Neil Ellis

Liberal Party of Canada

Neil Ellis was born and raised in Belleville and has enjoyed a long history of contributing to the Bay of Quinte in a variety of roles. Ellis was elected as the Member of Parliament for the Bay of Quinte in 2015. He has owned and operated a successful local business for nearly 30 years, and from 2006-2014, he served as Mayor of the City of Belleville. A committed leader and visionary, he championed innovative strategies to address a serious shortage of family physicians and other health practitioners in the region, and also introduced local infrastructure improvements. These professional and public service roles have enabled Ellis to gain an extensive knowledge of the Bay of Quinte region, and to establish strong, positive working relationships with business leaders, other elected officials, and community partners throughout Belleville, Prince Edward County and Quinte West. As Member of Parliament for the Bay of Quinte, Ellis says he has been a strong advocate for local infrastructure investments, which he sees as a key to promoting economic growth and creating a better quality of life for his constituents. Upon re-election in 2019, Neil was named Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. Ellis says his enthusiasm and commitment to collaboration continues to make an impact; foremost by connecting all levels of government in order to achieve the objectives and goals of the riding, but also by encouraging public consultation and participation.

Ellis says his government has released a comprehensive plan to combat the housing crisis throughout Canada, and in the Bay of Quinte. “We have committed $1 billion in loans and grants for a new rent-to-own program, to help renters get on the path to home ownership,” says Ellis. He explains that his party is creating a new First Home Savings Account, allowing Canadians under 40 to save up to $40,000 and withdraw tax-free to put towards a first home purchase as well as reduce closing costs for first time home buyers by doubling the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit. Ellis believes that municipalities, such as the County, need to grow their housing supply. “We will invest $4 billion in a new Housing Accelerator Fund, an application-based fund which will support municipalities in growing housing supply,” says Ellis. To ease the cost of living, Ellis says a re-elected Liberal government proposes to increasing the Guaranteed Income Supplement by $500 for single seniors and $750 for couples, starting at age 65,as well as increase the Old Age Security by 10 per cent for seniors over 75 and cutting childcare fees by 50 per cent and deliver $10 per day childcare by 2026.

Ellis believes immigration is a key component to the election. Ellis says his government will eliminate the citizenship fee for permanent residents who wish to become Canadian citizens.

Ellis also believes there is a hold up on getting people into the country. “Our party wil work to reduce Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada processing times, introducing an electronic family reunification process, and implementing a program to issue visas to family members abroad while they wait for permanent residency applications to process,” says Ellis. He also explains that his party will build on the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot, to welcome 2,000 skilled refugees to fill labour shortages in high-demand sectors.

To ensure that rural communities, like Prince Edward County, remain strong, our party proposes to institute a ‘use it or lose it’ approach to ensure broadband companies are building networks in rural communities.” says Ellis. He explains that large national carriers will be required to accelerate roll-out of wireless and high-speed internet in rural communities by meeting progressive milestone deadlines between now and 2025. “If deadlines are not met, our government will mandate a resale of spectrum rights and reallocate the contracts to smaller, regional providers,” he says.

Ellis says his party is expanding the number of family doctors and primary health providers. “We are also working to give rural communities greater access to health and social services professionals, like dentists, pharmacists, midwives, psychologists, early childhood educators, and teachers,” he says.

Ellis says the Liberal government has a plan decrease Canada’s deficit. “Our government will undertake a comprehensive strategic policy review of government programs, to examine how effectively each major program and policy is performing.” Ellis also says his government will raise corporate income taxes on the largest and most profitable banks and insurance companies, who earn more than $1 billion per year, as well as implementing a tax on luxury cars, boats, and airplanes.

To create jobs, and support small businesses and help them grow throughout Canada and in the Bay of Quinte region, Ellis says his party will increase the Canada Small Business Financing Program’s maximum loan amount from $350,000 to $500,000, and extend loan coverage from 10 to 15 years for equipment and leasehold improvements. “We will also introduce a new line of credit under the Canada Small Business Financing Program which will expand borrower eligibility to include non-profit and charitable enterprises, and expand loan class eligibility to include lending against intellectual property, start-up assets, and expenses,” explain Ellis.

Ellis acknowledges that COVID has been a tough pandemic to navigate, but says that his party has been there for the people, and will continue to do so. “We will extend the Canada Recovery Hiring Program to March 31, 2022 to allow businesses to hire more workers as well as provide businesses in the tourism industry with temporary wage and rent support up to 75 per cent of their expenses,” says Ellis. “Our party is committed to restoring employment to pre-pandemic levels, which would go beyond the creation of one million jobs.”