Modeling Journey

Lois Brown MP, Newmarket-Aurora

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 18, 2008

Brown: Pre-Budget Consultation meeting January 8^th lets residents

have their say in upcoming federal budget

(Newmarket-Aurora, ON) - Newmarket-Aurora MP Lois Brown wants to hear your views and priorities for the upcoming federal Budget 2009.

I’m asking residents in Newmarket and Aurora to participate in the important budget process by attending a Pre-Budget Consultation meeting January 8th, said Ms. Brown. Federal budget 2009 is a crucial step towards our economic recovery and it’s essential we have input and direction from the public. All comments, verbal and written, are welcome and will be forwarded directly to the Minister of Finance, Jim Flaherty.

The Pre-Budget Consultation Town Hall meeting takes place on Thursday, January 8, 2009, at the Aurora Town Hall Council Chambers, located at 1 Municipal Drive in Aurora beginning at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend, however participants interested in making a formal deputation will need to pre-register. Everyone in attendance will have an opportunity to provide their input. For more information or to pre-register, contact Lois Brown’s Constituency Office at 905-953-7515 or email Brownlo@parl.gc.ca.

Update:

Lois Brown MP, Newmarket-Aurora

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 16, 2009

MP Brown: Newmarket-Aurora’s Budget suggestions will be heard

(Newmarket-Aurora, On) - “The residents of Newmarket and Aurora have spoken, and our government will listen,” vowed Newmarket-Aurora MP Lois Brown. Ms. Brown was referring to the substantive collection of public input she accumulated during her recent pre-budget consultations.

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty had requested the public’s advice and suggestions for the upcoming federal budget and MP Brown was quick to ensure that Newmarket and Aurora were included.

Ms. Brown had invited the public to submit comments and suggestions to her office and had held a public meeting January 8^th at the Aurora Town Hall to give everyone an opportunity to have their say. “I was very pleased, not only with the large number of responses I received, but also with the many thoughtful and creative suggestions submitted. Residents truly want to help, and in many ways are in the best position to offer us advice.”

Specific suggestions from individual deputations included: create a new high-tech medical device research facility, invest in ‘green’ projects and programs, provide assistance for the automotive industry by restoring consumer confidence and encouraging banks to make credit available for consumers, create a government : employer job-sharing program, increase infrastructure spending and reduce interprovincial barriers, replace our financial system with a local monetary system, improve Canada’s productivity and enact a local “tax-free” zone.

Residents were also asked a number of specific questions. GST was the favoured tax cut followed by lower income taxes. Infrastructure spending should be spent on public transit, with roads, bridges, ports, rail and borders a close second. Help for seniors should be directed to reducing taxes and adding flexibility to RIFFs. Improvements to the Employment Insurance program should include extending the number of eligible weeks, implementing a government: employer job sharing program and better retraining programs. Residents’ suggestions on the best way to stimulate the economy were varied with no one clear cut solution. Reducing taxes and ensuring access to credit however, topped the list. Other suggestions included an infrastructure program, investment in ‘green’ jobs, restoring consumer confidence and stimulating the housing industry.

When asked to rank their priorities for the Budget, residents favoured an infrastructure program followed closely by assistance for sustainable labour markets and training incentives. Improved access to credit and lower taxes ranked third and fourth.

A full report of resident’s suggestions has been forwarded to the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance. A federal budget is scheduled for January 27, 2009.

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For further information, please contact:

Jackie Cousins

Media Contact

905-953-7515

Cell: 416-543-7700