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•T he IFP• H alton H ills, T hursday, A ugust 15, 2013 7 • Truck Accessories • Upholstery • Heavy Equipment Glass •Window Tinting 354 Guelph Street, Georgetown 905-873-1655 Truck Accesso• T• Trucruck Ak Accesso We handle all insurance work. Visit our showroom GEORGETOWN'S Best Kept Secret! 416-220-2741 46 Armstrong Road, Georgetown ON MiskasWoodProducts.com 46 Armstrong Road, Georgetown ON 2741 COMMENT Focus must be on the economy Over the past several months, your federal government has worked hard to continue creating jobs and growth in Canada. In June, Parliament passed the fi rst portion of the federal budget; the second part of the federal budget will be debated in Parliament this au- tumn. The budget bills are part of our Economic Action Plan, a plan for jobs and growth. To date, our Economic Action Plan has helped Can- ada weather the worst of the global recession. In fact, Canada has the best job cre- ation record in the entire G-7 group of major economies. In the fi rst quarter of 2013, the Canadian economy grew 2.5%, representing the strongest quarterly growth in nearly two years. Statis- tics Canada also recently announced that our econo- my grew steadily in the months of April and May, with 0.1% growth in April and 0.2% growth in May. Even more impressive is that 95,500 net new jobs were created in the month of May alone, the overwhelming major- ity of which were full-time and private sector employment. This is the second largest monthly job gain in Canadian history. May's job growth also included a strong increase in youth employment. In just one month, 54,400 new jobs were created for young Canadians. This represents the biggest monthly job gain for young Canadians in nearly three de- cades. However, in July, while the Canadian economy gained 31,000 private sector jobs, it shed 74,000 in the public sector. As the July employment numbers il- lustrate, month-to-month job numbers can be volatile. Nevertheless, the overall long-term numbers are clear. Canada's economy continues to produce jobs at a record pace. Canada has created more than one million net new jobs since the depth of the global recession in July 2009. Of these jobs, more than 90 per cent are full-time, and more than 75 per cent are in the private sector. The strong economic growth in the fi rst half of 2013 is another posi- tive sign that the government is on the right track for jobs and growth. During this time, there was particularly strong growth in Canada's manu- facturing sector. Measures in our Econom- ic Action Plan to support Canada's manufacturing sector will help to produce further employment growth in this sector. As part of Eco- nomic Action Plan 2013, the government is provid- ing tax relief and funding to Canada's manufacturing sector, in order to promote investments that create more jobs for Canadians. We are also investing $200 million over fi ve years in an Advanced Manufacturing Fund for southern Ontario to help this sector compete globally. Other measures include tax breaks to help small business create more jobs, while at the same time closing tax loopholes to ensure that large corpora- tions and wealthy individuals pay their fair share. It includes measures to fund job-creating infrastructure across Can- ada, and help more Canadians become trained for skilled jobs. Despite Canada's strong economic record, we face continued risks from both within and beyond our borders. That is why the government continues to remain squarely focused on imple- menting measures that grow Canada's economy. Please contact me if you have any questions or comments. I can be reached by phone at (866) 878-5556 or by email at michael.chong@parl.gc.ca. --Michael Chong is the MP for Wellington-Halton Hills The way we were Halton Hills has long been a high-end retail destination as seen in this photo from December 1913. According to the Georgetown Herald, Nixon's Drug Store on Main Street featured medicinal concoctions and stationery along with a fi ne line of fancy toilet goods, wallpaper, Gramophones and "Willard's Forked Dipped Chocolates-- a high class but moderate priced confection". Photo courtesy of the Esquesing Historical Society High-end shopping 'This deal has been two-and-a-half years in the making.' --Jurgen Hack, Ecosolutions FT president...see story pg. 9 Prosperity ONE Credit Union's Community Development Fund committee recently announced the recipients of this year's bur- sary program. Four area second- ary school graduates received $1,000 bursaries for 2013 for their dedication to academics, school and community involve- ment. Top: Mitchell Giroux of Georgetown District High School received his grant from com- mittee chair and Milton Mayor Gord Krantz (left) and Prosper- ity ONE President and CEO Mike Shepherd (right) while (bottom photo) Carter Ebbinge of Acton High School was honoured. Submitted photos Got a photo you want to share? Email: jmcghie@theifp.ca. PAIR HONOURED From our readers 'Quote unquote' MICHAEL CHONG