The Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Marco Mendicino, today, visited Yellowknife to discuss how Budget 2023 will help make life more affordable for families in the Northwest Territories. Delivered last week by Deputy Prime Minister Freeland, Budget 2023 is a Made-in-Canada plan to lower costs for Canadians, invest in health and dental care and create jobs in our communities.
More money in the pockets of NWT families
To make life more affordable, Budget 2023 delivers the new Grocery Rebate. This targeted inflation relief will put $467 back in the pockets of eligible families with children. This is estimated to help some 10,000 people across the Northwest Territories. The government is also taking action to crack down on junk fees and predatory lending, lower credit card fees for small businesses and launching new tools to help low-income Canadians receive the tax benefits they are entitled to.
The budget makes significant investments in Canada's universal public health care system, including $311 million here in the Northwest Territories. This funding will reduce backlogs and expand access to family health services. Budget 2023 also introduces a new Canadian Dental Care Plan, ensuring no Canadian has to choose between taking care of their teeth and paying the bills.
To build Canada's clean economy, the budget makes transformative investments to fight climate change and create opportunities for Canadians. This includes significant measures that will deliver cleaner and more affordable energy and create good paying jobs. Investments in the budget will support clean electricity projects across the North, including the Taltson Hydro Expansion Project.
Building on our success
Budget 2023 builds on Canada's remarkable recovery from the COVID recession. Canada's economic growth was the strongest in the G7 over the last year and today 830,000 more Canadians are employed than before the pandemic. Inflation has fallen for eight months in a row, our unemployment rate is near its record low at 5% -- even lower in Northwest Territories at 4.9%. Supported by a national system of affordable early learning and child care, labour force participation for women aged 25 to 54 reached at a record high of 85.7 per cent in February.
With a responsible fiscal plan that will see Canada maintain the lowest deficit and the lowest net debt-to-GDP ratio in the G7, Budget 2023 will help to build a Canada that is more affordable and sustainable from coast to coast to coast.
