October 2, 2008
Holland Thanks Fire Fighters for Support
AJAX – Ajax-Pickering Liberal Candidate Mark Holland today thanked the Ajax Professional Fire Fighters’ Association (APFFA) for formally endorsing his candidacy in the present federal election campaign.
“I am very thankful to the association of Ajax Fire Fighters,” said Holland. “As one of the most respected organizations in our community, their support and encouragement means a lot.”
This is the third time in as many elections that the APFFA has expressed support for Holland, including the previous election in 2006 and Holland’s first federal election campaign in 2004.
The APFFA, which has a membership of 96 fire fighters in Ajax, cites Holland’s record on the issues that matter most to Ajax Fire Fighters, their families and the community they serve as the reasons for their support in his re-election bid.
“Mark has always been willing to stand up and fight for funding and important initiatives that will help to improve the safety of Fire Fighters and the public as a whole,” said Dan Bonnar, APFFA president. “As an Association we have been deeply fortunate to have a good working relationship with MP Holland and we hope that will continue moving forward into the future.”
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September 23, 2008
Johnson circulates lies about Liberal Policies
Ajax-Pickering Conservative candidate Rick Johnson stoops to lying about Liberal tax policies to scare people into supporting him, Liberal candidate Mark Holland said today. Johnson’s campaign flyers falsely state that a future Liberal government would increase the G.S.T. and cut the Child Tax Benefit.
“These are not just simply distortions of the truth, these are out and out lies,” said Holland.
The false statement appears in Rick Johnson’s campaign literature that is being distributed to households throughout the riding; it reads: “Rick knows the harm that would be done to the residents of Ajax-Pickering from […a Liberal government’s] increase to the G.S.T and cuts to the Child Tax Benefit”.
Holland countered that Liberals have long stated that they will not raise the G.S.T. “While we have always argued that cutting income taxes is a more efficient way of delivering tax relief to all Canadians - an opinion shared by every credible economist in the country - we have said over and over again that a Liberal government would leave the GST at 5%.
“Moreover, a Liberal government will introduce record broad-based income tax cuts as part of the tax shifting proposed in the Green Shift plan.”
Johnson was also taken to task for his assertion that a Liberal government would cut child tax benefits. “We’ve never said that we would cut any existing benefit for children and families – in fact we will enhance benefits,” said Holland. “We will create a Guaranteed Family Supplement that will provide upwards of $1,225 per child for low-income families, and a new annual child tax credit for all families worth $350.”
“If there is one party that actually cuts support for families, it’s Rick’s Conservative party.”
Holland pointed out that the Conservative government cut the previous Liberal government’s Early Learning and Child Care agreement which was credited for creating thousands of child care spaces at the time of its cancellation, and replaced it with one that, after 2 years, has failed to work. “A Liberal government will replace this failed Conservative program with one that is designed to actually create spaces – good for at least 125,000 children.”
Holland challenges Johnson to commit to an honest debate on real policy in the current federal election campaign. “I am asking Rick to acknowledge that his statements on Liberal tax policies are false, stop circulating the flyers that reference them, and agree to a fair and honourable debate for the duration of the campaign.”
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