Week of September 25 – September 29, 2021

The House of Commons officially resumed sitting last week following a very busy, yet productive summer. Canada’s new Government continued its pledge to “get things done for Canada” during the summer months and I would like to review a few of our Government’s accomplishments over the summer, as well as highlight our Government’s agenda for the fall session.

Firstly, there was much to celebrate on Canada Day. It was our country’s 139th birthday and we saw the G.S.T. drop from seven per cent to six per cent, which has placed more money back into the hands of Canadians. On July 1st, the Universal Child Care Plan became effective. This was an election promise made by our Government and has provided $100 per month, per child under the age of six to Canadian families.

Secondly, the Government provided tax credits to help Canadian families, including: a Children’s Fitness Tax Credit of up to $500 for physical fitness programs, a tax credit on the costs of books of approximately $80 for a typical post-secondary student, and a $2,000 tax credit for employers who hire apprentices. The Government also implemented the new Canada Employment Credit, which is a tax credit on employment income of up to $500.

Thirdly, the new Government demonstrated its commitment to cracking down on crime, by conducting roundtable discussions across the country and made our communities safer by arming Border Control Officers. In addition, our Government delivered a major investment of nearly $200 million over two years for RCMP training and recruitment.

Fourthly, the Government demonstrated its support of our Armed Forces by making significant investments in new ships ($12.5 million), trucks ($1.2 billion), helicopters ($2 billion), and in aircrafts ($8.3 billion) during the summer months.

Lastly, our Government successfully evacuated over 14,000 Canadians from Lebanon and announced a new $25 million Lebanon Relief Fund, which builds on a previous $5.5 million allocation, to assist with recovery and stabilization.

The new Conservative Government recognizes that there is still a significant amount of work to do for Canadian families and taxpayers. The fall agenda is based on four pillars that will allow the Government to deliver real results. The first pillar on the fall agenda is to continue with accountability and democratic reform, by implementing the Federal Accountability Act (FAA) and moving forward with Senate reform.

The second pillar is economic management and value for money with measures to ensure a strong and lasting economy, including value for money expenditure review.

The third pillar on our Government’s agenda is the environment and personal health. This means delivering several practical measures to clean up the environment, including Canada’s first Clean Air Act.

The fourth pillar that I would like to share with you focuses on crime and national security. The new Government intends to continue its efforts to tackle crime with tougher laws, more police, and enhanced border security.

It should prove to be a busy and productive fall in the House of Commons, but with our Government’s focused agenda, we will continue to deliver achievable results to Canadians.