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Strong leadership for our Seniors

The job of running a country as great as Canada requires strong leadership.

The job of running a country as great as Canada requires strong leadership, our seniors know about strong leadership. Their hard work, sacrifice, and determination have made Canada into the great country it is today.

Our Government rec- ognizes the immense contribution our seniors have had on this great country. While the opposition parties like to act as if our Government has abandoned them, our Government has a strong record of support- ing Canada’s seniors, while the Opposition parties have a strong record of voting against initiatives that sup- port our seniors.

Since 2006 about $2.8 billion in annual tax relief has been provided to seniors and pensioners, but the opposition has voted against every single one of these measures. These measures include things such as Pension Income Splitting, increasing the Age Credit amount by $2,000 and dou- bling the Pension Income Credit to $2,000.

Our Government has also increased the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) income recipients can earn through employment without any reduction in GIS benefit from $500 to $3,500. Additionally our Government introduced the largest GIS increase in over 25 years – this has helped over 680,000 seniors in Canada.

Our Government is providing an additional $5 million per year to The New Horizons for Seniors Program which promotes volunteerism amongst seniors and younger generations, as well as provides seniors an opportunity to mentor younger generations. The New Horizons program also raises awareness surrounding elder abuse and promotes social participation and inclusion of seniors ,again the Opposition parties have voted against all of them.

Economic Action Plan 2015 also invests in seniors through the proposed Home Accessibility Tax Credit; this tax credit will help seniors renovate their homes to make it easier for them to stay in their family home while living a more independent life. Additionally, our Government has proposed to reduce the minimum withdrawal requirements for the Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF). Both of these proposals have been well received by the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) but the opposition’s disturbing trend of voting against Canadian seniors is expected to continue.

Our Government will continue to show the strong leadership that seniors need and deserve, whether that is through establishing and expanding the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) or through initiatives such as Pension Income Splitting ,our low tax plan has helped remove over 380,000 seniors from the tax rolls. Unlike the Opposition parties who are more interested in raising taxes and legalizing marijuana, our Government will pursue the best interests of our seniors.

Please contact my Con- stituency office if you have any questions or concerns on any federally related matters, postage free, at: Bay #6A, 4612 - 50th Street, Ponoka, T4J 1S7; tel: 403-783-5530; toll free: 1-800-665-0865 or visit my web site: www.blainecalkinsmp.ca or on twitter at www.twitter.com/blainecalkinsmp