Do they really help create jobs? In 2000, then Liberal Finance Minister Paul Martin cut corporate income tax rates by a quarter, from 28 percent to 21 percent, phased in over five years. The Harper Government has continued those cuts from 21 per cent in 2007 to 18 percent today, and is ignoring NDP advice [...]
Archive for the ‘Economy’ Category
Corporate Tax Cut Myths
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010NDP Offers Relief from Outragous Credit Card Rates
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010In the midst of the current economic recovery, families in BC have had to resort to exhausting their life savings and, in many cases, borrowing money from credit and financial institutions to make ends meet. For a large number of constituents who find themselves unemployed, under-employed or recently laid-off, this often means being forced to [...]
Victims of Recession Lose Out – Banks Win Big in New Budget
Thursday, March 4th, 2010OTTAWA – People who lost their jobs and other victims of this recession are the losers in this budget while banks whose profits just doubled hit the jackpot, said New Democrat Leader Jack Layton. “Budgets are about choices. Mr. Harper has chosen to enrich banks and oil companies, the most profitable corporations in the country, [...]
Selling our Sovereignty in ‘Buy American’ Negotiations
Friday, February 26th, 2010With Parliament prorogued the Harper government has been busy wrapping up a last minute and lop-sided deal with the U.S. on how to handle the ‘Buy American’ provisions in their 2009 stimulus legislation. With just a few days left before the bidding was closed on the $275 billion U.S. stimulus fund, 98% which was already [...]
Home Renovation Tax Credit is Worth Repeating
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010The Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) program recently came to an end. By all accounts it was such a success that people are clamouring for the government to continue the credit for another year. New Democrats agree, and are calling for the credit to be maintained and enhanced to promote energy-efficient, green technology for home [...]
Atamamenko Disappointed at Harper’s Response to Buy America
Friday, February 19th, 2010Canada and the United States have given Canadian companies a very brief opportunity to compete for US stimulus package dollars worth $4 – $5 Billion. According to BC Southern Interior MP, Alex Atamanenko, this is a lop-sided deal. “Limited access to US stimulus funding for Canadian companies while guaranteeing US firms access to provincial and [...]
Economic Structural Damage
Friday, January 29th, 2010Canada’s watchdog for federal spending recently issued his report and the news was definitely not upbeat. Coming off a budget that racked up Canada’s biggest deficit ever, many are aware there will be difficult times ahead. What they may have forgotten is how thin the line between surplus and deficit was before we engaged in [...]
Bank Executives Take Home Record Bonuses
Wednesday, December 30th, 2009Christmas has come early for the executives of Canada’s chartered banks, while some of their consumers are being left with nothing more than a lump of coal in their stockings. An article in the December 10 edition of the Globe and Mail reported that “bonuses at the country’s six largest banks will reach a record [...]
Retraining Unemployed workers: letter to Minister Finley
Thursday, December 10th, 2009I write to you on an urgent matter affecting not only my constituents, but those across the province of British Columbia. The BC Government has made an abrupt decision to cap all tuition funding for EI recipients in job retraining programs
A Stronger Canada Pension Plan
Friday, November 27th, 2009For your entire career you have worked hard and built a good life for your family. Every paycheque, your deductions included a small amount that was tucked away in your public pension plan. When retirement came, you expected to be able to live in dignity with some measure of financial security. Yet this recession has [...]