January 29, 2009

On January 27, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty unveiled Budget 2009 – Canada’s Economic Action Plan.  After extensive consultations with stakeholders across the country, your Conservative government has laid out its plan to stimulate the economy, to protect Canadians that have been hit hardest, and to secure Canada’s long-term prosperity. 

We are in the grips of a global recession that began in the United States but has spread to economies throughout the world, including our own.  I would like to assure all citizens of Moose Jaw that your federal government is acting to ensure that we are able to weather this growing storm.

Canada’s Economic Action Plan responds to the reality in which we find ourselves.  We are providing significant stimulus to the economy to help protect and create jobs, to support families by cutting taxes, and to prepare our country for success in the years ahead with meaningful investments.

The Economic Action Plan includes initiatives to stimulate the economy:

• Income and payroll tax cuts to boost income and get the economy working again;
• A home renovation program to spur construction, create jobs, and help Canadians improve their homes;
• Roads, bridges, buildings and other infrastructure to boost the economy, create jobs and make Canada stronger for the long-term;
• Post secondary education funding and broadband expansion to prepare for the jobs of the future.

The Action Plan also includes initiatives to protect the economy:

• Increases in the support under Employment Insurance for Canadians who have lost their jobs;
• Skills training to help people get back into the workforce; and,
• Significant money to help communities hardest hit by the downturn.

I have heard from constituents in the Palliser riding and have been told that two measures in this budget are of particular interest to Moose Javians; EI benefits and home renovations. 

I am pleased to tell my constituents that EI benefits have been strengthened in this budget, as we have extended work-sharing agreements by an additional fourteen weeks and maximum EI benefits by five weeks.  Our new Home Renovation Tax Credit will provide up to $1,350 in tax relief and reduce the cost of renovations for Canadian homeowners. 

I feel that Canada’s Economic Action Plan provides the stimulus and tax relief required to help Canadians weather the global recession and allow us to emerge a stronger country once the storm passes.  I am pleased to be your federal representative in Ottawa and look forward to continue working for you and your families.