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Randy Hoback MP Report ~ October 2011

Oct 17, 2011 | 9:06 AM

OCTOBER 2011~Randy Hoback MP Report
www.randyhobackmp.ca

Dear constituents,

It has been a very busy three weeks in Ottawa with the commencement of the Fall Parliamentary sitting. Prime Minister Harper and the Conservative Government have begun the Parliamentary sitting with an ambitious legislative agenda – an agenda which begins the process of implementing the promises listed in the Conservative Party platform. While we have only just begun to implement our agenda, I thought I would share with you some of the key policy areas addressed in the first three weeks of the Parliamentary sitting:

1. We Have Introduced the Keeping Canada’s Economy & Jobs Growing Act

On October 4th, the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance introduced the Keeping Canada’s Economy & Jobs Growing Act. The legislation includes key elements of the Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan—A Low-Tax Plan for Jobs and Growth. Our Government is focused on what matters to Canadians—creating jobs and promoting economic growth. While Canada has the strongest job growth record in the G-7 with nearly 600,000 net new jobs created since July 2009 and the IMF projects that we will have among the strongest economic growth in the G-7 over the next two years, we are not immune from global economic turbulence. That’s why we need to stay the course and implement the Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) applauded the government’s provision of a temporary hiring tax credit. “Since the 2011 budget announcement, many members have called about the credit and reported it will make it easier for them to hire, enhance wages or adjust to rising Employment Insurance premiums,” said Dan Kelly, senior vice-president for the CFIB. “This is a particularly important initiative as the government has declared 2011 as the Year of the Entrepreneur.”

The Keeping Canada’s Economy & Jobs Growing Act helps support Canada’s economic recovery by, for example, proposing to:

Promote Job Creation & Economic Growth

Providing a temporary Hiring Credit for Small Business to encourage additional hiring
Expanding tax support for clean energy generation to encourage green investments
Extending the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit for flow-through share investors by one year to support Canada’s mining sector
Simplifying customs tariffs in order to facilitate trade and lower the administrative burden for businesses
Extending the accelerated capital cost allowance treatment for investments in manufacturing and processing machinery and equipment for two years to support the manufacturing and processing sector
Eliminating the mandatory retirement age for federally regulated employees in order to give older workers wishing to work the option of remaining in the workforce

Support Communities

Legislating a permanent annual investment of $2 billion in the Gas Tax Fund to provide predictable, long-term infrastructure funding for municipalities
Enhancing the Wage Earner Protection Program to cover more workers affected by employer bankruptcy or receivership
Introducing a Volunteer Firefighters Tax Credit for volunteer firefighters
Increasing the ability of Canadians to give more confidently to legitimate charities by introducing a package of integrity measures designed to help combat fraud and other forms of abuse

Help Families

Introducing a new Family Caregiver Tax Credit to assist caregivers of all types of infirm dependent relatives
Removing the limit on the amount of eligible expenses caregivers can claim under the Medical Expense Tax Credit in respect of financially dependent relatives
Introducing a new Children’s Arts Tax Credit for programs associated with children’s artistic, cultural, recreational and developmental activities

Invest in Education and Training

Forgiving loans for new doctors and nurses in under-served rural and remote areas
Helping apprentices in the skilled trades and workers in regulated professions by making occupational, trade and professional examination fees eligible for the Tuition Tax Credit
Improving federal financial assistance for students
Making it easier to allocate Registered Education Savings Plan assets among siblings, without incurring tax penalties or forfeiting Canada Education Savings Grants

Respect Taxpayers

Phasing out the direct subsidy of political parties
Closing numerous tax loopholes that allow a few businesses and individuals to avoid paying their fair share of tax

For more information on the Keeping Canada’s Economy & Jobs Growing Act, please click on the following link http://www.fin.gc.ca/n11/11-093-eng.asp

2. We Are Ending The Per Vote Party Subsidy

The Keeping Canada’s Economy & Jobs Growing Act also includes measures to eliminate the Per Vote Party Subsidy. In November 2008, our government committed to ending this tax on voting that will save the Government of Canada around $30 million per year. This move is being heavily criticized by the NDP who have come to rely on this subsidy for a portion of their annual funding. This disrespect for taxpayers’ money is yet another reason why the NDP are not fit to govern.

In 2006, our government took big business and big labour out of politics with the Federal Accountability Act. With a new majority mandate, we are now acting quickly to continue bringing transparency to government by phasing out the direct subsidy of political parties, as we believe their money should come directly from voters – not from corporations, not from unions, and not from government. Federal political parties should do their own fundraising, and not live off of taxpayer funded handouts.

3. Canada Is Leading the Way: It Is The Best Country In The World to Do Business

Recently, Forbes, the influential business magazine, ranked Canada as the best country in the world to do business (http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2011/10/03/the-best-countries-for-business/).

Forbes magazine’s ranking of Canada as the best place in the world for business to grow and create jobs is yet another example of our global economic leadership, which includes:

· the strongest job growth record in the G–7, with nearly 600,000 net new jobs created since July 2009;

· the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasting Canada will have the strongest overall economic growth in the G-7 over the next two years;

· the lowest total government net debt-to-GDP ratio in the entire G-7, by far;

· he World Economic Forum ranking Canada’s financial system as the soundest in the world for the fourth consecutive year; and

· Moody’s renewing Canada’s AAA credit rating due to our “economic resiliency, very high government financial strength, and a low susceptibility to event risk”

Forbes magazine also declared that “Canada’s economy has held up better than most”, praising our low-tax plan for Canadian businesses. However, it’s important to remember that Canada is not immune from the economic turbulence facing the global economy – especially from Europe and the United States. That’s why we’re working hard to implement the Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan – and its job-creating measures like the Hiring Credit for Small Business.

The last thing Canada’s families need now is the NDP’s massive job-killing tax hikes that would cost jobs and hurt our economy.

4. We Have Introduced Our Safe Streets and Communities Act.

The Conservative Government received a strong mandate from Canadians to deliver on our campaign promises. That is why it introduced its Safe Streets and Communities Act the first week of fall parliamentary sitting.

By moving quickly to reintroduce comprehensive law-and-order legislation, the Government is fulfilling its promise to take action to protect families and hold criminals accountable.

The Conservative Government’s Safe Streets and Communities Act will:

· impose new and higher mandatory minimum penalties for sexual offences against children and create two new offences that are aimed at conduct that could facilitate these heinous crimes;

· target organized crime by imposing tougher penalties for the production and possession of illicit drugs for the purpose of trafficking;

· protect the public by ensuring that violent and repeat young offenders are held accountable by the youth criminal justice system;

· eliminate conditional sentences, often referred to as house arrest, for serious and violent offences;

· enshrine in law a victim’s participation in parole hearings;

· extend the ineligibility periods for applications for a record suspension (currently called a “pardon”) from three to five years for summary conviction offences and from five to 10 years for indictable offences;

· add additional criteria that the Minister of Public Safety could consider when deciding whether or not to allow the transfer of a Canadian offender back to Canada to serve their sentence;

· allow victims of terrorism to sue perpetrators and supporters of terrorism, including listed foreign states, for loss or damage that occurred as a result of an act of terrorism committed anywhere in the world; and,

· authorize immigration officers to refuse work permits to vulnerable foreign nationals when it is determined that they are at risk of humiliating and degrading treatment, including sexual exploitation.

By moving quickly to reintroduce comprehensive law-and-order legislation, the Government is fulfilling its promise to take action to protect families and hold criminals accountable. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, our Conservative Government has taken strong measures to get tough on crime and stand up for victims and we will continue to do so.

It is clear that Canadians want and deserve to feel safe in their homes and communities and that means that criminals need to be off our streets. We therefore continue to urge the NDP Opposition to stop playing political games in the House of Commons, do the right thing for Canadians, and pass the Safe Streets and Communities Act.

5. We Are Ensuring Grain Farmers’ Access to Advance Payments Program

The Advance Payments Program (APP) for Western wheat and barley producers will now be delivered by the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA), who currently administer the program for over 20 other commodities in Western Canada. For those who are not farmers, the APP provides producers with a cash advance on the value of their agricultural products during a specified period. By improving their cash flow throughout the year, the APP helps crop and livestock producers meet their financial obligations and benefit from the best market conditions.

Canada's wheat and barley producers constantly adapt their operations to economic and weather realities and their ability to secure cash flow is an essential part of their business decisions. Our Government is therefore taking clear and concise action so that wheat, durum, and barley farmers have access to the Advance Payments Program without disruption.

Western grain producers will be able to obtain their APP cash advances for winter wheat directly from the CCGA beginning on October 1. These advances will be for the 2012-13 production period for winter wheat crops planted in 2011. Spring advances on wheat and barley for their 2012-13 production period will also be issued by the CCGA beginning on April 1, 2012. The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) will finish administering APP advances for the 2011-12 production year only, which includes APP post harvest cash advances this fall.

The CCGA is a national farm organization that has been administering the APP program for more than 30 years. All other crop and livestock sectors receive their APP through farm organizations on behalf of the Government. Today, CCGA issues cash advances on more than 20 commodities in the four western provinces. Their proven track record and experience will provide a seamless transition for wheat, durum and barley producers as well as a reduced paper burden and less administrative fees, as many farmers already work with the CCGA for their canola crop advances. The CCGA offers multiple application methods – online, telephone, fax and mail – which will help producers receive their cash advances more quickly.

The Conservative Government has committed to creating an open market for Western Canadian grain farmers that attracts investment, encourages innovation, creates value-added jobs, and builds a stronger economy. CCGA has the experience and knowledge necessary to administer the program to an expanded producer base and this change will provide farmers with the reassurance that they can continue to access cash advances for their wheat, durum and barley crops.

6. We Are Moving Towards Marketing Freedom for Grain and Barley Growers

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz welcomed the report of the working group on marketing freedom for Western Canadian producers of wheat and barley. The report draws on expert advice from across the grain industry and will play a vital role in the Government’s planning for an orderly transition to marketing choice. It also addresses key issues related to the importance of certainty for the market, a voluntary wheat board and how the grain marketing and transportation systems can adapt to take advantage of the opportunities of an open market.

The recommendations put forward in the report will be considered as we move to deliver on its long-standing commitment to give Western Canadian grain farmers the marketing choice they want and deserve. A copy of the report can be downloaded at the following link: http://www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id=1316798048695&lang=eng.

Prairie farmers have been asking to have the freedom to choose who they sell their grain to. Unfortunately, since 1943, prairie grain farmers have been forced to sell their grain through the single desk of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). In 1935, The Canadian Wheat Board Act established a voluntary marketing agency and it operated as a voluntary wheat pool until 1943. The CWB became a mandatory monopoly in 1943 as a temporary measure during World War II. Its purpose was to ensure ample supplies of wheat were available to wartime Europe and to help control inflation because of the demand for grain at the time. Since the inception of the CWB, farmers have been legally bound to sell their grain for human consumption to the CWB. Without compliance, farmers have even been jailed for selling their grain directly to buyers and not through the CWB.

On June 3, 2011, in the Speech from The Throne, our Government once again reiterated our commitment to move forward with changes to the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) to give marketing freedom to western Canadian wheat and barley farmers. The speech stated our Government “will also introduce legislation to ensure that western farmers have the freedom to sell wheat and barley on the open market.”

It is incumbent upon the Board to come quickly with a realistic plan for the future, laying out their possible partnerships and the role that they see for the future under an open market. The Wheat Board has many potential partners and allies – brokers, buyers and sellers, inland terminals, export terminals and ports. They own ships and rail cars, and have an extensive sales network. If they cannot transition, it will be because they chose not to.

These changes need to be made quickly to provide clarity and certainty to market players. The CWB also needs to prepare for the 2012-13 crop year. The Board should have a specific business plan in place in order to fully benefit from the 2012-13 crop year which begins on
August 1, 2012. If the Board delays and obstructs the process, they create uncertainty in the market place for farmers.

We encourage the Board to work in the best interest of farmers to ensure a smooth transition to grain marketing freedom. To quote Richard Phillips, the Executive Director of the Grain Growers of Canada:

“[The Grain Growers of Canada] strongly encourage the Wheat Board to spend its time and resources in developing a new business model for the future… It is essential to ensure a smooth transition for farmers, including those who wish to continue selling through the Board.” ~ Richard Phillips, Executive Director of the Grain Growers of Canada (The Grain Growers of Canada, Tuesday, June 28)