As everyone in St. Catharines knows we have been hit very hard by the economic downturn. Our unemployment numbers for our city have climbed to become the second highest in the country, which is why I cannot understand the Harper governments plan to sneak in a job killing EI tax hike. According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business this payroll tax will kill 200,000 jobs and cause the average Canadian’s wage to drop 1.5%. What’s even worse is that this new tax will be snuck in without a vote in the House of Commons!
The residents of St. Catharines cannot afford this type of tax hike and deserve better, which is why I am proud to be part of the Liberal team that is working hard to create jobs and reduce EI premiums.
We had a great night on Friday at Big Marco’s restaurant for our fundraiser supporting the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. The night was a huge success that allowed us to raise a lot of money that will go directly towards the Canadian Red Cross’ efforts helping our friends in Haiti. A big thank you needs to go out to Robert and Remo from Big Marco’s, two very active members of our community, who treated a full house to a fabulous meal that everyone really enjoyed. I would like to thank all the members of the St. Catharines community who joined us last night to help those that have been affected by this tragic event.
