In brief, here are four other measures contained in the hundreds of pages of the second Freeland budget.
Posted at 4:36 p.m.
903 million against cyber threats
The increase in cybersecurity events targeting Canada is costly. Ottawa will invest $903 million over the next five years to “protect Canada against cyber threats, including those from foreign actors.” The bulk of the government’s strategy is centered on the Telecommunications Security Center (CST), which will coordinate 97% of this budget, or 875 million. In particular, $263.9 million will be spent to strengthen CSE’s technical capacity to counter cyberattacks, $180.3 million to better protect critical infrastructure and $178.7 million for the security of small departments, agencies and Crown corporations. More generally, 252.2 million will be invested to “make essential government systems more resilient to cyber incidents”. Some 17.7 million will also be earmarked for funding university research chairs in cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies.
Karim Benessaieh, The Press
Crowdfunding under the magnifying glass
The convoy of truckers in Ottawa put crowdfunding platforms under the microscope of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Center of Canada (FINTRAC). These powers which evaporated with the end of the state of emergency will be granted to him again. These platforms as well as online payment service providers will have to report any suspicious transaction over $1,000 starting April 27. The expansion of FINTRAC’s mandate is accompanied by an envelope of $89.9 million over five years, which corresponds to 24% of its budget. The money will also be used to modernize the technological infrastructure of the Centre, whose mandate is to provide financial intelligence in order to combat money laundering, the financing of terrorist activities and threats to Canadian security.
Mylene Crete, The Press
A bypass that begins in Lac-Mégantic
Nearly a decade after the rail tragedy that killed 47 people in Lac-Mégantic in July 2013, the bypass issue continues to be in the federal budget. The project will receive 237 million until 2026-2027 to “complete construction”. Cost sharing with Quebec has not yet been concluded, but work should begin this year. A sum of $13.2 million is also granted to Public Safety Canada to make other payments. The track must be 12.5 km long and its route will prevent freight trains from passing through downtown Lac-Mégantic. In principle, Ottawa must finance 60% of the bill while Quebec will contribute 40%.
Julien Arsenault, The Press
New arrivals for vacancies
Since the labor shortage is not about to fade, the Trudeau government plans to welcome 451,000 new permanent residents by 2024. This forecast is included in the budget of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. The majority will be “skilled workers who will help address persistent labor shortages,” the budget says. The Trudeau government’s “ambitious plan” provides for spending of $2 billion over the next five years to fund the various measures of the strategy. There were 915,000 vacancies nationwide in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to Statistics Canada data.
Julien Arsenault, The Press