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Harper Government Record

Plans, Priorities & Accomplishments

Accountability

The Federal Accountability Act was passed which: (Link)

• Provides protection for whistleblowers;
• Bans political contributions by corporations and unions;
• Reduces personal political donations from $5000 to $1000 per year;
• Strengthens the power for the Auditor General to ‘Follow the Money;’ and
• Added fixed election dates.

Child Care

• Child Tax Credit ($2000 for every child under 18);
• Universal Child Care Plan; (Link)
• Universal Child Care Benefit — $1200.00 per year for every child under age six; (Link)
• New tax credits for kid’s sport (up to $500 per child under age 16), textbooks, tools and apprentices; and
• Free Medical Alert Bracelets for Children. (Link) 

Cities & Infrastructure

• New tax credits for public transit;
• Increased the Canada Social Transfer by $800 million per year;
• Public transit infrastructure grants — up to $500 million in 07/08;
• Municipal infrastructure projects — $16 billion over seven years for roads, bridges, sewer and water systems and green energy; (Link)
• A Public Transit Capital Trust ($195 million); (Link)
• Supporting the vulnerable in our society (Link) – see also the 2008 budget quick link here, click on “H,” then “Homelessness;” andHomelessness Partnering Strategy – $269.6 million over two years from April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2009 to help people move towards autonomy and self-sufficiency. (Link)

Crime & Security

The law and order accomplishments provide: (Link)

• Security for the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway — $15 million over two years to establish a permanent facility to enhance security;
• Public Prosecution Service of Canada — with $122 million towards the federal corrections system; 
• A crack down on street racing;
• A crack down on money laundering by organized crime and terrorists;
• Youth at risk protection — $16.1 million;
• National Anti-Drug Strategy — $64 million; (Link)
• Ombudsman for Victims of Crime established; (Link)
• Arming border guards; (Link)
• Strengthening national security — $1.4 billion to further protect against the threat of terrorism;
• The hiring of 1000 new RCMP personnel; (Link)
• A Police Officer Recruitment Fund — Ontario to receive $156 million, the Northwest Territories $800,000 over five years (Link), Prince Edward $1.6 million, (Link) Alberta $42.4 million, (Link) and ROC here; (Link)
• “Tackling Violent Crime Act;” (Link) (Link) and
• Age of consent changed (from age 14) to age 16 effective May 1, 2008. (Link)

Employment Support

• A Community Development Trust — $1 billion to help communities suffering from manufacturing and forestry industry slowdowns and unemployment, including $358 million for Ontario. (Link)

Environment

• Automative Innovation Fund of $250 million to developing greener, more fuel efficient vehicles; 
• Randle Reed Clean-up — Hamilton Harbour clean up as part of Canada’s Action Plan for Clean Water; (Link) 
• Nahanni National Park expanded by 5000 square kilometers; (Link) 
• EcoEnergy Initiative of $2billion to promote smarter and cleaner energy use; (Link)
• Hydrogen Highway — Created a $1.5 billon trust and network of hydrogen fuelling stations for fuel celled buses and vehicles in British Columbia; (Link)
• Chemicals Management Plan — $300 million to regulate chemicals harmful to human health and the environment; and (Link)
• Climate change research — $20.5 million into the Arctic and $150 million for to coincide with the International Polar Year; and
• Saskatchewan Carbon Capture Storage Project (Link).

Financial Management

• Budgets for (2006), (2007), and (2008);
• Reduced debt by $37 billion, including $10.2 billion with 2008 budget;
• $9 million for Canada’s National Museums — capital infrastructure projects; and
• Tax Back Guarantee — a plan to use interest sayings from national debt repayments to reduce personal income taxes, each and every year; and
• Restored fiscal balance (equalization) with $39 billion over seven years in long-term predictable funding (2007 budget). (Link)

First Nations Progress

• Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement; (Link) 
• 54 Land Claims have been setttled in the 2007/08 year;
• Enacted the Nunavik Inuit Land Claims Agreement (Link);
• $40 million for 2-year “Diabetes Prevention” pilot project for 10 First Nations communities; (Link) and
• Formal apology on June 11, 2008 to Native peoples for residential school abuses (link)(link).

Health & Consumer

While health care is a provincial responsibility, the Conservative government have done the following:

• Announced a ten year federal/provincial plan – and provided $41.3 billion to implement;
• Provided funds to help provinces reduce patient wait times — $612 million in new funding; (see examples — Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia.)
• Announced the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer — $260 million in funding over five years to implement a national cancer strategy; (Link)
• To offer Cervical cancer protection — $300 million allocated to protect women from cancer of the cervix; (Link)
• Increased funding to provinces to deal with shortage of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals;
• Initiated the Canada Health Infoway — with $400 million to develop electronic health records and reduce medical errors”;(Link)
• Hep C compensation redressed; (Link)
• HIV/AIDS vaccine research and support; (link)
• Made in Canada guidelines to clearly identify the contents of food grown and manufactured in Canada. (link)

National & International

1. Prime Minister launches program to “Save a Million Lives” affected by poverty; and(Link)
2. $4 million towards the “International Centre for Infectious Diseases” in Nairobi, Kenya – which is as a result of a 27 year collaboration between the University of Manitoba and the University of Nairobi (Link); and
3. Prime Minister Stephen Harper receives the prestigious B’nai Brith International President’s Gold Medallion in recognition of the government’s efforts to fight discrimination and uphold human rights in Canada and around the world. (Link)

Military & Afghanistan 

• Increased military spending to a post-war peak, including a systematic upgrade of combat equipment; (Link) (Link)
• Approved the Manley Report; (Link)
• Extended the Afghanistan mission to 2011; (Link)
• Restored citizenship for last Canadian involved in WWI; (Link) and
• Unveiled the Canada First Defence Strategy, a comprehensive plan that will ensure the Canadian military has the people, equipment and support needed for both domestic and international security challenges. (Link) Note: Order for new frigates cancelled June 10, 2008 (Link)

Righting Historical Wrongs

• Quebecois as a nation — motion to confirm Quebec within a united Canada;(Link) 
• Government apologized for Chinese Head Tax; (Link) (Link)
• Provision of $20,000 to every Chinese immigrant and/or surviving spouses who paid the head tax plus a $24 million towards an”historical recognition program”(Link) – plus an extra $5 million to educate Canadians (Link);
• Agent Orange compensation package of $96 million to provide $20,000 to those affected; (Link)
• Prime Minister calls for Air India public inquiry; (Link)
• Air India Memorials unveiled across Canada; (Link)
• Announced $10 million to educate Canadians about the internment of Eastern European (Ukranian) immigrants in Canadian work camps during WWI; (Link) and
• Formal apology on June 11, 2008 to Native peoples for residential school abuses (link)(link). (See also under the ”First Nation’s Progress” category above.)

Seniors & Retirees

• Allowed income splitting for Canadian seniors and pensioners; (Link) and
• Increased the Guaranteed Income Supplement form $500 to $3500 and exempted any earned income on the first $3500. (Link)

Sovereignty & Arctic

The Conservative government has a four-pronged Arctic agenda that consists of protecting national sovereignty, economic development, northern input and control (to end paternalistic federal policies) and environmental protection. (Link)(Link)

Other concrete accomplishments include: 

• Acquisition of an icebreaker — $720 million; (Link)   
• Construction of eight Arctic offshore patrol ships; and
• Arctic deep water port — to be constructed.

Student Aid & Programs

• Improved Canada Student Grant program — $350 to $450 million; (Link to all programs)
• New Canada Graduate Scholarship award — $25 million over two years to establish a program for doctoral students; and
• Eliminated income tax on student scholarships, fellowships and bursaries.

Taxation Improvements

• Tax Free Savings Account;
• Eliminated the $4000 limit on annual RESP contributions (2008 budget);
• Gas Tax Fund — making it permanent ($2 billion in 09/10);
• Taxpayers Ombudsman — first appointed in Canada (for problems with the Revenue Canada Agency);
• Taxpayers Bill of Rights; (Link)
• Implemented a working Income Tax Benefit;
• Canada Employment Credit of $1000.00;
• No tax on first $10,000 — $9600 in 2007 and 2008 and to $10,000 in 2009;
• Cut taxes on small businesses;
• Ended marriage penalty — for single-earners by ending the marriage penalty; and
• GST cut from 7% to 6% and now to 5%; (Link) (Link) and
• Eliminated the corporate capital tax. (Link)

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