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House Hansard - 55

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 7, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 55 - Apr/7/22
Mr. Gord Johns (Courtenay—Alberni, NDP)
Madam Speaker, it is an honour and privilege to table a petition on behalf of volunteer firefighters from Ucluelet to Tofino, Beaver Creek, Sproat Lake and Cherry Creek in my riding. It is timely, because it is budget day. The International Association of Fire Fighters cites that volunteer firefighters account for 83% of Canada's total firefighting essential first responders. In addition, approximately 8,000 essential search and rescue volunteers respond to thousands of incidents each year. The tax code currently allows volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteers to claim a $3,000 tax credit if 200 hours of volunteer services were completed in a calendar year. This works out to a mere $450 per year that we allow these volunteers to keep of their own income. The petitioners cite that increasing this tax credit to $10,000 would allow these essential volunteers to keep more of their hard-earned money, which is likely to be spent in the communities they live in, and would help retain these volunteers at a time when volunteerism is decreasing. The petitioners are calling on the Government of Canada and Parliament to support the private member's bill, Bill C-201, to increase this credit from $3,000 to $10,000.
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