Happy September, Centennial!

Throughout the summer, my team and I had a number of opportunities to connect with residents all across Scarborough- Rouge Park and discuss the issues that matter most to you. I would like to thank those of you who took the time to provide my team and me with your thoughtful feedback and I look forward to sharing your comments with my colleagues in Ottawa as we resume the upcoming parliamentary session.

Investing in Global Education

As our children head back to school, I am delighted to announce that our government is doing its part to ensure that women and girls around the world have an equal opportunity to access education.

In conjunction with the World Bank, European Union and governments of Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, the Government of Canada, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, will be investing $3.2 billion to help women and girls access education, acquire critical employment skills, expand data on female education and create school curriculums more inclusive of girls.

I am proud to work for a government that recognizes the importance of education, social equity and women’s rights, and is taking the necessary steps to address these issues in a timely and effective manner. Investing in women and girls will help them build better lives  for themselves, their families and their communities.

Enhancing the Canada Child Benefit

This summer, I was honoured to join Justin Trudeau, Jane Philpott and Mary Ng for a special announcement about the Canada Child Benefit (CCB). Starting this year, our government will be indexing the CCB to match the cost of inflation. These changes come two years ahead of schedule and will help families across Canada with daily expenses like sports programs, science camp, music lessons and more.

Here in Scarborough-Rouge Park, the CCB is an absolute game changer! The CCB currently provides support to more than 19,000 children and invests $76 million in our community. What’s more, thanks to the CCB, more than half a million people – including almost 300,000 children – are being lifted out of poverty, representing a 40 percent decrease in child poverty in Canada.

Centennial Community Corn Roast

Finally, I would like to thank the Centennial community for your support to make our 2nd Annual Community Corn Roast such a success! This year, my team and I hosted seven  corn roasts across Scarborough-Rouge Park including one in Centennial Park on Saturday, August 18.

The corn roast is an excellent opportunity for my team and me to understand what supports our community is currently utilizing and which areas our government should prioritize in order to continue building a stronger and more resilient community for everyone.

For those of you heading back to school, work or taking on new challenges this fall, I want to wish you all the best.  If you did not get a chance to meet my team and me this summer or attend one of our events, I encourage you to contact my office at 416 283 1414 or Gary.Anand@parl.gc.ca to share your ideas or ask about how we can assist you with various federal services.