A Week of Successful Round-Table Discussions with MP Parm Gill

This week, the Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), and the Hon. Chris Alexander, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, joined Member of Parliament Parm Gill, along with community members of Brampton, to seek input on how the Government of Canada can continue to maintain a high quality of life for seniors, as well as develop new innovations and initiatives to aid immigrants in Canada. These successful round-table discussions build on our Government’s strong record of working hard for the benefit of all Canadians. 
As outlined by Minister Wong, and MP Gill, the Government of Canada’s work to encourage jobs, growth, and long-term prosperity, not only helps Canadians families, but also works to help support our seniors. Comprehensive social programs to care for senior citizens, is the result of our Government’s sensible fiscal management that supports job creation, and economic growth. To that end, we are providing almost $2.8 billion in annual tax relief to Canada’s seniors and pensioners. Included, is an additional $5 million annually for the New Horizons for Seniors Program which supports local community based projects to directly benefit seniors. This level of care reflects our Government’s commitment to helping those most vulnerable. This point was reiterated during these discussions by Minister Alexander, who noted that Canada will welcome an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees and 3,000 Iraqi refugees due to on-going conflicts in the region. With our strong economic record, and world class infrastructure, Canada boasts one of the highest naturalization rates: more than 85 percent of eligible permanent residents in Canada go on to become citizens. Since 2006, Canada has welcomed over 1,300,000 proud new Canadians, and through these community discussions, we are implementing reforms to reduce processing times by 80 percent by 2015-16.
After this week of successful round-table meetings with the community, MP Gill noted that “by mixing expertise, creativity, and collaboration, our communities are strengthened, our economy grows, and we improve the lives of Canadians. I want to thank the Honourable Ministers for attending our discussions,and the many community members as well. Together, we are working to build a stronger, more prosperous Canada.”