Following a May 27 speech from the throne delivered by King Charles III, the 45th Canadian Parliament, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mark Carney will get to legislative work.

The current 169-seat minority government (recounts and seat count validations are still ongoing) will first need to pass a motion of confidence following the speech. Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet has already called for a “partisan truce” so that the country can focus on negotiations with the United States. Carney met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on May 6.

Afterwards, the new government will attempt to pass a budget by June 20, the last scheduled day of parliamentary business before a summer hiatus according to the official House of Commons calendar.

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During the federal election campaign, The Catholic Register connected with Catholic, Christian and secular non-profits to hear their hopes and expectations for the next Canadian government.

Development and Peace – Caritas Canada communications and public relations advisor Minaz Kerawala outlined multiple Carney campaign promises that appeal to the international development and humanitarian aid agency.

“Carney has signalled a firm commitment to international aid, multilateral cooperation and international law, even as many peer nations are cutting and challenging these commitments in their own countries,” said Kerawala. “(He) also spoke about Pope Francis on the campaign trail, especially citing a moment where the Pope appealed to finance professionals to turn the economy back into one that works for people. We find this encouraging and hope the government will take bold steps to put people and the planet over profit.”

On May 1, Statistics Canada published its 2023 Income Survey, revealing the Canadian poverty rate climbed for the fourth straight year to 10.2 per cent and that 10 million people — 25.5 per cent of the population — are experiencing some level of food insecurity. Toronto, Mississauga and Kingston, Ont., have all declared a food insecurity state of emergency in recent months.

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The Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto, which attracted 3.8 million client visits in 2024, offered specific measures the new Parliament can enact to calm the food insecurity storm. Rose Butler, interim vice president of research and advocacy, proposes raising the Canada Disability Benefit to above the poverty line, expanding the GST/HST credit to $1,800 per adult and $600 per child and implementing automatic tax filing. She also promoted more affordable and secure housing by scaling up social housing investment and offering stronger renter support. She also called for permanent Employment Insurance (EI) reform by raising benefit amounts and extending eligibility durations.

Carney’s platform makes no promise to expand the GST/HST credit, but there is a promise to implement automatic filing. There is no pledge to raise EI benefits or extend eligibility durations. One of the signature housing initiatives pitched by Carney is to double the rate of housing construction to 500,000 homes per year.

The Liberal platform made multiple other proposals on the food security front, including amendments to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency “to ensure they consider food security and the cost of food in all their regulatory decisions without compromising on health and safety.” Carney also plans to prioritize Canada Infrastructure Bank investments that “improve food security and reduce the cost of food for Canadian families.”

During his post-victory press conference on May 2, Carney promised to cap temporary workers and international students at 5 per cent of the total population by 2028, which is down from the current 7.3 per cent target. Carney also pledged to limit permanent resident admissions to one per cent of the population by 2027, equating to 400,000 per year.

Member associations of the Canadian Council for Refugees, including the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society, signalled their wishes in an open letter to Canadian political leaders on April 3.

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The group acknowledged the traditional consensus that “Canada is strengthened by immigration” is “under attack, and you have both the opportunity and the obligation to remind Canadians why it is important to preserve it.” The entity asked for each party to adopt a policy and candour that is welcome to newcomers.

The council is alluding to the recent political polling that suggests a majority of Canadians want fewer immigrants, not more. A 2024 survey from the Environics Institute indicates that 58 per cent of 2,016 surveyed Canadians said the “country accepts too many immigrants.”