Surrey Tory MP Nina Grewal, left, and NDP MP Jinny Sims.
Photograph by: submitted , for Surrey NOW
Surrey Tory MP Nina Grewal says the federal budget released today aims to sustain "a high quality of life" for Canadians.
"Our government is acting prudently and decisively to ensure that Canada's economy creates good jobs and sustains a high quality of life," the MP for Fleetwood-Port Kells said, in support of Canada's Economic Action Plan 2013.
But local NDP MP Jinny Sims sees many of her Newton-North Delta constituents struggling to make ends meet, with a good number of them juggling three or four jobs.
"I want to know what planet some of these MPs live on," Sims said. "This budget does so little - I would say nothing - to improve the quality of life for hard-working Canadians."
Grewal said the government's priority is to help create jobs. It aims to do this, she said, by increasing skills and training support, partly through a new Canada Job Grant and by offering tax breaks for manufacturers who buy new equipment and machinery to remain competitive. The government will also invest a record $70 billion in infrastructure across Canada for roads, bridges, subways, rail lines and ports, provide more tax relief for citizens who give to charity, adopt a child or rely on homecare services, and will eliminate import tax tariffs of baby clothing, sports gear and exercise equipment.
"Budget 2013 builds on our government's solid record of achievement, a record that includes unprecedented funding for Surrey infrastructure, lowering taxes over 150 times, and lowering the average family's tax bill by over $3,200."
While Grewal says it's a "good budget" for Surrey, Sims and Jasbir Sandhu, the NDP's MP for Surrey North, say it doesn't deliver for Surrey or North Delta.
"There's nothing for us. There are no major projects for our area," Sims said. There's also very little in the budget to address the growing debt load among youths and seniors, she said. "Very disappointing."
Sandhu says the Conservative government promised to focus on jobs, "but instead, they're continuing with job-killing austerity measures," he said.
"People in our ridings are telling us they're looking for investments in infrastructure, transit and crime reduction," Sandhu said. "This budget just doesn't deliver. We need a budget that gets results for real people."
