To the Editor:
It's been nearly nine years since our Canadians elected our Conservative Government into office, and we are heading back into another Parliamentary Session in Ottawa.
During this time, our Government has been focused on jobs and the economy by keeping taxes low and investing in our future. This is a strong and constant message we hear from families and hold ourselves to meeting that expectation.
Since the global economic downturn, we have seen an increase of 1.1 million jobs across Canada; many of which are right here in Saskatchewan. The new Canada Jobs Grant which will deliver training to nearly 130,000 Canadians each year to help companies fill jobs. Jobs that are needed to keep this province growing - built by renewed Saskatchewan character.
Most recently, our Government announced the introduction of the Small Business Tax Credit. This will lower small business payroll taxes by 15 per cent for the next two years, putting some $550 million back into the pockets of small businesses.
We continue to invest heavily in infrastructure. The new Regina Bypass will be the second largest P3 project in Canada's history. The North Commuter Parkway Project in Saskatoon is another example of how large investments set the stage for continued growth. We are proud to work with the Provincial Government and Municipalities on these initiatives and look forward to future projects.
As an exporting nation, our Government continues to open up new markets for Canadian products. Our recent successes include historic trade agreements with South Korea and the European Union - and we are not stopping there.
On the agricultural side of things, we have delivered marketing freedom to western Canadian grain farmers, and put in place clear and achievable solutions to ensure that grains and all commodities get to market in a timely manner. We have also gotten rid of the wasteful and ineffective long-gun registry once and for all.
Our work is not done - with ongoing global uncertainty, the strength of our economy is more vital than ever. Our Government remains committed to providing working families with the tools they need to be successful. We will continue this work in the next Parliamentary session with the target of balancing the federal budget by 2015.
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, Regional Minister for Saskatchewan.
