Welcome to December! It always seems like a quick run to Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s so I want to wish you all the very best of the season. I hope that you get plenty of time with family, friends and all those who are special to you. This last month, we have seen one of the most short-sighted economic proposals ever seen. The Trudeau government, supported by the NDP,  have decided to try a two-month tax trick to buy back their popularity.We have a desperate Prime Minister who has lost control, but he’s trying to hold on to power. And so he’s come up with a irresponsible and inflationary $6 billion tax trick that he will take away right before raising the carbon tax on heat, housing, groceries, and gas in just a few months. The economy is cratering, Canada’s businesses are struggling and the government thinks its a good idea to add another administrative nightmare on them. Not such a Merry Christmas for those who invest in our economy and create the jobs that we so desperately need. Only real economic and tax reforms will convince investors to come back to Canada and put the money they earned back in Canadians’ pockets. Based on the emails I am receiving in my office, Canadians see through this $6 Billion boondoggle and cannot wait for the opportunity to vote this government out of office. In the meantime, have a Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Fantastic New Year and I hope to see you around Calgary Forest Lawn over the course of the holidays. In your service,

Jasraj Singh Hallan Member of Parliament Calgary Forest Lawn

Conservatives Cannot Support the 2-Month Tax Trick Justin Trudeau is a weak leader who has lost control. He has lost control of government spending, which has doubled. Housing costs have doubled. Food costs have doubled. Food prices have risen 36 percent faster in Canada than it has in the United States – a gap that opened up after Trudeau put a carbon tax on the farmers and truckers who bring us our food. It is not a coincidence that there are two million people lined up at food banks. How does it make sense to cancel the GST for 2 months and then on Valentines Day, the GST applies again and then the carbon tax goes up again by 19% on April 1st.  The proposed GST ‘holiday’ will apply to things like liquor, beer and video game systems, but will not apply to things like gas, homes, feminine hygiene products and other essentials. He also announced that he wants to send $250 cheques to millionaires while leaving many struggling Canadians out in the cold.  No money is proposed for seniors, the disabled or those unable to work in 2023.  This is nothing more than a desperate attempt to buy your support with your own money. Common sense Conservatives will vote against this irresponsible inflationary two-month tax trick, and instead push our plan to axe the carbon tax and axe the sales tax on new homes for everyone for good. Canadians need tax relief that encourages the economy to create more of the stuff that cash buys.

The Oil and Gas Emissions Cap is a job killer Ministers Guilbeault and Wilkinson announced the Liberals plan to put an emissions cap on the oil and gas sector. New documents from Environment Canada show that the government knew this would lead to thousands of jobs lost and they are proceeding anyway. Under Trudeau, Canada is going through the worst decline in our living standards in forty years, the worst drop in income per person in the G7 and the worst economic growth in the OECD. Now, Trudeau’s radical Environment Minister has announced that he plans to make this worse by attacking Canadian energy workers. The NDP-Liberals are selling this as a cap on emissions but that is a lie. This is not a cap on emissions, it is a cap on responsible Alberta oil production, jobs and paycheques. The Government’s own analysis admits that this cap will cost Canada billions of dollars and thousands of jobs. I spend enough time talking to people in our community that I know we cannot afford the billions of dollars or even a few jobs. This so-called “emissions cap” will kill Canadian jobs, raise the cost of energy and send billions of dollars to dictators overseas. That is not good for the environment or the economy.Canada’s oil and gas industry have a record of reducing emissions and adhering to the highest standards of environmental protection. Nearly a million Canadians have jobs as a result of the oil and gas sector, providing countless communities with powerful paycheques and life-changing opportunities. In 2022, the oil and gas industry provided $45 billion in revenue to Canadian governments, funding schools, hospitals, roads and other crucial public services. Instead of celebrating this and working with Canada’s energy workers to tackle climate change, Trudeau plans to crush the energy sector, putting hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk at the worst possible time. So far, Trudeau has failed to meet a single climate target, despite punishing Canadians with an inflationary carbon tax. However, he still expects Canadians to just trust him with this massive government overreach. Common Sense Conservatives will scrap the NDP-Liberal cap on Canadian oil, Canadian jobs and Canadian paycheques.

From The Mailbox  Here is a list of issues I received correspondence on from the community during the past month.  Here goes …inflation, carbon tax, Green Slush Fund, housing/rental costs, visa delays, national security, Israel/Gaza situation, natural health products, immigration rules, Lebanon situation, US elections, food banks, airline salaries, forest management, methane pollution, arms trade, oil and gas emissions, government spending, privacy online, municipal zoning, drug decriminalization, food security, home construction, gun crime, fluoride, EV tariffs, defence spending, fraud/scams, election interference, natural gas ban, Hong Kong arrests, organ donation, Family Guide, seal hunt, animal welfare, Hindu violence, fuel shortages in the NWT, MP pensions and border security  Due to the volume of mail and the variety of issues, we appreciate your patience in awaiting a response.

Postal Strike Canada’s Conservatives are very concerned that this strike is happening at the worst possible time, as families and small businesses begin the biggest shopping period of the year, and as Canadians ensure their passports are up to date before the busiest travel time of the year.  The very fact that we are facing a postal worker strike right before the holidays is because of the incompetence of this federal Liberal government.  Postal workers, like all Canadians, saw their paycheques drop in value because of inflationary deficits and taxes.  They have a clear right to fight for a fair deal and good wages, and we respect this.  You can get the latest updates on the postal strike and the negotiations here.  If you are one of the 100,000 Canadians waiting on a passport, you can find out more here. Many charities are also being hurt by the postal strike so if you have the means, please consider making an online donation.

Canada Summer Jobs The Canada Summer Jobs program is accepting applications until December 19th, 2024.  The program provides wage subsidies to support employers creating quality summer work experiences for youth aged 15 to 30 years.  Employers from not-for-profit organizations and the public sector, as well as private sector organizations with 50 or fewer full-time employees, can apply.  MORE>

Grants & Funding  My office fields many calls about whether how to access funding from the federal government. You can find grants and funding by using this handy online tool provided by the Government of Canada.  Funding is available in many categories and is continually adjusted as the federal government’s policy priorities change.  Click here.

Which Benefits Are You Eligible For? The Benefits Finder tool allows you to determine what benefits you may be entitled to by answering a few easy questions.  After completing the quick multiple-choice questions, your possible benefits are short-listed and additional information is provided.  Many federal-provincial programs are also incorporated into the search results. Link here.

Canada Job Bank If you need help getting back to work, try accessing the jobs being listed on the government website, visit www.jobbank.gc.ca to see the latest opportunities.  Hundreds of jobs are listed that are in our community and they offer Canadians with a wide variety of work experiences.

Stay Connected I regularly provide timely updates and critical information via my social media accounts.  I strongly encourage all residents to follow these accounts to receive the latest information.  Just click one of the following links to subscribe.