Dear Editor,
With Parliament back in session after the Christmas recess, I had to leave the beautiful BC coast for the bone-chilling cold of Ottawa. However, I spent the month of January meeting with constituents and expanding my knowledge of local issues, in order to arrive in Canada’s capital fully briefed and mandated to continue serving constituents.
That’s one reason why January presents such a special opportunity: Parliament is not in session, and I can be “on the ground” working with constituents on the Coast, hosting our Annual Roundtable with Mayors and Councillors; convening our recent summit on abandoned vessels, where spokespersons from all concerned communities in the riding developed an action plan; and taking part in continued discussion with the Westcoast RRIF/RRSP Focus Group, from whom I continue to draw knowledge that allows me better to represent our seniors in Ottawa.
The Westcoast RRIF/RRSP Focus Group is a team of business and investment professionals from our riding who have over decades played an influential role in developing and implementing Canada’s RRIF/RRSP policy. They provided me with some great, specific ideas to improve how the RRSP and RIFF programs respond to the financial needs of seniors. I’m proud to have endorsed their proposals and relayed them to the Minister of Finance.
These improvements would reinforce the actions the Federal Government has done to serve senior citizens across Canada. For example, since 2006 the Conservative Government has provided $2.8 billion in annual tax relief to seniors and pensioners; implemented income pension splitting in 2007; and in 2013 introduced the Protecting Canada’s Seniors Act in 2013 to help better protect seniors and victims of elder abuse. Canada’s low-income tax rate for seniors has fallen drastically, from 21.4% in 1980 to just 5.5% in 2011 – this is one of the lowest rates in the industrial world. By the way, our Government has reduced taxes over 180 times since first elected in 2006.
As I dive into another session of Parliament in Ottawa, I continue to relish my work on behalf of the people of our riding, inspired by the hard work, courage, and generosity of our citizens.
John Weston, Member of Parliament
West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea to Sky Country
