Hon. Alice Wong, P.C.

CANADIANS ARE INVITED TO SHARE THEIR PRIORITIES FOR THE 2012 FEDERAL BUDGET

Ottawa, June 27, 2011 –

Today, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance is inviting Canadians to participate in its annual pre-budget consultation process. The Committee will invite witnesses to appear at hearings in Ottawa and in the communities indicated below. The results of our consultations, including our recommendations, will be tabled in the House of Commons in December 2011. The suggestions by Canadians and by the Committee will be considered by the Minister of Finance in the development of the 2012 federal budget.

Experience has shown that, following a financial crisis, economic stagnation may occur. Although Canada did relatively better that most industrialized countries during the recent global financial and economic crisis, the nation’s economic recovery is likely to be affected by a range of global and domestic factors and uncertainties: the fragile recovery in the United States, high levels of debt in some European countries, natural disasters, the withdrawal of fiscal stimulus measures, the impact of a strong Canadian dollar on various sectors and the rising indebtedness of Canadian households, among others.

In this context, and bearing in mind the fiscal situation of the federal government, the Committee is interested in receiving the views of individuals and groups about four primary issues: how to achieve a sustained economic recovery in Canada, how to create quality sustainable jobs, how to ensure relatively low rates of taxation, and how to achieve a balanced budget. In particular, the thoughts and suggestions of Canadians about how to attain high levels of job growth and business investment in order to ensure shared prosperity and a high standard of living for all are being sought.

If you wish to appear before the Committee during the pre-budget consultations, please send an email to the Clerk of the Committee no later than Friday, July 29, 2011 and indicate three locations where you are willing to appear. The individuals and groups invited to make a presentation to the Committee will be contacted by the Committee Clerk, on behalf of Committee members, no later than the third week of September.

The deadline to submit the accompanying written brief is no later than Friday, August 12, 2011 in order that the brief can be translated and distributed to Committee members. You are able to submit a brief even if you do not wish to appear before the Committee. Briefs should be no longer than five pages in length, should include an executive summary, should contain a maximum of three recommendations that reflect your most important federal tax or program spending priorities, and should – where possible – indicate the expected federal cost of your proposal and/or ideas on areas in which federal spending could be reduced.

In the event that briefs contain more than three recommendations, or three recommendations that contain a number of parts, only the first three recommendations or the first part of a multi-part recommendation will be considered by the Committee.

The July 29, 2011 and August 12, 2011 deadlines must be respected in order for the Committee to plan its work; consequently, exceptions are not possible.

The Committee hopes to hold public hearings in the following cities:

* Whitehorse, Yukon
* Prince Rupert, British Columbia
* Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
* Windsor, Ontario
* Toronto, Ontario
* Montreal, Quebec
* St. John’s, Newfoundland
* Moncton, New Brunswick

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For more information, please contact:
Guyanne L. Desforges, Clerk of the Standing Committee on Finance
Tel: 613-992-9753
E-mail: FINA@parl.gc.ca

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