The Government of Canada has acted in many areas in a short amount of time, and can see some rough times ahead, according to Souris-Moose Mountain MP Ed Komarnicki.

"When we came into our first session, we had five prime objectives we wanted to accomplish and just about all of them have been met," Komarnicki said.

More families will see more money in their pockets starting in the new year. This is due to a host of initiatives brought forward by the government, including cutting GST from seven per cent to six per cent and now to five per cent as of Jan. 1, reducing the lowest income tax rate to 15 per cent, increasing the amount Canadians can earn before paying federal taxes, implementing a new $2,000 Child Tax Credit as well as a targeted tax credit for kids sports and text books. Komarnicki said that the 2006-2007 budget did fairly well for families.

Young families saw Universal Child Care Benefits come into effect that provides a $100 per month for each and every children under six years old. It covers 1.5 million families and two million young children.

According to Komarnicki, an one per cent reduction in GST will save consumers $34 billion over this year and the next five years. In addition, he said that reducing the lowest personal income tax rate will provide Canadian with $8.4 billion in tax relief this year and over the next five years.

"We were paying too much taxes as Canadians and we felt it was time we reduced taxes," Komarnicki said.

The government increased the basic personal exemption, removing 385,000 Canadians from the federal income tax roll in 2007. The national debt will have been reduced by $37 billion with interest savings applied to further tax reductions.

Komarnicki feels that much has also been done for seniors in the past year. The government raised the maximum amount eligible for the age credit to $5,177 for 2007, and doubled the maximum amount eligible for the pension income credit to $2,000.

On Nov. 21, the government introduced legislation to help combat identity theft. The legislation will make it an offence to obtain, possess or traffic other people's identity information if it is to be used to commit a crime.

On Nov. 6, the unprecedented $33 billion Building Canada Plan was announced where the government will provide long-term, stable and predictable funding to meet infrastructure needs across Canada.

In Budget 2007, the government took historic action to restore fiscal balance in Canada by investing $39 billion in the provinces and territories over the next seven years.

On Nov. 17, federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Agriculture announced significant progress on programs in the Business Risk Management Suite for farmers.

The Ministers will implement AgriInvest, a producer account that provides coverage for small margin declines; AgriStability, the improved margin based program providing producers with assistance for larger income declines; and AgriRecovery, the disaster relief framework which will ensure rapid assistance for producers hit by smaller natural disasters.

Komarnicki added that market prices have been strong lately, but the new programs will help protect producers during trying times.

"All of these combined will mean better funding for the agricultural industry," Komarnicki said.

The government has taken steps to give barley producers the right to make their own marketing choices, although it is still a work in progress. The issue recently went to court and that decision is now being appealed.

"The decision is being appealed and I hear it could be going back to the courts in February," Komarnicki said.

On a more specific basis, the government introduced the comprehensive Tackling Violent Crime Act to better protect youth from sexual predators, to protect communities from dangerous offenders and to deal severely with drug impaired drivers and those who commit serious gun crimes.

The government also strengthened the Youth Criminal Justice Act to ensure that young offenders who commit serious crimes are held accountable to victims and their communities.

On Nov. 20, the government introduced legislative reforms to introduce mandatory jail time for those who commit serious crimes of producing and selling illegal drugs.

The government also introduced legislative amendments this past year to eliminate the requirements for Canadians to register their non-registered firearms. This bill would appeal the requirement for businesses and individuals to register non-registered long guns and require firearms dealers to record all sales transactions of non-restricted firearms, as was the case prior to the imposition of the long gun registry.

From what Komarnicki has been hearing, there has been opposition from the NDP, Bloc Quebecois and some Liberals for this legislation, and he doesn't expect it to pass.

"My sense is that it will not pass in the first session and will need a majority government before it will go forward," Komarnicki said.

The government also introduced a national strategy to achieve absolute reductions of greenhouse gas emissions of 20 per cent by 2020. The government will establish a carbon emissions trading market that will give businesses the incentive to run cleaner, greener operations.

This strategy has been publicly scrutinized as not being tough enough. Komarnicki believes this is just a stepping stone to reducing greenhouse gases.

"This certainly has an impact in our area," Komarnicki said. "I get the sense that we will see some really concrete steps to reduce greenhouse gases."

On April 3, the government announced the Veteran's Bill of Rights and on Oct. 15 established the position of Veteran's Ombudsman, who will uphold the Bill of Rights and serve as an impartial arms-length and independent officer responsible for helping veterans pursue their concerns and advance their issues.

Looking ahead to 2008, Komarnicki can see some intense times ahead for the government, as the opposition is starting to take different approaches as they look to topple the Conservative government.

"It is going to be a ruckus," Komarnicki said. "The opposition is getting ready to bring us down. Specifically, when we bring down the budget that will be a very lively time."

Komarnicki ended by saying that Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative government are ready to face the opposition and will continue to govern in a positive fashion until they are either brought down or the next election date in 2009.