice is heard. It is always my pleasure to assist you with any questions or requests you may have concerning our Federal programs.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with my office, we would love to hear from you at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Sonia Sidhu, MP Brampton South


CONSTITUENCY OFFICE UPDATE (1)

How Can We Help?

It’s my pleasure to assist constituents with many issues relating to Federal programs and services. My office and I are here to help with any questions or requests you may have, by email or by appointment at [email protected]. Some of the things we can help you get more information on are:

Please reach out to my office and we will guide you through the process of dealing with the various Federal departments. I look forward to hearing from you!

Protecting Canadians from COVID-19

COVID-19 is an invisible enemy that respects no borders and can affect anyone. To fight this virus and save lives, we will provide Canadians, especially our most vulnerable, with the right tools to protect their health and safety. For our frontline healthcare workers: we secured supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), invested in our own domestic PPE production; and supported healthcare workers in long-term care homes in Ontario with Members of the Canadian Forces.

We’ve helped the provinces increase the capacity of their healthcare systems and testing capabilities with an investment of over $19 billion through the Safe Restart Agreement. We’ve also supported the provinces and territories in keeping children safe as they returned to the classroom, with a $2 billion investment through the Safe Return to Class Fund.

Testing and contact tracing will continue to be a big part of our toolbox in keeping this virus under control, and we will further support the provinces and territories in this effort. As quicker tests become available and are approved by Health Canada, we’ll do everything we can to see them deployed as fast as possible. 

We’ve already secured agreements with some of the leading vaccine manufacturers for vaccine-candidates and will continue to evaluate new ones as they become available, while also investing in manufacturing here at home. Once a vaccine is ready, we will make sure every Canadian who wants it can get it. 

Helping Canadians through the pandemic

This pandemic has shown itself to be just as much an economic crisis as it is a health crisis. From the very beginning we committed to doing whatever is takes to help Canadians weather this storm. At the beginning of the pandemic we acted quickly with the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) so the residents of Brampton South and all Canadians could continue to pay their bills and put food on the table. 

As we work towards a full recovery, we’ve extended the CEWS to next summer so Canadians can keep their jobs as business starts to ramp up again. Our ultimate goal is to create over one million jobs and a return to pre-pandemic employment levels. 

 

Businesses will be supported through this crisis with an expanded Canada Emergency Business Account to help them with fixed costs and an improved Business Credit Availability Program. We will also introduce further support for industries that have been the hardest hit, including travel and tourism, hospitality, and cultural industries like the performing arts.

Women have been disproportionately impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, particularly low-income women. To ensure this pandemic doesn’t roll back women’s participation in the workforce, our government will create an Action Plan for Women in the Economy and accelerate the Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy. As women continue to bear the majority of child-care responsibilities, we’ll give parents access to affordable, inclusive, and high-quality childcare by creating a Canada-wide early learning and childcare system. 

For those who’ve still not been able to return to work or have been laid-off and can’t find a new job, they can now receive support by a bolstered Employment Insurance (EI) system. For those who wouldn’t normally qualify for EI, we’re creating a transitional Recovery Benefit to offer support in this difficult time.

The cost to get Canada on the other side of this pandemic may be high, but the cost of inaction would be even worse. Ensuring Canadians are supported through this health crisis is the best thing we can do for the economy.

 

Building back better

As we navigate the fallout of this pandemic and work towards rebuilding, we know that some things cannot go back to business as usual. The pandemic has given us the unique opportunity to fix the vulnerabilities in our societies that have been exposed.

Seniors living in long-term care homes have been immensely affected during this pandemic, and we will work to ensure that something like this never happens again. We’ll work with the provinces and territories to set new, national standards for long-term care, so seniors get the best care possible.

The pandemic has made the need for things like access to a primary care physician, mental health services, virtual healthcare services, and universal pharmacare more obvious. We look forward to working with provinces and territories to achieve these goals and strengthen our healthcare system.

The future is green. Long-term competitiveness will be achieved through clean growth while fighting climate change. The time is now to transition away from fossil fuels and invest in clean energy, increased energy efficiency, and reliable public transportation options. We plan to exceed our 2030 climate targets and will be legislating our net-zero greenhouse gas target, which we will achieve by 2050. 

The Canada we’re fighting for

Canadians take care of one another, and this is especially true during a pandemic. It’s something we witness every day, and an ideal we continue to aspire to. We’re standing up for the values that define our country: reconciliation, embracing our two official languages, celebrating the contributions of LGBTQ2 communities, welcoming newcomers, and supporting family reunification. 

Systemic racism is a lived reality for far too many Canadians. We know that COVID-19 has hit racialized Canadians especially hard. Indigenous people, Black, and racialized Canadians have raised their voices and demanded change, and we’ve committed to doing just that. We’ve pledged to work together to address systemic racism, and to reaffirm our commitments to reconciliation.

Canada is known worldwide as a welcoming place, where immigrants and immigration are celebrated. We recognize the positive impacts immigration has on our communities, and our long-term economic growth.  We will continue to bring in newcomers and support family reunification and leverage the advantages a multicultural Canada brings to keep us competitive on the world stage.

Canada has always believed in what the world can achieve when we all work together, and it’s even more important during a global pandemic. We cannot eliminate the pandemic in Canada unless we end it everywhere. We must ensure that people around the world have access to a vaccine and continue to assist developing countries with their economic recoveries and resilience so that we can all build back better.

There remains much work to be done, but Bramptonians and Canadians alike have always been up to the task.

 

Main office - Brampton
5 Montpelier Street, Unit 214
Brampton, Ontario
L6Y 6H4

Telephone:
905-846-0076

Fax:
905-846-3901
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House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
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Telephone:
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