Saving Canadian Families Money

Member of Parliament Param Gill

Our Conservative Government’s low-tax plan is helping Canadian families keep more of their hard-earned money where it belongs: in their pockets. Indeed, under our Government the average family of four is saving $3,400 on their taxes each year.

Welcoming more new Canadians

New Canadian citizens in February 2014 almost double compared to one year ago

February 28, 2014 — Ottawa — More than 19,200 people from 193 countries have become Canadian citizens at citizenship ceremonies held across Canada over the month of February. This is almost 100 percent higher compared to the same period last year (February 2013) when approximately 9,980 people were granted citizenship across Canada.

Minister Kenney issues statement recognizing the Republic Day of India

Ottawa, January 24, 2014 — The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister for Multiculturalism, issued the following statement recognizing the celebration this coming Sunday of India’s Republic Day:

“January 26th commemorates one of the most important and defining moments in Indian history. On that day in 1950, the world’s largest democracy became a fully-independent republic when the Constitution of India came into force, replacing the Government of India Act as the country’s governing document.

Ontario Celebrates Three Young Women in the Fight Against Racism

On the first official Lincoln Alexander Day in Ontario, the province is honouring three young female leaders with a Lincoln M. Alexander Award.

Magic of Diversity: Black History Month Statement by the Honourable Jim Karygiannis, Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Agincourt

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”Marcus Garvey

February is Black History Month in Canada – a time to celebrate and recognize the contributions of people of African descent to the Canadian mosaic.

In 1995, Members of Parliament voted unanimously in favour of a Motion introduced by the Honourable Jean Augustine, M.P. -  

That this House take note of the important contribution of black Canadians to the settlement, growth and development of Canada, the diversity of the black community in Canada and its importance to the history of this country, and recognize February as black history month.

The first national recognition of Black History Month was in February 1996.

I encourage all Canadians to take the time to learn about the history and experiences of black Canadians - the struggle, triumphs and the significant contributions that have been made, and are being made, to our multicultural society.StarBuzzOnline.com

Canada’s New Asylum System a Success Total savings already over $600 million

January 22, 2014 — Toronto — In the year since comprehensive reforms to Canada’s asylum system took effect, the number of new asylum claims from safe countries has decreased to historic lows, ensuring that genuine refugees – truly vulnerable people from some of the world's most volatile areas – receive faster and fairer protection, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced today.

Asylum claims from countries that historically produced high numbers of unfounded claims have dropped by a dramatic 87 per cent. The overall reduction in asylum claims has already resulted in greater than anticipated savings to Canadian taxpayers of more than $600 million in provincial and federal government welfare, education and health-care costs.  Overall savings are projected to be more than $1.6 billion over five years.  

Quick Facts

·         In 2011, there were approximately 6,300 asylum claims from EU countries – more than from Africa or Asia.

·         Under the new rules, annual asylum claims from Hungary – an EU country and the top source country for asylum claims in Canada over the past three years with already high withdrawal and abandonment rates- have declined by an overwhelming 97 per cent.

·         Asylum claims from the United States have also dropped significantly - down by roughly 80 per cent from the year before.

·         Countries in distress, such as Afghanistan, Congo, Egypt, Somalia and Syria, now rank among the top 10 source countries for asylum claims in Canada.

Quote

“The new system is working and we are providing faster protection to those in genuine need. By reducing the number of unfounded claims, we are able to focus our resources on refugees who truly need Canada’s protection. Canadians take great pride in the generosity and compassion of our immigration and refugee programs, but we have no tolerance for those who seek to take unfair advantage of our country. The success of the new system after a year demonstrates that we have reinforced the integrity of the system and are guarding against abuse of our generosity.”

Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister 

StarBuzzOnline.com

Sustained high numbers of visas issued from Chandigarh and New Delhi missions in 2013

Anandpur Sahib, January 10, 2014 — Canada is a destination of choice for visitors, students and business travellers from India. A high number of visitor visas (84,672) and study permits (13,613) were issued from Canada’s Chandigarh and New Delhi offices between January and December 2013, the Honourable Tim Uppal, Minister of State for Multiculturalism announced today at the Pravasi Punjabi Divas Sammelan conference in Anandpur Sahib.

Reuniting families and reducing backlogs in Canada’s immigration system

Parent and Grandparent Program gearing up for re-launch

December 18, 2013 – Ottawa – Citizenship and Immigration Canada – By cutting immigration backlogs and wait times, the Government is bringing families together more quickly, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced today.

Over the first six months of 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) admitted 45,000 permanent residents to Canada in the Family Class (FC). This represents an increase of 40 percent over the first six months of 2012. This increase can be attributed almost entirely to a doubling of admissions in the Parent and Grandparent (PGP) category over that time period.

Toastmasters Hosts Youth Leadership Program at Brampton Library

Once again, Brampton Library and Toastmasters have partnered to help youth ages 14 to 18 develop their communication and leadership skills so they can become leaders in business, industry and their community.

Brampton Toastmasters Club #2347, Dist. #86 is sponsoring this initiative, which promises to give interested teens a chance to increase their self-confidence as they learn, make new friends and have fun. As an added bonus, certificates will be issued at the final session as part of a special graduation ceremony.

Reforming the Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Twitter Link: http://goo.gl/c0bfl

Today, the Harper Government announced reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

• The purpose of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is to help fill genuine and acute labour needs and our Government has been reviewing the program to ensure that goal is met and Canadian workers are never displaced.

• Canada is experiencing significant skills shortages in many sectors and regions, and Canadians must always have first crack at job opportunities when they become available.

• Stemming from the ongoing review of the TFW Program, and as announced in Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2013, the Government is introducing legislative, regulatory and administrative changes that will:   

·        effective immediately, require employers to pay temporary foreign workers at the prevailing wage by removing the existing wage flexibility;

·        effective immediately, temporarily suspend the Accelerated Labour Market Opinion process;

·        increase the Government’s authority to suspend and revoke Work Permits and Labour Market Opinions (LMOs) if the program is being misused;

·        add questions to employer LMO applications to ensure that the TFW Program is not used to facilitate the outsourcing of Canadian jobs;

·        ensure employers who rely on temporary foreign workers have a firm plan in place to transition to a Canadian workforce over time through the LMO process;

·        introduce fees for employers for the processing of Labour Market Opinions and increase the fees for work permits so that the taxpayers are no longer subsidizing the costs; and

·        restrict English and French as the only languages that can be identified as a job requirement.

• As part of the ongoing review of the TFW Program, the Harper Government will hold cross-Canada consultations over the coming months with businesses, industry and trade organizations, unions and others on additional changes to the Program. 

• These reforms will help ensure the TFW Program is only used as intended – to fill acute skills shortages on a temporary basis.

Background

The results of these changes will strengthen and improve the TFW Program to support our economic recovery and growth, and ensure that employers make greater efforts to hire Canadians before hiring temporary foreign workers.  These reforms will ensure that the TFW Program, which is an important program to deal with acute skills shortages on a temporary basis, is used only as a last resort.

Primary agricultural occupations will be subject to the reform that will increase the Government’s authority to suspend and revoke Work Permits and Labour Market Opinions if they are being misused. The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and the Agricultural Stream will be unaffected by the remaining reforms as there are proven acute labour shortages in this industry and the unfilled jobs are truly temporary.

 StarBuzzOnline.com

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• Federal government will close wage gap for temporary foreign workers
• Foreign worker program changes include higher fees
• Conservative government reverses course on temporary foreign worker program after public outcry
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• Changes to foreign worker program will hurt business, groups say
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HARPER GOVERNMENT FOCUSED ON JOBS, GROWTH AND LONG-TERM PROSPERITY WITH ECONOMIC ACTION PLAN 2013 ACT, NO. 1

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today introduced the Economic Action Plan 2013 Act, No. 1. The Act proposes to legislate key elements of Economic Action Plan 2013, including tax relief for investments in new manufacturing machinery and equipment, and indexing the Gas Tax Fund to offer stable, predictable funding for municipal infrastructure.

“While Canada has fared better than most in the aftermath of the worst recession in a generation, the global economy remains very challenging,” said Minister Flaherty. “Through the Economic Action Plan 2013 Act, No. 1 the Harper Government remains squarely focused on what’s important to Canadians, creating jobs and economic growth—while keeping taxes low and balancing the budget by 2015.”
Measures in the Economic Action Plan 2013 Act, No. 1 advance economic progress and prosperity by:

“New CIC Tools Will Help Newcommers Succeed in Canada,” Says MP Gill

Brampton, ON –Member of Parliament Parm Gill praised an announcement by Citizenship & Immigration Canada of the release of two new web videos designed to help newcomers to Canada prepare for their arrival & navigate the first few weeks in a new country.

Minister Kenney launches videos to help newcomers settle

Helping immigrants integrate and succeed

Ottawa, April 19, 2013 — New immigrants can now access two new videos at cic.gc.ca to help them navigate their way before and during their first weeks in Canada, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.

RRSP FAQs

Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) are a great way to save for retirement. If you already have an RRSP, you understand the basics about this retirement savings vehicle, but you may have other questions. In the tips below, expert Chartered Accountants answer some frequently asked questions about RRSPs.

Breaking News: Minister Kenney to recruit enterprising talent for Canada from all over the world

Historic New Immigration Program to Attract Job Creators to Canada
Minister Kenney Announces New Start-Up Visa, First of its Kind in the World
Toronto, January 24, 2013 — Canada will launch a brand new program on April 1 to recruit innovative immigrant entrepreneurs who will create new jobs and spur economic growth, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.

“Our new Start-Up Visa will help make Canada the destination of choice for the world’s best and brightest to launch their companies,” said Minister Kenney. “Recruiting dynamic entrepreneurs from around the world will help Canada remain competitive in the global economy.”

The Start-Up Visa Program will link immigrant entrepreneurs with private sector organizations in Canada that have experience working with start-ups and who can provide essential resources. The Program is part of a series of transformational changes to Canada’s immigration system that will make it faster, more flexible and focused on Canada’s economic needs.

Ontario Launches Action Plan for Seniors

McGuinty Government Committed to Making Ontario the Best Place to Age

Ontario is launching an Action Plan to respond to the growing needs of the province’s aging population and to provide seniors with better access to health care, quality resources and improved safety and security.

New Job Alerts system launched to help Canadians looking for work

New Job Alerts system launched to help Canadians looking for workOttawa, Ontario—The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, today launched the new Job Alerts system, making it easier for Canadians across the country to find out about local job opportunities. 

Working Toward Jobs, Growth and Results during India Trade Mission: Fennell

Strengthening relations with private-sector and government leaders in India is crucial to attract job-creating investments here at home, Brampton Mayor Susan Fennell said today during a 15-day trade mission to India.

Fennell highlighted three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) she signed on behalf of Brampton with the All India Association of Industries, the World Trade Centre of Mumbai and the Small and Medium Business Development Chamber of India (SME Chamber of India), respectively. Each organization promotes economic growth.

Speaking specifically about Brampton’s MoU with the SME Chamber, Fennell said “an important factor that makes this MoU significant for Brampton is that more than 80 per cent of businesses in Brampton are small and medium sized.”

Migrants Being Defrauded by Human Smuggling Criminals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wfKh8o_ysqo

News Release — Migrants Being Defrauded by Human Smuggling Criminals

Colombo, Sri Lanka, January 7, 2013 — Anyone relying on human smugglers to try to get into Canada is just “throwing their life savings away,” Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney said today.

A New Direction for Immigration in Ontario

November 5, 2012-McGuinty Government Introduces Plan to Attract Skilled Immigrants, Strengthen Economy

Ontario is launching its first immigration strategy to help build a strong, globally-connected economy.

The strategy sets a new direction for how Ontario selects, welcomes and assists immigrants to the province. It emphasizes the critical role skilled immigrants play in Ontario's economic development, as workers and job creators, in addressing labour market gaps due to the province's aging population and low birth rate. The strategy also highlights how to better support immigrants and their families so they can succeed and contribute fully to Ontario's prosperity.