Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

DAN ALBAS -- Are you satisfied with the work the Government and Opposition are doing in Ottawa on your behalf?


In many ways the ongoing responses coming out of Ottawa resembles the movie “Groundhog Day”.

In this case, the Government makes a major program announcement, only to be followed one week later by another announcement, that is often significantly different from what was announced the week previously.

For example, in my March 18th report I referenced the newly announced the “Emergency Care Benefit” program and the “Emergency Support Benefit Programs” and shared details of these initiatives.

By my March 25th report, both of these support programs had essentially been cancelled with the creation of new “Canadian Emergency Response Benefit Program” (CERB)

There has been a similar pattern for small and mid-sized business where at first a 10% wage subsidy was announced and was said to sufficient. Two weeks later a new wage subsidy program was announced that provided benefits of 75% of wages, provided losses could be established from this time of year one year ago.

Last week, this was again changed to reflect losses occurring since January 1st of this year.

Currently the biggest challenge of the wage subsidy program is that benefits expect to be a minimum of 6 weeks away.

Many businesses have stated is too long for them to survive.

This week, the Government announced new eligibility criteria for the CERB benefit program.

A summary of the key changes in eligibility are as follows:

  • Those who earn wages but earn less $1000/month will become eligible to apply for CERB 
  • Those expecting a seasonal job that no longer exists will be able apply for CERB 
  • Those who have run out of Employment Insurance (EI) after January 1, 2020 will be eligible to receive further support


Unfortunately, when I and other members asked for when these changes will take effect, the Minister responsible said the timeline for changes is unclear.

Some changes may come faster as they only require a regulatory change.

Others may require a legislative change and require Parliament’s approval which can take longer.

Virtually every one of the changes, and re-announcements, that have occurred over the past month has been made because Ottawa has, at first, vastly underestimated the significance of need that exists in our communities.

In short these programs as announced, failed to do what was required. Too many Canadians in need were falling through the cracks.

As the Opposition, all parties have raised these serious concerns and in my view the Government has been listening to these concerns.

There are still cracks remaining and citizens in need that require assistance that they currently still do not qualify for.

However, with the Government and Opposition working together on a “Team Canada” approach I believe, with the CERB eligibility expansion announced this week, this list is getting smaller and we will continue to ensure this progress continues.

My question to you:

“Are you satisfied with the work the Government and Opposition are doing in Ottawa on your behalf?”

Contact me via:
Email: Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca
Toll Free: 1 (800) 668-8711

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Conservative Party of BC Calls for Coroner’s Inquest in the Death of Chantelle Williams

  Chantelle Williams/Facebook “Somebody has to come out and tell the truth on what happened and who’s at fault” ~~ Martin Watts, Uncle of Chantelle Williams The Conservative Party of BC is urgently calling for a coroner’s inquest into the death of 18-year-old Indigenous youth Chantelle Williams, who tragically died under the care of Usma Nuu-chah-nulth Family and Child Services, an agency of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Her family is disturbed by the lack of transparency and unanswered questions surrounding her final moments, and are seeking answers on who was responsible for her care and supervision and why no one noticed she was missing until it was too late. Chantelle was found unresponsive in Port Alberni in the early morning of January 28, 2025. She was later pronounced dead in the hospital. Temperatures had dropped below –7°C the night of her death. Her family is demanding clarity on the circumstances that led to her untimely passing, and they demand answ...
Post a Comment
Read more

BC Conservatives launch petition in effort to halt BC NDP's 'power-grabbing' Bill 7 (Western Standard)

The BC Conservatives have launched a petition in an effort to block the BC NDP's controversial Bill 7. If passed, the Economic Stabilization (Tariff Response) Act would give the government sweeping power to combat the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump without legislative approval ... BC Conservatives labelled Bill 7 "the most undemocratic, power-grabbing legislation in BC history," warning that it would "grant Premier David Eby and his Cabinet unprecedented powers to override provincial laws, regulations, and even personal privacy rights." "This isn't just legislation, it's a direct attack on our democracy and on your freedom." ... CLICK HERE for the full story
Post a Comment
Read more

WARD STAMER: “Hopefully he’s actually listening to what people have to say, and not just showing up for a photo op”

In his latest travels across the province, BC Forest Minister Ravi Parmar touched down in the Okanagan. A trip essentially, he said, to be on the ground meeting industry people. I read what he had to say, and about how he has been tasked with getting more timber to market. Let me start by saying, “ He hasn’t been tasked. He and Premier Eby guaranteed 45 million cubic metres of available wood fibre – they guaranteed that .” BC Timber Sales is a government agency within the provincial forest’s ministry, which is responsible for managing a portion of the province's Crown timber; specifically, 20 percent of the province's annual allowable cut. Unfortunately, BC Timber Sales did not provide anywhere near that amount last year, it was just 12.2 percent. Three years ago, BC mills cut 52 million metres of wood, bringing in nearly $2 billion dollars to the provincial treasury. That figure doesn’t include the taxes from 55,700 people directly employed in the industry, nor from the tens o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more