Ottawa, December 10, 2014 - Today, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, the Honourable Peter Van Loan, and the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, the Honourable Denis Lebel, outlined the Government’s legislative accomplishments in 2014. Job creation, lower taxes and free trade were key elements in the economy-focused agenda in the House of Commons this past year.
“Our Government’s top priority is the economy. We will remain focused on the issues that are important to Canadians – growing the economy and creating jobs,” said Minister Van Loan. “Through the passage of our two budget implementation bills, we are implementing important job-creating measures from Economic Action Plan 2014 including important measures supporting families.”
This year’s budget, Economic Action Plan 2014, contained specific measures to create jobs promote economic growth, and support Canadian families. This fall, Parliament considered Bill C-43, Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 2, including a Small Business Job Credit , as well as a doubling of the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit. The bill also improves the fairness and integrity of the tax system, as the Government returns to balanced budgets in 2015.
This legislation complements another parliamentary vote that sets the stage for tax cuts, including the Family Tax Cut, and other enhanced benefits for families, including a significant expansion of the Universal Child Care Benefit to $160 per month for children under the age of 6. There will also be a new $60 monthly benefit for children aged 6 to 17 and a $1,000 increase to the Child Care Expense Deduction limits.
“We have implemented job-creating measures that build on our record of creating over a million new jobs since the economic down turn,” said Minister Lebel “Our plan includes new free trade agreements that open new markets for Canadian workers and businesses – this year, we made free trade agreements with South Korea and Honduras into law.”
By the end of this year, Parliament is expected to have passed several pieces of legislation benefiting the economy, which include:
- Bill C-31, Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 1
- Bill C-43, Economic Action Plan 2014 Act, No. 2
- Bill C-41, Canada-Korea Economic Growth and Prosperity Act – strengthening trade and investment ties across the Pacific, creating thousands of new jobs in Canada and providing Canadian businesses and workers with a gateway to Asia.
- Bill C-20, Canada-Honduras Economic Growth and Prosperity Act – opening new markets for our exporters in Latin America where Canada now has seven free trade agreements in place.
- Bill C-30, Bill Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act – ensuring Canadian grain farmers get their product to market quickly and more efficiently.
- Bill C-3, Safeguarding Canada’s Seas and Skies Act – ensuring the safe and reliable transport of Canada’s natural resources.
- Bill C-8, Combating Counterfeit Products Act – protecting consumers, manufacturers and retailers from the health and economic threats presented by counterfeit goods coming into Canada.
In addition to this year’s important economic accomplishments, throughout this year the Government kept its commitments and realized progress on our proposals to tackle crime, protect victims, support veterans, strengthen the value of Canadian citizenship, improve the conduct of elections, honour our international agreements, create parks, give Canadian farmers a boost, cut red tape, and fight terrorism.
A backgrounder outlining Parliament’s legislative accomplishments to date in 2014 is available online.
The House of Commons is scheduled to resume on January 26, 2015.
For more information, please contact:
Darlene Stone
Office of the Government House Leader
(613) 995-7226
