Ottawa, ON – The Conservative Party National Campaign today released the following statement on Justin Trudeau’s candidate in Spadina—Fort York: “Last night, media reported that Justin Trudeau’s candidate in Spadina—Fort York was charged with sexual assault in 2019 – a fact that Justin Trudeau, the Liberal Party of Canada, and the candidate hid from Canadians. “This pattern of cover-ups by Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party must stop. Once again Canadians are left wondering how they can trust the Liberals. “Justin Trudeau must do the right thing and immediately fire this candidate and confirm that if elected, this candidate will not sit in the Liberal Caucus.”

Ottawa, ON – Today, the Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives, shared his plan to support parents. “The last thing I want new and expecting parents to worry about is their income or how they’re going to pay for essentials like cribs, car seats, and clothes when Justin Trudeau is driving up the cost of everything,” said O’Toole. “Canada’s Conservatives have a plan to help these parents keep more of their income and get relief when they need it most for these new costs.” Through Canada’s Recovery Plan, a Conservative government will: -- Improve Canada’s existing maternity and parental leave programs to allow new parents to earn and keep up to $1,000 per month without the government clawing back their maternity or parental leave. -- Provide expecting parents with the Canada Child Benefit starting in the seventh month of pregnancy to help them purchase essentials as they prepare for the arrival of their baby. -- Create a National Adoption Strategy that will include more generous benefits for adoptive parents, including an expanded EI benefit and an increase to the Adoption Expense Tax Credit from $15,000 to $20,000. “Making life more affordable for Canadians and ensuring our maternity and parental leave programs work for families in today’s modern workforce will remain top priorities for a Conservative government,” said O’Toole. “Only Canada’s Conservatives have a plan to secure the future for new and expecting Canadian families.”

Vancouver, BC – Today, the Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives, announced his plan to support parents experiencing the trauma of a miscarriage, stillbirth, or loss of a child. “Every year, thousands of Canadian parents struggle with the loss of a child, but our current benefits system does not provide the proper support for grieving parents,” said O’Toole. “Canada’s Conservatives will end the stigma and ensure parents have access to the financial support and time they need to mourn.” Currently, employment insurance parental benefits end immediately following the death of a child. A Conservative government will reform this to extend EI parental leave for at least eight weeks following the death of a child, ensuring that parents are not abruptly cut off from their benefits. Canada’s Conservatives will also provide up to eight weeks of paid leave from employment in the event of a stillbirth. To promote healing and family wellness, a Conservative government will also provide parents with three days of paid bereavement leave in the event of a miscarriage. “We will be there for grieving parents when they need us most,” said O’Toole. “Only Canada’s Conservatives have a plan to support families and secure the future.”

Whitby, ON – Today, the Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives, released his plan to improve the lives of Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Nearly one in five Canadians live in the GTA, but families in these communities are increasingly worried about finding a home they can afford, the rising cost of living, long commute times, gang violence, and overcrowded hospitals. “We need someone in Ottawa who personally knows and understands the challenges facing the families and communities in our region,” said O’Toole. “As someone who was raised in the GTA and now raising my family there, I will deliver a Conservative plan to build more homes, get shovels in the ground on transit, and cut hospital wait times.” Through Canada’s Recovery Plan, Canada’s Conservatives will: -- Get housing prices under control by building one million more homes over the next three years and banning foreign buyers if they have no intention of moving to Canada. -- Lower prices by introducing a GST holiday in December, cracking down on price-fixing, and getting inflation under control by stopping the Liberals’ endless deficits, and responsibly balancing the budget over the next decade. -- Reduce commute times by immediately getting shovels in the ground on transit projects across the Greater Toronto Area, including Ontario’s GTA transit plan and GO expansion. -- Cut hospital wait times by increasing health transfers by a minimum of six per cent annually, representing a historic $60 billion investment over 10 years in health care. -- Combat gang violence by hiring an additional 200 RCMP officers to help keep communities safe. “It’s time Canada had a Prime Minister from the 905,” said O’Toole. “As Prime Minister, I will secure the future for workers and families across the GTA and for all Canadians.”

Ottawa, ON — Today, the Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives, released his plan to secure human rights by banning products made with forced and enslaved labour. “For years, we’ve known Uyghur slave labour is being used by China’s Communist regime in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to produce products like cotton, tomatoes, and solar panels for export,” said O’Toole. “As Prime Minister, I won’t hesitate to act against this disgusting practice and ensure that the worst human rights offenders don’t profit from these abuses.” A Conservative government will dramatically revise Canada’s supply chain legislation to meaningfully enforce the country’s commitment not to import products made with slave labour, including products the Chinese Communist Party forces Uyghur Muslims to make. “Canada’s Conservatives will always stand up for human rights,” concluded O’Toole. “We will stand with our allies around the world to confront evil and tyranny wherever it exists and promote greater freedom for all.” If you don’t care about standing up for human rights, you have three parties to choose from in this election. If you do, then there is only one choice – Erin O’Toole and Canada’s Conservatives.

Ottawa, ON – Today, the Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives, released his plan to introduce a Dine and Discover program to support the tourism and hospitality sectors. “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disastrous effect on Canada’s tourism and hospitality sectors,” said O’Toole. “A Conservative government will act quickly to recover the one million jobs lost during the pandemic and help these businesses get back on their feet.” Through Canada’s Recovery Plan, a Conservative government will introduce a Dine and Discover program to encourage Canadians to support these hard-hit sectors. This initiative will: -- Provide a 50 per cent rebate for food and non-alcoholic drinks purchased for dine-in from Monday to Wednesday for one month, once it is safe to do so, pumping nearly $1 billion into these sectors. -- Launch the Explore and Support Canada initiative with a 15 per cent tax credit for vacation expenses of up to $1,000 per person to encourage Canadians to vacation in Canada in 2022, helping the tourism sector get back on its feet. -- Eliminate the Liberal escalator tax on alcohol. “We will help Canadians deal with the rising cost of living, while supporting those who work in our hospitality sector,” said O’Toole. If you don’t care about securing support for Canada’s tourism and hospitality sectors, you have three parties to choose from in this election. If you do, then there is only one choice – Canada’s Conservatives.

Ottawa, ON – Today, the Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives, introduced his plan to lower cell phone and Internet bills and improve broadband access. Canadians pay some of the highest cell phone and Internet rates in the world. As the pandemic has shown, access to reliable cell and Internet service is critical for Canadians. “A big reason for pricey cell phone bills is a lack of competition,” said O’Toole. “A Conservative government will always stand up for consumers and promote more competition to help provide more affordable options for Canadians and lower bills.” As part of Canada’s Recovery Plan, Canada’s Conservatives will: -- Allow international telecommunications companies to provide services to Canadian consumers, provided that the same treatment is reciprocated for Canadian companies in that company’s home country. -- Build up digital infrastructure to connect all of Canada to high-speed Internet by 2025, ensuring that all Canadians have reliable access to the Internet regardless of where they live. -- Make investments in rural broadband and lowering prices a necessary criteria of winning spectrum auctions and apply “use-it-or-lose-it” rules that require telecommunication companies to immediately begin building infrastructure to connect customers. -- Empower local communities and businesses by promoting investment in their own wireless and broadband projects and reducing local and regional dependence on the national telecommunications giants. “Canada’s Recovery Plan will foster more competition, create jobs in rural communities, and ensure Canadians have access to affordable wireless choices,” said O’Toole. “We are the only choice to secure the future and ensure affordable cell phone service for you and your family.”

Ottawa, ON – Today, the Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives, released his plan to lift up Canadians by doubling the Canada Workers Benefit. “Canadians are struggling, and for too long our most vulnerable workers have been left behind without the proper support to provide for themselves and their families,” said O’Toole. “Canada’s Conservatives believe that it’s time to make work pay and help those most in need.” Canada’s Recovery Plan will double the Canada Workers Benefit up to a maximum of $2,800 for individuals or $5,000 for families, paying it as a quarterly direct deposit rather than a tax refund at year-end. This will help 3.5 million families pay the bills and put food on the table. For someone earning between $12,000 and $28,000 per year, it represents a $1/hour raise. A Conservative government will also double the disability supplement from $713 to $1,500, helping almost 90,000 workers with disabilities. “Increasing this benefit and delivering it every three months will make a huge difference in the lives of low-income workers and their families, including those who are earning minimum wage,” O’Toole said. “Together, we can secure the future for working Canadians.” If you don’t care about lifting up working Canadians, you have three parties to choose from in this election. If you do, then there is only one choice – Erin O’Toole and Canada’s Conservatives.

Vancouver, BC – Today, the Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives, released his plan to hire an additional 200 Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers and support police forces across the country. “Every Canadian should have confidence that when they pick up the phone and call 9-1-1, someone will be available to help,” said O’Toole. “Canada’s Conservatives will give police the resources they need to do their job and make our communities safer, including putting more boots on the ground.” The Liberal government has ignored calls by the RCMP and its union to address staffing shortages during the pandemic. A Conservative government will make the necessary investments in police forces across the country, including hiring additional officers and providing more education and training, to combat rising episodes of gun violence and gang activity. To tackle crime, through Canada’s Recovery Plan Canada’s Conservatives will: -- Hire an additional 200 RCMP officers to combat gangs and the smuggling of guns and drugs. The majority of officers will be based in the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario and the Lower Mainland in British Columbia to help keep communities safe. -- Provide $100 million over five years to support training for non-provincial police forces in the areas of sexual exploitation, cyber-security and online offences, and the investigation of sexual offences. “Canadians deserve to feel safe and secure. A Conservative government will take real action to rid our communities of violent crime, address police staffing shortages, and invest in police training and education to keep Canadian families safe,” said O’Toole. If you don’t care about holding violent criminals accountable and keeping Canadians safe, you have three parties to choose from in this election. If you do, then there is only one choice – Canada’s Conservatives.

Coquitlam, BC – Today, the Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives, announced his plan to fight the Delta-driven fourth wave of COVID-19. “Justin Trudeau calling an election in the middle of the pandemic was not the right thing to do, but Dr. Tam’s alarming briefing yesterday should be a wakeup call for all of us that the fight against COVID-19 is not over,” said O’Toole. “We need to come together now and urgently find a path out of this crisis. The Conservatives are ready to deliver a plan to protect the health and safety of all Canadians from this threat.” Canada’s Conservatives have a plan to stop a Delta-driven fourth wave of COVID-19 and protect Canadians by immediately calling for action in the following areas: -- Information – Resume regular national public health briefings to provide accurate and up-to-date information to Canadians on the crisis, no matter how concerning or inconvenient it is for the government of the day. -- Fairness – Ensure political parties and campaigns lead by example and follow all national, provincial, and local public health restrictions and guidance in order to protect Canadians and stop the spread of COVID-19. -- Unity – Put aside divisive politics on questions of public health and science, and stand united in efforts to persuade every Canadian that vaccines are safe, effective, and the best route out of the crisis. -- Cooperation – Work with the provinces to understand the steps needed to contain, control, and eradicate COVID-19, including delivering more vaccines and rapid tests, tracking outbreaks, and managing PPE stockpiles. Working together, Canadians can get vaccination numbers up to where they need to be and keep one another safe. “Right now, we cannot afford to divide the country when the lives of tens of thousands of Canadians are on the line,” concluded O’Toole. “Canada’s Conservatives will be laser-focused on solutions and ensuring we have the information, fairness, unity, and cooperation necessary to beat the fourth wave.”