Conservatives & Bilingualism - Taxpayer Secured Mortgages

Official bilingualism costs $2.4B a year: study

As more and more Canadians speak languages other than English and French, the federal and provincial governments are spending $2.4-billion annually on official bilingualism, according to a new report from the Fraser Institute.

The 10 provinces spend a total of $900-million annually on minority language services, with the bulk going toward French-language education outside Quebec and English-language education inside Quebec. Ontario spends the most, doling out $623-million — or $1,275 for each minority member. While Quebec ranks third in overall spending at $51-million annually, it spends the least per minority member — mostly anglophones — at just $85 a head.

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/official-bilingualism-costs-2-4b-a-year-study


Why Canada needs a better mortgage backstop

Headlines about new record highs for housing prices in Toronto are a reminder that Canadian prices remain well above historical trends. Naturally, numerous economic commentators follow such news with warnings of the potential risks from high house prices and high household debt.
The good news is that a housing crash remains unlikely. Unlike the U.S. in the early 2000s, Canadian lenders have maintained prudent underwriting standards. As a result, most borrowers are currently able to manage their mortgage payments.

http://business.financialpost.com/fp-comment/why-canada-needs-a-better-mortgage-backstop
Feds, province give grants of $42M each to Honda for Ontario plant

The federal and Ontario governments are each providing Honda Canada with grants of up to $41.8 million for upgrades and research and development at its operations in Alliston, Ont.

The government money, along with up to $408.3 million from Honda itself, will go toward vehicle-assembly technology, as well as the design and construction of a new paint shop that is expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions nearly in half.

The conditional grants and Honda investment will also go toward research and development “to support production of future vehicle models, including software upgrades and prototyping of new components.”

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/01/09/feds-province-give-grants-of-42m-each-to-honda-for-ontario-plant