To the editor:
I am writing in response to your Feb. 19 editorial (Federal budget politics) criticizing Economic Action Plan 2014.
This budget is the next important step in the plan that has provided Canada over one million new jobs since the depths of the recession while returning to balanced budgets, and a $6.4-billion surplus by 2015. This has been achieved without raising taxes and without cutting transfer payments to the provinces for crucial services, like health care and education.
In addition to keeping Canada on the path to balanced budgets, Economic Action Plan 2014 has a number of new initiatives, including the historic $53- billion New Building Canada Plan for public infrastructure despite the article’s claim that “crumbling infrastructure across the country” has not been tackled by our government. Since our government came to office, the average annual federal funding for provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure has almost doubled. The 2007 Building Canada Plan has supported over 12,000 infrastructure projects across Canada, including in our region. There was $24.74 million in federal Building Canada Fund and provincial funding to make road improvements to Highway 97 through North Thompson and the Cariboo, $367,000 to 108 Mile House for the construction of two new reservoirs, almost $400,000 to 100 Mile House for municipal projects, and $2.79 million to the Cariboo for municipal projects, to name a few.
The 2014 edition will ensure that over the next 10 years we continue on that record of building roads, bridges, subways, commuter rail and other public infrastructure that enables the prosperity of all Canadians.
While there are too many initiatives to completely list here, the article does mention the new tax break for search-and-rescue volunteers, the new Canada Apprentice Loan providing apprentices in the trades with access to over $100 million in interest-free loans each year, and the $305 million committed to extend and enhance broadband service for up to an additional 280,000 rural Canadians. While the article chalks these up to “good sound bytes,” I hope the search-and-rescue volunteers, apprentices, and rural Canadians who benefit can appreciate them for more than that.
Cathy McLeod, MP
Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo
