Tuesday January 27, 2026 | SAANICH, BC [Posted at 3:40 pm PT]
News feature by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Things are pretty upbeat in Ottawa this week, in the wake of a two-day cabinet planning meeting and the continuing positive impact of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum last week.
“There’s lots of energy still from the Davos speech… it energized and invigorated me as well as my colleagues and my constituents,” says Secretary of State (Seniors), Stephanie McLean.
“We received over a thousand emails from folks that felt that the speech really met the moment and articulated the sentiment of Canadians.”
“It still resonates. I think it’s going to be a cornerstone for Canadians as we move forward in navigating uncertain waters,” says McLean.
Connecting Ottawa with the Island:
Stephanie McLean is the MP for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke here on Vancouver Island, a constituency that is about as far as one can get from the nation’s capital in Ottawa.
This is her first term, having been elected in April 2025 in a riding that was long-held by the NDP.
Today Island Social Trends chatted with McLean by phone before she headed into Question Period in the House of Commons — only the second day back for all MPs after a six-week winter break.
The new grocery affordability benefit:
The new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit — announced just yesterday — is also still buzzing with attention in Ottawa.
McLean says the work to prepare that had been going on by Finance and the Prime Minister’s office for “a number of months”
“Once all the pieces were in place we were able to announce it (the affordability support payment),” said McLean That process included hearing from stakeholders in the food security sector, including food banks, since the beginning of the Liberal term in spring 2025.
In that period of time (from last spring until yesterday – well, still to July 2026 when the new benefit will kick in), low- and moderate-income Canadians who were previously receiving a rebate on the consumer carbon tax have been noticing less money arriving in their bank accounts when the quarterly GST rebate usually arrives (January, April, July, and October).
“Food banks and others had asked for direct relief on groceries and essentials,” McLean added. That benefit was indeed delivered in yesterday’s announcement of a one-time top-up to the now renamed GST benefit, to be followed by a four-year rollout of support that represents a 25% increase over the current level.
“It was developed in response to what we’re seeing in supply chains and the private sector” as to the challenges of shipping food from international locations and across this large country, says McLean, in remarking on the macroeconomic aspect of addressing food price inflation.
Today during Question Period in the House of Commons McLean said that the new federal food security strategy gets at root causes of food insecurity and helps assure better nutritious food for people.
No election machinations:
“Food affordability and security has been a priority of our government since the beginning of our four-year term,” says McLean, also hinting that no election call is in the offing. This week’s speculation by political pundits in Ottawa has been around wondering if a ‘handout’ to Canadians was motivated by short-term vote-getting.
Calling the current term a “four-year term” also leans to supporting the general belief in Ottawa that the Liberals are seeking to achieve a majority government soon. They currently have 170 seats, needing just two more to achieve a majority — perhaps through floor-crossing from among the Conservatives.
Carney’s response to the election-related speculation yesterday was about how the grocery affordability measure is the right thing to do for struggling households in the short-term, not related to any desire for an election in the near-term. He added that “it’s a free country” and that people can of course spend the benefit dollars on anything they need.
Stakeholders in the affordability sector often point out that low- and moderate-income families almost always spend the (formerly-called GST) rebate on immediate needs like groceries, household bills or meeting credit card obligations. Much of that remains in the local economy or at least helps to keep consumers afloat in the economy. It can be a stabilizing factor by enabling bill payments that might otherwise get missed.
The seniors file:
The focus of the federal Secretary of State (Seniors) in this session includes working closely with the National Seniors Council (along with the Minister of Health). McLean says that’s so she is “getting good information, research and advice” on current issues.
McLean is working with the Finance ministry to help ensure that a seniors lens is being applied to financial decision-making.
She says she would “be happy to support any adjustments” to the Old Age Seniors (OAS) supplement that currently is not topped up for people ages 65 to 74 (as it is by 10% once people turn age 75), if the Finance minister brings that forward.
She pays attention to fulfilling one of her portfolio’s key obligations to see that seniors have timely access to OAS and good program policy.
In this new year McLean is reviewing the applications that have come in for New Horizons Seniors Program grants (grants were accepted up to September 17, 2025) from social organizations and community groups including toward combating social isolation.
McLean is also contributing to the government’s strategy on anti-fraud measures. She is providing input on the experience of seniors in that regard, working with the Finance Minister’s team to apply a seniors lens.
Constituency home-base:
As the MP for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, Stephanie McLean’s first focus for her local riding is based in delivering the basic services that are expected of any federal constituency office.
She hears from constituents that people — including community groups and non-profit organizations — feel they’re getting good access to information. “They feel like things that have been long important that are federal responsibilities are now being better understood,” McLean said today.
The nation’s capital is far away. “Having someone who understands the local issues in government helps to streamline the understanding of the local issues which in turn does help to be able to get movement on projects.”
The federal constituency office for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke MP McLean is located at 2-50 Burnside Road West in Saanich.
Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke is a geographically large riding encompassing various areas of south Vancouver Island including the municipalities of Colwood, Esquimalt, Juan de Fuca (out to Jordan River), Metchosin, Saanich, Sooke, and View Royal and three First Nations (Beecher Bay, Songhees and T’Sou-ke).
Island rail:
Together with local fellow Liberal MP Will Greaves (Victoria), McLean is working on the longstanding Island Rail Corridor issue (previously known as the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway or E&N Railway).
Passenger service has been suspended since 2011 due to poor infrastructure conditions that resulted from deferred maintenance. The interests of the rail corridor are currently handled by The Island Corridor Foundation, a federally registered charity established for the purposes of owning and managing the rail line.
A primary challenge to considering re-establishment of a functional Island Rail Corridor is in dealing with the concerns of the many First Nations and multiple municipalities that would be involved with finalizing a deal to reinstate the rail line.
The Island Rail Corridor has long had track from up-island at Courtenay down to Victoria at the southern tip of Vancouver Island (a distance of about 289 km) including connections between Parksville and Port Alberni and to the Nanaimo waterfront.
“A federal funding component would be typical,” says McLean, for a project of this size and scope.
There is “significant movement” on the rail corridor file, says McLean. That could lead to exciting news for local residents, businesses and organizations who have long-proposed reestablishment of the line.
“I’m getting good signals from ministerial colleagues about a desire to dig into this and be able to get movement. There’s the needed new energy behind getting a commuter rail for the west shore into Victoria,” McLean told Island Social Trends today.
A key to success with reinstating the Island Rail service is having all three levels of government at the same table, says McLean. She feels it’s crucial that all levels of government be ‘rowing in the same direction’ in order to achieve results.
“We also see this as an opportunity for reconciliation,” says McLean.
DND funding and housing:
McLean is also focusing on giving DND “its due attention” at the Esquimalt base in her coastal riding.
“This is already resulting in significant investments in Esquimalt,” she says, highlighting how back in October 2025, she was part of an announcement for some new housing for military members who serve at the Esquimalt DND base.
“It’s the fastest that anything has happened in the federal government at that scale,” says McLean, noting the building was purchased in a matter of five weeks. She is clearly proud of that accomplishment to see the federal government acquire a new 37-unit apartment building on Island Highway in View Royal.
“There’s more local decision-making availability to the folks who are here in Esquimalt and at any base in Canada. People recognize the difference in how decisions are being made. That allows us to be more agile,” McLean said today.
McLean points out that this sort of action to provide military-focus housing frees up regular market rentals for others in the local community.
As reported last fall, the Department of National Defence considers Esquimalt to have the greatest need for housing among bases across the country.
Other DND on-base housing was announced in 2024.
===== RELATED:
- Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit replaces GST rebate to help Canadians with affordability (January 26, 2026)
- Carney’s speech to economic elite makes global headlines (January 21, 2026)
- Nigel House opens in Saanich for seniors, veterans & adults with disabilities (October 20, 2025)
- Premier Eby explores BC economic opportunities with Liberal MPs (July 29, 2025)
- Carney combines experience and new ideas in first full cabinet (May 13, 2025)
- New housing coming to DND base in Esquimalt (August 17, 2024)
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