HUNTSVILLE, ONT. -- We haven't had a federal budget in two years, and so much has changed due to the pandemic.
I hope that health care will receive more funding by way of transfer payments. We are in the midst of the third wave of the pandemic, and you would be hard-pressed to find any hospital not struggling to make ends meet as the demand for their services escalates.
We need jobs. We won't have a sustainable recovery without the service sector up and running.
Our housing prices are parabolic, and we know it has caught the attention of Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minster Chrystia Freeland. At the same time, savings in bank accounts have soared.
So let's break it down.
HEALTH CARE A PRIORITY
鈥婬ealth-care workers have been challenged, are exhausted and yet remain hopeful as the vaccines get rolled out.
Herd immunity is the end goal. However, hospital ICUs remain stubbornly full.
Health care has long been a No. 1 priority for Canadians, and now more than ever we need to see a strong partnership at all levels of government so services are available to meet the needs of our aging population, ongoing treatments and diagnosis and a plan put into place to catch up on deferred elective surgeries while at the same time helping those severely impacted by the virus.
JOBS, JOBS, JOBS
We need people to have access to jobs, and that means a focus on business investment, economic growth and job creation.
Women and youth have been slammed and hit hardest through job loss this past year.
The retail sector is a strong job creator for women and youth, and critical to our economy, yet many small business owners are hanging on by a thread.
SOARING SAVINGS
For the first time in decades, our savings rates have soared, in part due to lack of avenues for spending.
Canadians have financial flexibility, and also pent-up demand.
Let households decide how and when they will spend their money.
If the government drives the spending agenda, it could prove to be a de-motivator and Canadians could revert to their old ways of spending as if there is no tomorrow.
The ridiculously high debt levels prior to the pandemic were simply not sustainable.
WHAT ABOUT HOUSING?
Housing prices are out of control, from the entry-level homes of the first-time homebuyer to the luxury real estate owner.
Bidding wars have become commonplace, and fear of missing out has some taking on more home then they can realistically afford.
If the government decides to eliminate the principal residence capital gains tax, my hope is that there is a long runway prior to implementation.
An alternative, according to BMO economists, would be a speculation tax on a sliding scale, encouraging homebuyers to hold their properties for a period of time or be penalized.
A targeted approach might be more fair. I also believe driving prices is lack of supply coupled with high demand. The supply side of the housing market needs to be addressed.
BOTTOM LINE
We need vaccines and we need them fast. Until we get the pandemic under control, money alone will not be enough to kickstart our economy.
But once we do have an effective vaccine rollout, money for health care and job creation would top my list, while addressing the lack of supply in real estate would help to cool things down.
Finally, let people spend their money how, when and where they would like. I suspect that too will have a profound and positive impact on the economy.
