A VOICE FOR VANCOUVER – A strong voice at the government table to represent our urban issues.

CANADA’S ECONOMY

Our Record is strong – putting money back in the pockets of taxpayers!

• Reduced the federal tax burden to its lowest level in 50 years.
• Removed over 1,000,000 low-income Canadians from the federal income tax rolls.
• Delivered 120 tax cuts since 2009 saving the average Canadian family of four over $3,000 per year.
• Created almost 500,000 new jobs since July 2009 – more than were lost during the recession.

Our Low-Tax Plan for jobs and growth – a plan that works for you!

DOUBLING THE TAX-FREE SAVINGS ACCOUNT LIMIT

• From $5,000 to $10,000 – doubling the amount Canadians can save tax-free each year.

SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

• $1,000 Hiring Credit – Employment Insurance break for 525,000 Canadian small businesses.
• Cut red tape and eliminate administrative burdens for small- and medium-sized businesses.
• Reduced the federal tax rate to 11% to allow small businesses to invest, expand, and hire more workers.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR OLDER WORKERS

• $50-million over two years to extend the Targeted Initiative for Older Workers program.
• New skills training opportunities to help unemployed older workers stay in the workforce.

FOREIGN CREDENTIALS LOANS FOR NEW CANADIANS

• New loans for recent immigrants to help pay for skills training and accreditation.

SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES

• The Family Tax Cut – additional tax relief for 1.8 million Canadian families on average $1,300 per year.
• Double the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit to $1,000 per child to cover sports and recreation fees.
• The Children’s Arts Tax Credit – $500 per child to cover expenses for arts and cultural activities.

SUPPORT FOR SENIORS AND FAMILY CAREGIVERS

• $300-million in additional funding to raise the Guaranteed Income Supplement – an extra $600 per year for senior singles and $840 for couples to improve financial security and quality of life.
• The Family Caregiver Tax Credit on the amount of $2,000 will support over 500,000 caregivers.
• $10-million additional funding for the New Horizons for Seniors Program to support local projects that enable seniors to participate in their community.

Our Commitment – to eliminate the deficit by 2014-15 without cutting transfer payments to individuals or to the provinces for essential things like health care, education, and pensions.

STABLE HEALTH CARE

Universally-accessible, quality public health care regardless of your ability to pay.

THE CONSERVATIVE RECORD

• A 33% increase in funding to the provinces and territories ($30-billion) since 2006.
• Steady transfer payments to help the provinces strengthen health care services across the country.
• Signed Patient Wait Time Guarantee agreements with all provinces and territories.
• Support for cutting-edge medical research to find treatments and cures for neurological diseases.
• $250-million for cancer research, training and screening.

THE LIBERAL RECORD

• The previous Liberal government cut $25-billion in health care funding to the provinces.
• Caused a health care funding crisis and nearly doubled patient wait times.

Our Promise – to work collaboratively with the provinces and territories to renew the Health Accord and to continue to reduce patient wait times.

SAFE STREETS

Promoting quality of life and a healthy urban community.

• Tough laws to fight organized crime, violent crime and gun crimes.
• New funding for the Youth Gang Prevention Fund – $37.5-million over 5 years for community programs to help at-risk youth to avoid gangs and criminal activity.
• Tough new measures to fight human trafficking and protect immigrant workers.
• A strong voice on homelessness and the Conservative government’s National Homelessness Strategy – $1.9-billion over 5 years to build affordable housing for low-income Canadians.
• Tough new measures to protect against elder abuse.

ENVIRONMENT AND CLEAN ENERGY

Balancing the need for economic growth with our responsibility to protect the environment.

• Expanded protected wilderness areas and introduced laws eliminate harmful pollutants from the environment.
• The ecoEnergy Home Retrofit Program – grants to property owners of up to $5,000 per unit for energy-efficiency improvements.
• $870-million over two years to improve air quality in urban communities.
• New funding for clean energy research and development (almost $100-million over 2 years).
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 17% from 2005 levels by 2020.

STRONG IMMIGRATION

Our Conservative government has welcomed the highest levels of immigration to Canada in the last 50 years.

• Continue to attract more skilled workers to support our labour market needs.
• Increase family class immigrants to allow up to 65,000 this year.
• Protect immigrants from crooked immigration consultants.

EDUCATION and TRAINING

Our Government increased transfer payments to the provinces by 40% to support quality education across Canada.

• Up to $2-billion through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program to expand post-secondary institutions.
• Established the Canada Student Grants Program and provided support for 290,000 for low- and middle-income students 2009-10.
• Scholarships and bursaries are now tax-free.
• $4,000 apprenticeship grants to encourage young Canadians to pursue skilled trades.

TRANSPORTATION and INFRASTRUCTURE

Record investments in Vancouver’s infrastructure under Stephen Harper’s Conservative Government.

• Continue our long-term plan for infrastructure renewal and work effectively with other levels of government.
• Legislation to confirm permanent funding for municipal infrastructure.