Happy Spring

A powerful speech by President Biden highlighted the long-time and important relationship between our nations.

It’s been a busy month in Ottawa, and I want to take the chance to update you on some recent events.

Last week, President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden visited Ottawa where he addressed members of parliament, senators, and guests. He discussed how our close relationship is based on a mutual commitment to shared security, prosperity, and democratic values, which includes fighting climate change and respecting human rights.

Our two nations are working collaboratively on several fronts, including:

• Accelerating clean energy and creating good jobs
• Strengthening resilience of critical mineral and semiconductor supply chains
• Protecting our shared waters and the arctic
• Bolstering global alliances

Late Breaking News: On March 28, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Finance tabled the federal budget, which emphasizes:

• Affordability and inflation relief to Canadians who need it most
• A stronger universal public health care system, and rolling out a new Canadian Dental Plan
• Making transformative investments to build Canada’s clean economy while creating stable jobs across the country.

Women’s Entrepreneurs/Small Business Roundtable

Girl Power! I enjoyed listening to inspiring women entrepreneurs who live and work in Vancouver Quadra.

In honour of International Women’s Day, I welcomed a group of women entrepreneurs to my MP office. My goal was simple: share our experiences, learn from one another, and discuss how the federal government can help.

The attendees embodied great diversity. From sole proprietorships to businesses with hundreds of employees; from consumer products, to food service, travel, real estate, executive coaching, reforestation, fair trade clothing, immigrant services and more. We agreed that, although running a business (especially while raising young children) is exhausting, the benefits of being your own boss make it worthwhile. The federal commitment to fund $10 per day childcare was recognized as a huge plus for women entrepreneurs, and all working moms!

Our group also thought it was important to share with you a few local agencies that provide support for women entrepreneurs:

• WNorth: A global support network for women entrepreneurs
• She-Summits: An online platform that offers tools, workshops, and digital resources for women to grow their business
• Women’s Entrepreneurship Centre: They empower women to achieve their goals of business success

Canada/B.C. Bilateral Healthcare Agreement

Chatting with staff of a local health service provider.

On March 1^st, Canada and BC agreed on actions to improve health care for British Columbians, thanks to $27.47Billion in extra federal funding over ten years. This means more money for Children’s hospitals; emergency rooms and shorter surgery wait times. These funds will also improve access to a family doctor, support BC’s healthcare workforce, increase help for home care or long-term care for those who need it, boost mental health services, and more. This also included $3.32 billion for a new bilateral agreement focusing on shared healthcare priorities.

Finally, as part of this bilateral health plan, Canada will work with British Columbia to streamline the recognition of foreign credentials for internationally educated health professionals, and advance labour mobility for key health professionals.

PacifiCan Announcement

Aspect Biosystems is leveraging UBC bio-innovation research into leading-edge health solutions.

Vancouver is home to many talented minds and innovative organizations who are leading the way in life changing technology! Last week, Minister Harjit Sajjan announced over $25.7 million to help 10 Vancouver-based organizations. The announcement was made at Aspect Biosystems in Vancouver Quadra where their technology is being used to revolutionize treatment for Type 1 Diabetes. This new federal government investment expected to create over 500 jobs, generate $500+ million in increased revenue, and over $400 million in global sales for B.C. businesses.

In Case You Missed It

Photo Credit: Melanie Joly’s Instagram

Minister Melanie Joly meeting with President Zelenskyy to discuss further support for Ukraine.

• To mark the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Minister Joly announced that Canada has welcomed over 180,000 Ukrainians over the last year.
• Minister Jean-Yves Duclos introduced Canada’s first-ever National Strategy for Drugs for Rare Diseases, with an investment of up to $1.5 billion over three years.
• Service Canada launched a new digital tool to track that status of your passport application. This will be a huge relief to many Vancouver Quadra trevellers!
• City of Vancouver’s Rain City Strategy seeks to improve the city’s water quality, increase resilience to climate change and enhance ecosystems.

Later this week, in my capacity as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, I’ll be visiting Norway and Iceland. The purpose of my trip is twofold, first I will be learning about the innovative technologies used in Norway to improve the sustainability of salmon aquaculture. Second, I will be exploring Iceland’s’ success as a leader in 100% Fish (or what I refer to as “zero waste fisheries”). Stay tune for updates!

Wishing you a Happy Easter, Vaisakhi, and Eid al-Fitr in the coming weeks.

Warm regards,

Joyce