Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s plan to expand tax benefits for trades workers has garnered support from major labor unions, as he became the first federal party leader to campaign in the Prairies during the seventh day of the election.
During his Winnipeg rally on Saturday, Poilievre unveiled his “More Boots, Less Suits” policy, which would remove the current $4,000 cap on travel expense deductions for tradespeople. The plan would allow workers to claim the full cost of food, transportation, and accommodation, while reducing the minimum distance requirement from 150 to 120 kilometers and eliminating the overnight stay requirement.
“We have a very simple principle in our income tax system. You get to write off the cost you incur to earn the income that’s being taxed. But (some workers) can’t do that,” Poilievre told supporters.
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Several major labor organizations have endorsed the proposal, including Canada’s Building Trades Unions, which represents tens of thousands of workers across the country.
“We’d like to thank Pierre Poilievre for listening to the concerns of Canada’s Building Trades Unions and addressing long-standing policy asks,” the CBTU stated, expressing gratitude for “Poilievre’s commitment to improving the lives of workers.”
James Barry, CEO of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, also voiced support: “Very pleased to see Poilievre’s pro-union commitments to strengthening the apprenticeship system for IBEW and other organized workers.”
The Progressive Contractors Association of Canada called the plan “the way to get Canada’s important energy and infrastructure projects built,” while Victoria Mancinelli of LIUNA Canada suggested the policy “will help train more than 350,000 workers that will continue to build, connect and power Canada forward.”
While in Winnipeg, Poilievre also proposed shipping Canadian oil through Manitoba’s northern port of Churchill and limiting corporate jet tax deductions to the equivalent cost of commercial flights. The Conservative party has not yet provided cost estimates for the proposed tax changes for trades workers.
The Conservative leader made pizzas with his three-year-old son at a local restaurant, calling it a “Canada First pizza” in reference to his campaign slogan. His party is currently trailing behind the Liberal Party by nearly five points, according to the most recent poll from Nanos Research.
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One Response
These are strangely the commitments of an NDP or Liberal Party. Who is this guy? His party members never say a word, but wait until they have that say in parliment (where PP always says they have a say). I do not think we can trust these promises. If he sticks with these promises, I would say they are good ideas.