On Parliament Hill

On Tuesday February 11, our Conservative Government introduced Economic Action Plan 2014. This budget is the next step in our plan for job creation and economic growth while remaining on track for balanced budgets in 2015.

Canada’s recovery from the recent global recession has been among the strongest in the world with over 1 million more Canadians now working than at the worst of the recession – the best job creation record among all G-7 countries.

But we all know there is still more to do. Too many Canadians are still looking for work and the global economic recovery remains fragile at best, especially in Europe and the United States.

That’s why our Government is staying squarely focused on the economy. We’re moving forward with a positive plan that will help create jobs and grow our economy, all while keeping taxes low.

Since 2006, the Harper Government has been keeping Canada on the right path for economic growth. This includes lowering taxes over 160 times, which will save the average Canadian family nearly $3,400 on their tax bill in 2014. We’ve also cut taxes for job-creating businesses, allowing them to hire more workers, and have opened up new markets for Canadian goods and services, most recently through the historic Canada-European Union Trade Agreement.

To help Canadians get the skills and training they need to succeed, our Plan also moves forward with the Canada Job Grant to connect people looking for work directly with in-demand jobs. We’re also introducing the Canada Apprentice Loan to give access to student loans to apprentices for the first time ever.

I am encouraged by a number of initiatives that our Government has introduced in this budget. Some of these measures include:

• Protecting Communities from Natural Disasters, by investing $200 million to establish a National Disaster Mitigation Program.
• Improving Broadband Internet in Rural and Northern Communities, by investing $305 million to extend and enhance broadband service for up to an additional 280,000 Canadians.
• Creating the Canada Apprentice Loan: which will provide apprentices in Red Seal trades access to over $100 million in interest-free loans each year.
• Expanding the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers, by investing $75 million to help unemployed older workers put their talents and experience back to work.
• Cutting the Red Tape Burden, by eliminating over 800,000 payroll deduction remittances to Canada Revenue Agency made every year by over 50,000 small businesses.
• Promoting Fairness in the Credit Card Market, by committing to work with groups to help lower credit card acceptance costs for small businesses and to further improve business practices.
• Simplifying the Canada Student Loans Program, by no longer including the value of vehicles that students need to get to school and work in the loan assessment process. As a result, 19,000 students – mainly in rural and suburban communities – will get increased access to student loans.
• Supporting Internships for Young Canadians with a $40 million investment to support up to 3,000 internships for post-secondary graduates in high-demand fields and $15 million to support up to 1,000 internships in small and medium-sized businesses.
• Launching the Canadian Employers for Caregivers Action Plan, to work with employers so that caregivers can maximize their participation in the workforce while being able to provide care to their loved ones.
• Introducing a New Pilot Price Insurance Program, to provide cattle and hog producers in Western Canada with insurance against unexpected price declines within a production cycle.
• Better Protecting Seniors Using Financial Services, by requiring enhanced disclosure by banks on the costs and benefits of using powers of attorney and joint accounts, as well as requiring  more robust  processes and staff training related to these services.
• Expanding the Funeral and Burial Program, to ensure that modern day veterans of modest means can have a dignified funeral and burial.
• Increasing Access to Veterans Services, by enabling veterans and their families to engage the Department of Veterans Affairs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Honouring Canada’s Veterans, by giving former Canadian Armed Forces personnel priority in federal public service employment opportunities.

Equally important, our Plan keeps Canada on track to balance the budget in 2015.  From Greece to Detroit, we’ve seen the consequences of governments that don’t focus on putting their fiscal house in order. Balanced budgets do more than signal stability and make Canada a more attractive place to invest, they also keep taxes low and ensure our children and grandchildren aren’t saddled with our debt.

However, unlike the previous Liberal government, we are not balancing the budget by cutting transfers to the provinces for health care or education. In fact, under the Harper Government those transfers are at all-time highs. Instead, we’re making government programs more efficient – cutting waste and ensuring every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely.

While the NDP and Liberals don’t agree with getting back to balanced budgets, instead pushing big risky spending schemes and new taxes that will take more out of your pockets, the Harper government will stick to its proven low-tax plan for job creation and economic growth.

For more information on Economic Action Plan 2014 and how it can benefit you, I encourage you to visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.