Building Strong Local Economies:
Since Gord was elected in 2015, he has worked relentlessly to build prosperous, thriving communities in Courtenay-Alberni. Here are some highlights of what Gord has achieved as part of the NDP team:
Supporting small business. Before he was elected Member of Parliament, Gord was a small business owner and Executive Director of the Long Beach Chamber of Commerce. As a former NDP Critic for Tourism and Small Business, Gord has been a strong voice in Ottawa for small businesses and fought for policy changes to help them thrive. This included:
- Led the change to cap credit card merchant fees by 27%, which will save businesses an estimated $1 billion over 5 years.
- Helped secure the reduction of small business taxes from 11% to 9%.
- Fought for financial support to offset revenue loss for small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Raised small business issues in the House of Commons, compared to any other MP during the Pandemic, and founded the All-Party Entrepreneur Caucus.
Building the local economy. Coming from municipal politics, Gord has fought to ensure communities in Courtenay-Alberni receive their fair share of federal funding to build a strong local economy, including:
- Support the local and regional government secure record levels of federal investment in infrastructure in Courteney-Alberni, creating hundreds of jobs and reducing pressure on municipal taxpayers.
- Help secure federal investment in affordable housing, arts and culture, clean energy, environmental restoration, and conservation.
- Advocating for federal investments in the aerospace, agricultural, forestry and higher learning sectors in Courtenay-Alberni.
Protecting vital industries. Gord has fought to protect good jobs in Courtenay-Alberni, including:
- Fight for federal support for local mill retooling to reduce raw low exports.
- Help protect the prawn fishery from unreasonable regulations.
- Support owner-operator commercial fishing and advocate for a ban on foreign ownership of fishing licenses or quotas.
Stand with workers. Workers are the backbone of our economy and Gord has fought for their interests along the NDP team, including:
- Fight for financial support for workers displace from their employment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Stood up for temporary foreign workers facing exploitation and helping them access supports.
- Secured 10 days of paid sick leave for federally regulated workers.
- Force the passage of anti-scab legislation.
- Secured passed of the Sustainable Jobs Act to support workers in the transition to a net zero economy.
Gord’s job is not done. He continues to work hard every day to build a more prosperous Courtenay-Alberni where no one is left behind. Gord remains focused on:
- Push for the timely passage of biomass tax incentives to help protect Canadian jobs in the forest sector.
- Work with the NDP team to advocate for a plan to protect Canadian workers and businesses from potential Trump Tariffs.
For more information on Gord’s record, visit openparliament.ca, an independent website that helps you “Keep tabs on Parliament”.