Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer Promises Transit Tax Credit in Mississauga
Published September 13, 2019 at 6:10 pm
The writ has been dropped and a federal election has been scheduled for Oct. 21, 2019.
While it is not yet clear which party is most likely to form the next government because campaigns can change voter sentiment (as of now, most polls shows the Liberals and Conservatives tied nationally, with the Liberals leading in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada), it does appear to be a tight race.
While the Conservatives have the support of a majority of voters in Saskatchewan and Alberta, they could lose to Justin Trudeau’s Liberals if they don’t manage to sway voters in seat-rich Ontario–the province where a recent Ekos poll shows the Liberals leading by 11 points.
Because Ontario is shaping up to a battleground, we can expect every party leader to make multiple campaign stops to better woo voters in the vast 905 region.
And it appears the wooing has already commenced.
Today, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer appeared in Mississauga to reveal the party’s Green Public Transit Tax Credit.
Videos
Pushing the affordability angle, Scheer said that the credit will “put more money in the pocket of our transit users and commuters.”
“We want you to be able to get home on time, without worrying about your bottom line,” Scheer wrote on Twitter.
According to the Canadian Press, Scheer said the credit would give people a 15-per-cent credit at tax time.
According to the article, monthly and weekly transit passes will both eligible for the tax credit, as well as electronic fare cards.
In 2017, the Liberals cut the public transit tax credit, claiming it wasn’t effective. The government said it was planning to invest more in transit projects instead.
According to the Canadian Press, the credit was costing the federal government about $200 million a year.
Scheer argues the credit could save families up to $1,000 a year.
Addressing affordability issues is key for all candidates, as Canadians–especially those who live in large cities–are struggling with high real estate costs and stagnant wages.
Yesterday, Trudeau promised to provide more help to first-time buyers struggling to afford houses in the GTA.
That same day, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh promised a new hospital in Brampton, a city that’s been besieged by a long-standing healthcare crisis that the province has failed to act on in any meaningful way.
What party do you think will make your life easier in Mississauga?
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising