In the recent 2022 Fall Economic Statement, the Government of Canada highlighted its plan to continue its sound stewardship of the economy and to be there for Canadians. To help families cope with increasing costs, like rising prices at the checkout counter, the government is delivering targeted support to the Canadians who need it the most, including by doubling the goods and services tax (GST) credit for 11 million eligible Canadians, enhancing the Canada Workers Benefit to support 4.2 million Canadians, and making federal student and apprentice loans permanently interest free for the graduates of today and tomorrow.
The government is also moving forward with its ambitious plan to strengthen industry and build a thriving net-zero economy with opportunities and jobs.
Today, the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, met with students at the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies to tour the facility, see the site for the MakerLodge's new permanent home and learn about the innovative work being done there. The Minister highlighted the government's investments in jobs and skills and heard directly about Indigenous innovations happening in Saskatchewan in the tech and agritech sectors.
The Canadian economy faces global headwinds from a position of fundamental strength: an unemployment rate near its record low-over 500,000 more Canadians are working today than before the pandemic-the strongest economic growth in the G7 this year, a triple-A credit rating, and the lowest net debt- and deficit-to-GDP ratios in the G7. Canadians should be confident that we will overcome any hurdles and prosper in the days ahead.
