What you didn’t hear in the Conservative budget

On the economy, we called on the Conservatives to deliver real tax relief for all Canadians, and they failed to deliver. Taxes began to go up literally the day this government took power – the lowest income tax rate was 15 per cent in 2005, 15.25 per cent in 2006 and 15.5 per cent in 2007. The Conservatives also decreased the amount that can be earned tax-free in 2006. The least they could do was to reverse some of these tax hikes. This budget maintains the Conservative tax hike on the first $35,000 of income. The cost of this tax hike -- $1.4 billion – cancels out the benefit of their new child tax credit. Overall, the tax relief for hard-working Canadians is modest: some $1.3 billion per year, or a paltry $80 per tax-payer.



On the environment we called on the Conservatives safeguard our environment and fight climate change, and they failed to deliver. With this budget, the Conservatives cut back our commitment to renewable energy to 4000 megawatts from 5500 megawatts of support for clean and sustainable production. They keep tax breaks for new oil sands expansion in place until 2015 to help with their plan for explosive growth. They slow our planned cleanup of lakes and waterways. They replace rewards for those who make energy savings changes with gimmicks that cost thousands of dollars for every tonne reduced. They reduce funding to our provincial partners by half. And, worst of all, there is no plan to make sure polluters pay for using the atmosphere as a free garbage dump.



On social justice we called on the Conservatives to help working families, students and Aboriginal Canadians, and they failed to deliver. In 2006, the Conservatives promised 125,000 new child care spaces over 5 years. Fourteen months into its mandate, Canadian families are realizing this promise wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on: there have been zero spaces created in the past year. What’s worse, the so-called Universal Child Care benefit – neither universal nor child care – is fully taxable, and the government will rake in an average of $400 per family thanks to this. The budget also doesn’t put a penny in the pockets of Canada’s under-graduate students. There’s money for Canada’s top 4,000 graduate students, but the vast majority get nothing at all. And the Conservative budget provides no clear vision for improving the lives of Aboriginal Canadians, instead offering a hodge-podge of measures, with funding that is a drop in the bucket compared to the Kelowna Accord they abandoned.



As Mr. Dion noted, never have we seen a government do so little, with so much. That is why we cannot – and will not – support this Conservative budget.





Your Opinion



A few weeks ago, I asked for your opinion on a number of subjects in a questionnaire that was sent out to all households in the riding. Since then, my office has received – and is still receiving - many responses from all over the riding in general, and Westmount in particular.



As your Member of Parliament, your comments are important to me. I would like to thank all those who have already taken the time to share their thoughts with me. If you have not had the chance to send your response in and still wish to, please do not hesitate.





The Honourable Lucienne Robillard is the Liberal Member of Parliament for Westmount-Ville-Marie and the Deputy House Leader.