Reflecting on the First Months of the Conservative Government

July 10, 2021

Week of July 10 – July 14, 2021

    The House of Commons officially recessed for the summer in late June. It has been approximately five months since the new Conservative Government was sworn into office. The new Government was off to a roaring start by moving forward on its promises from the election campaign. I would like to take this opportunity to look back and reflect on our Government’s many achievements during its short, yet highly productive first five months in office.

    The Federal Accountability Act was a campaign promise and one our Government’s five priorities. The Federal Accountability Act was introduced on April 11, 2006, during the first weeks of the new Parliament. The Federal Accountability Act aims to restore Canadians’ faith in the Federal Government by introducing the most sweeping accountability measures in Canada’s history. The Act will provide ironclad protection to whistleblowers that come forward with proof of wrongdoing and will also replace the culture of entitlement, which thrived under previous governments.

    On May 2, 2006, Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty, delivered the new Conservative Government’s first budget. It was a responsible budget and one that cuts taxes paid by Canadian individuals, families, and businesses of all sizes. In fact, the budget cuts two dollars in taxes for every dollar in new spending. During the next two years, the Government will deliver $20 billion in tax reduction – more than the last four federal budgets combined. In total, there are no fewer than 29 different tax reductions in this budget and over 650,000 low-income Canadians will be dropped from the federal tax rolls altogether.

    We also saw the G.S.T. reduced from 7 per cent to 6 per cent on July 1st. This Government believes that hardworking Canadians pay too much tax. Cuts to the G.S.T. will assist all Canadians with the rising cost of living, as well as place money back into the hands of Canadians and reduce the tax burden for everyone.

    The new Conservative Government has fulfilled its promise to Canadian families by giving parents choice in child care through the Universal Child Care Plan. The plan became effective on July 1st and Canadian parents will begin receiving monthly cheques of $100 for each child under the age of six.

    The Conservative Government has also lived up to its promise to crack down on crime and to make our streets and neighbourhoods safer. During the last five months, the new Government introduced bills in Parliament to end conditional sentences, house arrest for serious crimes, and for serious offences committed with a firearm. The Minister of Justice has also proposed tougher mandatory minimum prison sentences for gun crimes.

    Our new Government also reached out to our farmers in the last few months. The first act of Cabinet was to deliver $755 million for farmers. An additional $1.5 billion was included in the budget. Farmers also saw relief with the suspension of claw backs under the CAIS program.

    In a matter of months, the new Government has made significant progress on its campaign promises and as a member of the Government, I look forward to building on these accomplishments, as there is still a great deal of work to be done in the months ahead.