2010-11 (November)
Blaine Calkins MP Report
November 29th, 2010
On the Road to Recovery
The global economic recession created real challenges for Canadians, but thanks to our Conservative Government’s policies of paying down debt and reducing taxes, Canada is in a much stronger position than many other countries to recover from this downturn.
A key element of the next phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan will be to return to balanced budgets. As the Minister of Finance emphasized last Friday, our Government will not make significant new government spending commitments. This requires difficult decisions to be made. One of those decisions is not to proceed with funding a bid to host Expo 2017. Supporting an Expo bid would require the federal government to spend over $1 billion once we take into account the full cost of security and other federal obligations to host an event of this size. In this context, we must show respect for taxpayers and not proceed with a bid to host Expo 2017. It is important to note that our Government was proud to support Edmonton’s bid to host the 2015 World University Games.
That isn’t to say Canada’s Economic Action Plan is not working, because it is. Almost 430,000 more Canadians are working today than in July 2009, growth has returned to the economy, and Canada is leading the industrialized world in exiting the recession. Our country is doing better than other countries, but we realize that the economy isn’t really about numbers. It’s about people, families and how they feel about their financial security. As our fragile economic recovery continues, it is time to plan the next phase of the Economic Action Plan.
We will secure our economic recovery by ensuring our economic policies reflect the values and principles we share with hardworking Canadian families, such as: living within our means, producing savings by reducing waste and duplication, and keeping taxes low to create jobs and sustain growth. We will not make wasteful new government spending commitments this year that would trigger higher taxes, kill jobs and reverse Canada’s fragile economic growth. Our Conservative Government will continue to deliver the stability needed to support and protect the economic well-being and financial security of Canadian families and businesses.
As part of efforts to listen to a wide variety of opinions, the Government is also conducting online budget consultations. Feel free to offer your suggestions for cost-cutting and cost-saving measures. Those wishing to make submissions can do so by visiting http://www.fin.gc.ca/prebudget-prebudgetaire/1-eng.asp.
I hope you will drop in to my annual Christmas Open House on Monday, December 20th from 1 to 5 PM at the Constituency Office. Bay #6A, 4612 - 50th Street, Ponoka.
For assistance or for information on federally related matters contact my Constituency Office, postage free at: Bay #6A, 4612 - 50th Street, Ponoka, T4J 1S7. Tel: (403) 783-5530; toll free: 1-800-665-0865 or visit my web site: www.blainecalkinsmp.ca and on twitter: www.twitter.com/blainecalkinsmp