A Year of Majority Government Accomplishments

Ottawa Journal (July 23 – July 27, 2021)
David Tilson, MP

As Canadians are enjoying all that summer has to offer, our Government is reflecting on all our achievements over the last year. Thirteen months ago, Canadians made a historic decision in selecting a strong, stable, national, majority Government to help lead the country through a time of global economic fragility. Since then, our Government has worked hard and made critical choices resulting in accom­plishments that are making a difference in the lives of all Canadians.

First and foremost, Canadians can rest assured we’ve never hesitated on our top priority. Job creation and economic growth remain our focus, which is why we com­mitted to implementing Economic Action Plan 2012. It’s a strong plan that is keeping Canada on track for balanced budgets in the medium term. Now with nearly 760,000 net new jobs created since July 2009, it’s working. Canada is not only in the strongest financial position in the G-7; we’ve also posted the strongest job growth since mid-2009 – fully recouping all jobs lost due to the global recession.

Our Government’s accomplishments over the past year have reached from coast to coast to coast. For instance, we’ve delivered action to support jobs and growth by extending the Hiring Credit for Small Business, action to help small businesses grow and employ more workers. We’ve also delivered support for youth, older workers, and Canadians with disabilities entering the workforce.

By investing in public infrastructure such as the permanent funding to municipalities through the Gas Tax Fund and the investment in shipbuilding for the Royal Cana­dian Navy and Coast Guard, we’ve helped deliver the environment for job creation for trades people all across the country.

We’ve expanded trade and opened markets for Canadian business, while continuing to pursue new (and strengthen existing) trade relationships – particularly with large, dynamic and fast-growing economies in Asia. Plus, we’ve helped elevate Canada’s business competitiveness by reducing red tape and delivering the “one-for-one” rule – meaning every time the government adopts a new rule, it must eliminate an old one. Meanwhile, we’ve also taken action to move Canada’s immigration system towards one that places substantial focus on meeting Canada’s labour market needs.

Research and innovation industries in Canada are benefitting from our investments in universities, granting councils, and leading research institutions like Genome Cana­da and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation. We’ve established Responsible Resource Development, which ensures regulatory reviews are improved and stream­lined and that major projects take environmental safety into consideration. We’ve also extended the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit, which helps mining compa­nies raise capital, and delivered additional support for fisheries, forestry, and agriculture across the country.

Meanwhile, public safety is something that our Government has always taken very seriously. We abolished the wasteful and ineffective long-gun registry which wasn’t keeping Canadians safe; only criminalizing honest hunters and farmers. Canadians could only count on our Government to stand on the side of law-abiding citizens on this issue. We passed the Safe Streets and Communities Act, compre­hensive crime legislation which cracks down on drug dealers and organized crime, while delivering support for victims – passed within the first 100 sitting days of the 41st Parliament, as promised. We passed a number of other crime bills, including legisla­tion to support victims of white-collar crime and to ensure the mandatory reporting by internet service providers of child pornography.

We've also delivered support to ensure Canada’s retirement system remains sustainable for the seniors of today and tomorrow, while continuing to support our Veterans and delivering tax relief for families. Some examples include the Family Care­giver Tax Credit, the Children’s Arts Tax Credit, and the Volunteer Firefighters Tax Cred­it. We also kept our promise and passed into law the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act, giving western wheat and barley farmers the freedom to contract their grain to the buyer of their choice. In addition, we introduced legislation to make the Senate more democratic, accountable, and representative of all Canadians.

In one year, our Government has achieved these accomplishments for all Ca­nadians without raising taxes or cutting transfers to seniors or the provinces for so­cial spending, such as education and health care. While we fulfill the second year of our mandate, our Government’s top priority is the top priority of all Canadians: jobs, growth, and long-term prosperity. We will uphold these goals by implementing Economic Action Plan 2012 so all Canadians can benefit from the rewards of a prosperous economy.