Two blue buses—transporting Andrew Scheer and his entourage—pulled into Thorold’s Cracker Jacks Bar & Grill this morning.
Supporting small business owners and cutting red tape were the main messages touted by the Conservative Party Leader.
Scheer accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of calling small business owners "tax cheats," and said he would do better.
“The garage owner, the salon owner, and the restaurateur,” he promised, will be exempt from tax hikes and what Scheer deems unnecessary current regulations, if he’s elected as Prime Minister.
Meeting “hardworking entrepreneurs like Tony Visca”—owner of Cracker Jacks and other Niagara restaurants—“reminds me how I got my start in life,” he stated, earning his paycheque plus tips while working at a family restaurant.
In Ontario, 85 per cent of jobs were created by small and medium businesses, Scheer added.
“I believe governments should get out of the way” of small business.
Navigating the Canada Revenue Agency “can be frustrating,” he said. “We will make a simple how-to guide for them and tackle the bureaucratic red tape and rat’s nest of policies” by 25 per cent over four years. “For every new regulation we put in place, we’ll get rid of two. I have a plan to help them get ahead. I have their backs.”
Following his speech, Scheer answered questions from local media outlets.
Asked, “How can you allay the fears that you are not going to slash things?” Scheer replied, “We will cut $1.5 billion from corporate welfare to pay for” various campaign promises, including lower taxes, and lower gas prices.
He said he couldn't reveal specifics at the moment but promised, “We will release an entire platform in the days ahead. I made the firm commitment that health and transfer payments will continue.”
Asked if he planned to uphold the $45 million to implement a national anti-racial strategy, Scheer didn't commit to the funding but said, “Our government will continue to support those measures” that "combat hateful elements" based on race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation.
With Canada currently committed to achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050, Scheer was asked what his target date would be, and “How would you deal with the United States on these” issues?”
“We are committed to the targets we signed onto,” he answered. The carbon tax has “proven to fail, and I will continue to fight that.”
Addressing the question of illegal weapons that flow into our area due to proximity to the U.S. border, Scheer said, “The chiefs of police agree that banning firearms from legal owners won’t result in making things safer. We will go after the criminals.”
For coverage of his speech, watch the video below.
