OTTAWA REPORT

October 8, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Lois Brown, M.P.
Newmarket-Aurora

Support for Manufacturing
In July 2014, Canada posted its largest trade surplus in nearly six years, driven by surging auto exports that had a 9.7 per cent increase in motor vehicle and parts exports and a 10.2 per cent increase in passenger car exports.
Budget 2014 included an additional $500 million over two years to the Automotive Innovation Fund to support significant new strategic research and development projects and long-term investments in the Canadian automotive sector.
Canada faces heightened competition from advanced and emerging economies and the Advanced Manufacturing Fund will contribute directly to an innovative and sustainable manufacturing base that will continue to be an important economic driver for prosperity.
Canada’s two most recent trade agreements, the Canada–European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Canada–Korea Free Trade Agreement, promise to add at least $14 billion annually in new economic activity, equivalent to creating more than 90,000 new jobs. This is all good news for Newmarket-Aurora’s manufacturers.

Government Announces E-Labelling
Industry Minister James Moore has unveiled new electronic labelling regulations for telecommunication devices. In today’s digital world, Canadians own smaller devices that have more functionality than ever before such as light smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and wearable glucose monitors.
Manufacturers of these devices are increasingly burdened by the need to etch, engrave or use unsightly stickers to label this technology. As of now, technology manufacturers will be able to give consumers mandatory information about their devices electronically. Canada is the sixth county worldwide to bring in e-labelling, opening Canada’s markets to the latest wireless wearable devices such as Google Glass and Apple Watch.

House of Commons Page Program
Applications for the 2015-16 House of Commons Page Program are being accepted until December 8, 2014. Graduating high school and CEGEP students from across Canada, entering studies at one of the universities in the National Capital Region, are eligible. Pages have the opportunity to learn about one of Canada’s oldest institutions while witnessing the legislative process first hand. For more information, visit: parl.gc.ca/Employment/House/PageProgram/PP_Welcome-e.htm

National World War II Tribute
The Government of Canada has announced a new national tribute to mark the 75th anniversary of Canada’s engagement in the Second World War. As part of Canada’s World Wars Commemoration period, all living Canadian Veterans of the Second World War are eligible to receive a limited-edition commemorative lapel pin and a certificate of recognition.
Canadians who served at least one day with Canadian forces, or with any other Allied force including the Canadian or British Merchant Navy, either at home or abroad, during the Second World War, are eligible.
With a population of some 11 million in 1939, Canada’s contribution to the Second World War was disproportionately large. From 1939 to 1945, more than one million Canadians and Newfoundlanders served, with more than 55,000 wounded and over 45,000 giving their lives.
The design of the commemorative pin is based on the original “Victory Nickel” which features a flaming torch and a large ‘V’ standing both for victory and the coin’s denomination. The coin was originally in circulation from 1943 to 1945 and was re-issued in 2005 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of VE-Day.
It is estimated that there are approximately 80,000 Canadian Second World War Veterans alive today. Eligible Veterans or their families may contact my office or visit www.veterans.gc.ca for more information.

Get Cyber Safe!
October is Cyber Security Awareness Month. Nearly one in five Canadian youth do not know how to use the privacy settings on their social media accounts and nearly a quarter of Canadians say that they never change their passwords. Protect yourself and your family by doing the following to stay cyber safe:
Change your passwords regularly. Combine letters, numbers and special characters to make it hard to guess.
Lock your phone. It’s a simple way to protect personal information if your phone is lost or stolen.
Click smart. Never open e-mail attachments or download files that look suspicious.
Protect yourself with security software. Use antivirus software and activate a firewall to stop viruses and hackers.
Keep your systems up to date. Install application and operating system updates as soon as they are available.
For more tips on visit www.getcybersafe.gc.ca.

If you would like to contact me on any issue, please call 905-953-7515 or visit my website at www.loisbrown.ca. I look forward to hearing from you.