The First Two Weeks

It has been a busy couple weeks and it is clear our Team has led the way in unveiling our platform. Each day policy details were released and which are on the web for all to see; and, our platform is fully costed.

Our Team will help PEOPLE instead of giving more money to corporations whose tax-rates are lowest in the G7 and 25% below those in the US.  We need have no concern about inability to compete in the marketplace.

The most difficult issue for me on the campaign trail is those who are so closed-minded that they walk-away and/or in their rant tell me “you’re all the same"  or something like that.

Our team will put the money thus generated into health care, education and help Canadians to green-up by retrofitting their homes and all of which will help our economy.

It will “strengthen families – without raising your taxes – if we stop corporate giveaways, turn the page on wasteful spending like $30-billion fighter jets, and focus on what really matters: giving every Canadian the tools to succeed in the years ahead.”

I  also see preservation of public healthcare as a huge priority. The following is what we call the ‘Liberal Family Pack’.

1. Learning Passport

The new Learning Passport will open the doors for every young Canadian who wants to go to college, university or trade-school, and will help every family struggling to save enough to pay for it:
$1,000 a year over four years for every high school student in Canada to use when they go to college or university, or $4,000 in total.

For students in low income families, the amount will be $1,500 a year, or $6,000 in total.

2. Early Childhood Learning

To give our kids the best start while giving parents access to affordable, quality child care, a Liberal government will create a new Early Childhood Learning and Care Fund. This fund will help create new affordable child care spaces across Canada.

3. Family Care

To help Canadians who care for elderly or seriously ill loved ones manage the financial pressures of caregiving, the Liberal Family Care Plan will offer:

• A new Family Care Employment Insurance Benefit, similar to EI parental leave, to let caregivers take six months off work to care for gravely ill family members at home; and
• A new Family Care Tax Benefit up to $1,350 annually, modeled on the Child Tax Benefit, to help low- and middle-income family caregivers manage costs

4. Stronger Public Pensions

To make sure every Canadian has a secure retirement, a Liberal government will:

• Work with the provinces and territories to gradually expand the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), the most reliable, simple and low-cost way to save;
• Put forward the Secure Retirement Option (SRO), a voluntary supplement to the CPP for any Canadian worker who wants it. Under the SRO, Canadians could save a tax-deductible percentage of their pay in a secure retirement fund backed by the CPP; and
• Help low-income seniors with a $700-million boost to the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)

5. Green Renovation Tax Credit

To help Canadians save on energy costs while helping the environment, a Liberal government will implement a permanent Green Renovation Tax Credit of up to $13,500. This fund will help families with the up-front costs of energy-saving home renovations such as installing energy-efficient windows, improving insulation, replacing old appliances, and upgrading roofing

Of course, we have proposed many other policies too and I will provide those policies as soon as possible too and I trust people will contact me on any concerns they might have.