Budget 2018: Highlights of Bill Morneau's 'equality + growth' budget
CBC News | Posted: February 27, 2018 9:21 PM | Last Updated: February 28, 2018
Finance Minister Bill Morneau has tabled his third budget. Here is a look at the highlights, new measures and key numbers:
- $21.5B in new spending over 6 years, including the fiscal year just ending.
- $18.1B projected deficit for 2018-19 (including $3B for risk), falling to $12.3B by 2022-23.
- $750M over 5 years to improve cyber security.
- $231M over 5 years to address the opioid crisis, including $165M this year.
- 5 weeks extra leave for two-parent families under the EI Parental Sharing Benefit (June 2019).
- Legislation promised this year on federal pay equity - but no price tag yet.
- $172.6M more over 3 years for clean drinking water on reserves.
- $1.4B over 6 years in new funding for First Nations Child and Family Services.
- $2B over 5 years in additional foreign aid under the Feminist International Assistance Policy.
- $10M over 5 years for an RCMP unit to review 25,000 cases of sex assault deemed "unfounded."
- $1.3B over 5 years to conserve land, waterways and wildlife and protect species at risk.
- $100M over 5 years to develop rural broadband innovation, including low-earth-orbit satellites.
- New judges - 6 for Ontario, 1 for Saskatchewan - and more money to help ease court backlogs.
- $173M to address irregular border-crossings and asylum seekers.
- $6M for a new process to hold federal leadership debates during election years.
- $50M over 5 years to one or more independent organizations to support local journalism.
- $30M over 3 years to promote women and girls' participation in sport.
- $81M over 5 years to help families inadvertently caught up in the no-fly list.
- Free admission for kids to national parks will be made permanent.
- Creation of advisory council on implementing national pharmacare - but no money yet.
- Some retired or little used paper currency will no longer be legal tender.