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

West Lorne, Ontario~ MP Joe Preston asked local residents 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 Joe Preston.  “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.

Preston took part in a pre-budget roundtable discussion with business and community leaders from across West Elgin and Dutton-Dunwich and the Arts and Cookery Bank Tuesday.

“I am a strong believer that the best ideas to help the economy in Elgin-Middlesex-London and across Canada is the result of talking to people directly about what works and getting their input,” remarked Preston.   “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.