Did You Know...? - Edition 7

September 08, 2009

That… Statistics Canada is reporting that Canada's economy grew slightly in June.  While we see light at the end of the tunnel, we are still in the middle of a global economic recession.  This will continue to be a difficult year for the Canadian and global economies, but our Government’s number one priority is implementing our Economic Action Plan.

That… the Conservative Party is taking Elections Canada to court to eliminate Rebate Double Dipping.  Political parties qualify for GST rebates from the Canada Revenue Agency. Political parties also qualify for campaign spending rebates from Elections Canada.  Elections Canada is changing its rules to allow for Rebate Double Dipping.  It wants to give campaign spending rebates that duplicate the GST rebates!  That’s not right, and it’s not fair to taxpayers. For 16 months, the Conservative Party has been trying to return its double rebate to Elections Canada.  Elections Canada won't take the money, now totalling almost $600,000.  (We won’t use the double rebate and have placed it in trust.)  Our position is backed by accounting experts and previous Elections Canada rulings.  We have no idea why Elections Canada is trying to change the rules, or why they now think Rebate Double Dipping is legitimate or fair.  We hope other parties will join our effort to stop Rebate Double Dipping – and that they aren't double dipping themselves!
That… on September 1, Michael Ignatieff, Leader of the Liberal Party, stated that he would no longer support the Government.  Canadians do not want or need an unnecessary election.  The economy remains our number one priority and we need to continue to implement our Economic Action Plan in order to create and maintain jobs.  Political opportunism is the only reason for an unnecessary election that interrupts action on the economy.  This just proves that Michael Ignatieff is not in it for Canadians –  he’s in it for himself.

That… there has been an increase of 27,100 new jobs, primarily within the private sector and among part-time positions.  The unemployment rate went up by 0.1% to 8.7% because more people are looking for work.  The increase in the number of Canadians who are employed shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel.  Job creation is a positive sign, but many Canadians are still looking for work. Helping them to succeed is the Government’s priority. Jobs continue to be created in Canada and Canadians who are searching can be optimistic about finding employment.  But we can't let down our guard.  Canada is still in the middle of a global economic recession.  The last thing Canadians need or want is an unnecessary election that would threaten our economic recovery.  We're concerned about fighting the recession.  Mr. Ignatieff wants to fight the recovery.

That… the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, the Honourable Diane Finley, announced that the government will introduce measures at the beginning of the fall session to help long-time workers who have lost their jobs because of the global recession. These measures will help ensure that workers who have paid into the EI system for years receive the help they need while they search for new employment.  This is an important step for Canadians who have worked hard and paid taxes their whole lives and have found themselves in economic hardship.

That… the Liberals have chosen to walk away from the EI Working Group.  We are very disappointed that they have rejected this process and abandoned unemployed Canadians.  We remain committed to supporting Canadians affected by the global economic downturn and we will continue to work on options to help those unemployed who have paid into the system for years and are having trouble due to the global recession.  We will also continue to look for ways to help self-employed Canadians access maternal and parental benefits.