THUNDER BAY – Families across Northwestern Ontario are struggling to keep up with the cost of living, save for retirement, finance their kids’ education, and care for their aging parents. That’s why the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader Michael Ignatieff are committed to investing in families instead of giving large corporations another tax cut. We believe that Canadian families need and deserve a break right now and their needs should come first.
By investing in families in a long-term and strategic fashion, we will strengthen the fundamentals that are the real basis for success:
– Helping families to balance work and home care by introducing a family care employment insurance benefit and tax benefit;
– Keeping retirees out of poverty through the establishment of a voluntary Supplementary Canada Pension Plan;
– Strengthening our rural healthcare services by forgiving up to $20,000 in student loans for doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners who choose to practice in a designated underserved rural communities; and,
– Increasing support for regional economic development through an expanded FedNor.
These are Liberal priorities that address the needs of Northwestern Ontario families right now.
I do not support the Harper government’s plan to further reduce the corporate tax rate on the backs of Canadian families and small businesses. Our large corporations already benefit from one of the lowest tax rates in the G7. The Government’s own Finance department tells us that cutting corporate taxes is the least effective job creation measure. Furthermore, financing this tax cut requires borrowing more money. In today’s environment, asking families to pay the interest charges so that large corporations can have a tax cut is simply wrong.
Canadian families deserve to have their money used to help them. A Liberal Government will respect your money and use it to make targeted investments that address the economic pressures on families and help us get ahead as a country.
Yves Fricot