No government or individual is perfect. If you think it should be, please look in the mirror and ask the one you see there if he or she is. I hope individuals that know me accept that fact and not expect perfection just as I do not expect perfection in them.
Governments, especially minorities, have less opportunity than individuals to achieve any kind of perfection since their bills can be dumped by the opposition at any time. This has been the case many times over the last 5 years.
However in spite of that the Conservative minority government has accomplished a lot considering they do NOT have the votes to pass anything, unless at least 9 or 10 people in the other parties vote FOR any of their bills.
What have they achieved?
- Canada's economy was kept more stable than the rest of the world's during the recent recession. Recognized by International Monetary Fund and other groups.
- Canada was the only country which did not have to bail out its banks and financial institutions.
- Unemployment went up but recovered quickly.
- Real GDP is up which means we are producing more than before. The more we produce as a country, then the more we sell to others. The more we sell to others, then the better our economy becomes.
- Average hourly wages have outpaced inflation.
- National net worth per capita stood at a record high in the third quarter of 2010.
- Number of children living in low income families fell by 250,000 from 2003 to 2008.
- Many more Canadians are availing themselves of registered retirement plans.
- Tax freedom day [the day we have finally paid all taxes to three levels of government] came sooner, from June 23 in 2005 to June 5 in 2010.
- An extra five weeks of EI benefit was granted to more than 1 million EI claimants.
- 164,000 long-tenured workers were provided with up to 20 weeks of additional benefits
- More than 14,000 unemployed workers received additional assistance and long-term training through the Career Training Assistance Program.
- EI training opportunities for all Canadian workers were provided through many avenues including the Strategic Training and Transition Fund.
- Funding for youth internships provided.
- $80 million in additional funding given to aboriginal Canadians through the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership.
- Work-sharing agreements extended by 14 weeks assisting over 35,000 last December.
- $80 million commitment to new Apprenticeship Completion Grant.
- Since July 2009, Canada's Economic Action Plan created over 460,000 jobs with close to 85% being full-time.
Childcare
- Introduced $1200 per year child care allowance for children under the age of 6 so that parents can CHOOSE who and how they are cared for when parents are working.
Law & Order -
- Toughened minimum sentences for gun crimes. Other efforts have met with resistance from the other parties.
- Sex offenders must now give DNA samples to RCMP [a tad more useful than the long gun registry]
Taxes
- GST reduced from 7% to 6% then to 5%..
Education [under jurisdiction of provinces]
- Post-secondary students can receive up to $9.75 per month of full-time study.
- Scholarships and bursaries fully exempt from income tax
If we would like to escape elections every year or two, there is only one way!
Elect a Conservative majority government which can continue to make the changes necessary to make government more efficient and Canadians more secure.
I personally think they have earned our vote.
PM Harper performing with 10-year old sensation Maria Aragorn - 1
Is this an Indian burka?
