Mr. Speaker, my colleague from British Columbia and I know how hard people in the forest sector in our province work for every dollar they earn. Forestry workers in British Columbia earn, on average, $60,000 a year, and with family coverage they would pay more than $1,000 because of this tax that is being brought forward. People earning $60,000 would probably get about $150 through the Liberal middle-class tax break. When we combine those two, they would see a net loss.
I received a note from Mike Maddison, who is a mill worker in Port Alberni, who said that the government wants to “once again take away from our benefits; benefits that were once fought [for] and some even died to get for the working men and women of Canada. Union and non-union alike are able to have healthy families, productive, safe and happy children. It helps support the base of what we hold dear in Canada, and that's our right to be healthy.”
We should be looking for policies that will increase coverage for Canadians, not this proposal that will cost Canadians, and lead to lower health and dental coverage.
I look forward to hearing the member's comments.