On the January 16th, I had the pleasure to announce what I consider to be my most important achievement as the MP for this community thus far: the creation of a Service Canada Call Centre in the riding. The facility, expected to open in the spring of 2010, will bring over 170 jobs new jobs to the riding. Not only will these jobs be well paying, but they will also include generous benefits packages and long term job security.

Cornwall is an ideal location for this new integrated call centre because of the region’s ability to recruit and retain skilled bilingual workers. The new centre will improve services for taxpayers and families across the country, will help our government meet the evolving needs of Canadians, including the growing number of seniors, and greatly benefit our local economy by injecting millions of dollars in new money into the community.

When opened, the call centre will answer close to 1.2 million calls every year on a wide range of programs, such as the Employment Insurance (EI), Canada Pension Plan (CPP), and Old Age Security (OAS). Eventually, the new call centre will also handle inquiries on new services, such as passports.

Since being elected, I have worked, and will continue to work as a strong advocate for this community within the Federal Government. I sincerely believe that our region is one of the most attractive area in the country for the Public and Private sectors to do business in. The many advantages our riding has are undeniable. We have a highly motivated, skilled workforce, ready and eager to take on high paying jobs that utilize these skills. One third of our population is bilingual. We live in a community that is affordable, has a rich cultural history and is virtually crime free. Environmental and traffic problems are nonexistent. Our riding is the perfect place to live, work, raise a family and invest in.

This past year has been very positive for our community. In addition to this achievement, I also had the pleasure of announcing the creation of an Employment Insurance (EI) centre of specialization in Cornwall, resulting in the creation of 41 high paying quality jobs that will contribute an additional $2 to 3 million dollars to the local economy each year. In this time, I also managed to secure an agreement with the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada and the Minister of Public Safety for the design, construction, financing and property management of a new RCMP Eastern Ontario Headquarters building in Cornwall worth an estimated value of $15 million.

After having been overlooked by previous governments for so long, the economic outlook for our community is now improving greatly. However, there is still more to be done and you can rest assured that I will continue to fight for this community. Promising negotiations are underway for new investment. 2008 may just be our best year yet!

Sincerely,

Guy Lauzon, MP