Looking ahead at the various actions and projects she expects to undertake over the course of 2024, Vimy Liberal MP Annie Koutrakis said in an interview with The Laval News that some of the most significant issues for her constituents will be bringing down the cost of living, building more housing and finding ways to improve the health care system.
Federal health spending
While health care is actually a provincial jurisdiction, Koutrakis pointed out that the federal government also plays a role by transferring billions of dollars each year to the provinces to be spent on their health care services.
“We need to make sure that we strengthen and support the health care that Canadians are looking for, because we are an aging population, although we also have young people and others who face affordability issues,” said Koutrakis.
Business and employment
“That’s something I want to focus on,” she continued. “And I want to make sure that by creating well-paying jobs and helping small businesses, we can help the middle-class get ahead. As far as I’m concerned, when I look at Vimy and I see all the entrepreneurship that happens in this riding, like a small little enterprise or a depanneur or a pharmacy, these are the engine of our economy.
“I mean sure, the super conglomerates have a lot of capital that’s available to them to grow as multinational companies. But in Vimy we have a thriving community. And so, I want to make sure that the small businesses locally in Vimy that are having challenges can have extensions for things like the CEBA loans, because this is something I advocate for every day and I will continue doing so.”
Hellenic Heritage
Koutrakis, who is parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Economic Development for Quebec, has been advocating to other MPs as well as to members of the Senate to adopt a motion she was instrumental in developing which would declare March as Hellenic Heritage Month.
The bill, which she helped write, has been passed in the Senate and she expects that at least two House of Commons MPs will agree to sponsor it. “Hopefully, we can have that introduced sooner rather than later, so that we can get it done once and for all this year,” added Koutrakis, noting that she hoped it would demonstrate her support for her Hellenic origins.
