Terry Fox on the $5, big money for the border — what we learned from the economic statement

The Liberal government unveiled $21.1 billion in new spending in its fall economic statement (FES) Monday — much of it going to border security and the promised GST tax break.

The FES also announces some lower-profile policy and spending decisions. Here are five things you need to know:

The federal government has estimated that 90,000 vehicles are reported stolen every year in Canada. The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) reports that in 2022 alone, 105,000 vehicles were stolen across the country.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says thefts were down in 2024 by almost a fifth, but the Trudeau government has said combating auto theft remains a policy priority.

The FES includes a few measures to deal with auto theft, including a promise to amend the Criminal Code to make bail and sentencing laws stricter.

The FES sets aside $1.3 billion to help secure the border. The document says that some of that money will help authorities crack down on trafficking in stolen vehicles, drugs and guns at the border.

The government said it will also amend the Customs Act to give the CBSA additional powers to inspect goods destined for export.

"This will include obligating warehouse operators and shippers to provide adequate accommodations for CBSA officers to carry out their mandate," the FES says.

The FES says the federal government is putting Canadian hero Terry Fox on the new $5 bill to honour his Marathon of Hope and his efforts to raise money for cancer research.

"By February 1981, the Marathon of Hope had raised $24.7 million or $1 for every Canadian," the FES says. "His run was interrupted just past the half-way point when the cancer reached his lungs, and ultimately took his life.

"Through his efforts, the 22-year-old showed Canadians the difference that an ordinary person could make through sheer willpower and determination."

Former Liberal prime minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier will be moved from the $5 bank bill to the next version of Canada's $50 bill.

The Liberal government announced $90 million in funding over six years, and then $20 million per year after that, to improve access to abortion and reproductive health services.

"Across the country, anti-choice groups are working to restrict a woman's right to choose what's best for her body," the FES says. "In rural, remote and other under-served communities, access to sexual and reproductive health services is often limited."