MP Patrick Brown gathers local input for upcoming Federal Budget

January 12, 2012

Local community forum asks residents for their ideas to grow area and Canadian economy

Barrie – Just like in years previous, MP Patrick Brown is hosting local academic, business owners, community and municipal leaders to make their voices heard in advance of the Harper government’s upcoming federal budget.

“We have been working hard to implement Canada’s Economic Action Plan and its job-creating measures. Already, the Plan has been a big boost to the economy. Indeed, Canada has created nearly 600,000 net new jobs in recent years – the best record for all G-7 countries,” said MP Brown. “However, the global economy remains challenging – especially in the United States and Europe. That’s why we need to stay squarely focused on jobs and economic growth.”

As a result, the federal government is consulting widely with Canadians across the country for ideas on how best to create jobs and grow the economy in the next budget, while keeping taxes low and returning to balanced budgets in the medium term.

MP Patrick Brown hosted the first pre-budget roundtable discussions today and further sessions are planned over the next couple of months.

“I am a strong believer that the best ideas to help the economy in Barrie and across Canada are the result of talking to people directly about what works and getting their input,” remarked MP Brown. “Indeed, many of the ideas we heard in these pre-budget meetings in past years have been directly reflected in the actual federal budget.”

In order to ensure that all Canadians can participate in pre-budget consultations, the Harper government has also launched an online pre-budget consultation at www.fin.gc.ca.