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Candidates: economic boost, reason to vote

It’s down to the nitty gritty as we go into the last weekend of the election campaign

It’s down to the nitty gritty as we go into the last weekend of the election campaign.

Voting day is Monday, be sure to cast your ballot.

But first of all, consider what a: the candidates say they will do to boost the Campbell River economy and b: why they should get your vote...

 

Sue Moen – Green Party:

1. What will you and your party do to boost Campbell River’s economic situation.

The Green Party’s over-arching principle of creating a Smart Economy will guide my efforts to implement job creation measures through re-localizing economies.  Green MPs will work to lower payroll and small business taxes, increase agricultural opportunities, increase value-added processing and manufacturing, and increase investment in energy efficiency, and renewable energy systems and grids.

I would push for the creation of Municipal super-funds to provide sustainable, long term funding to repair decades-old crumbling infrastructure and build for the future.  Communities would be able to create more of the common amenities we all need for recreation, transportation, water works and arts and culture.  One of the super-funds would be tied directly to increasing youth employment and another to creating local green-business incubators to encourage entrepreneurship.

Greens will work to eliminate the subsidies and grants to industries such as fossil fuels, agribusiness and nuclear that distort the market and externalize costs.  We want to tax those things people don’t want – overconsumption, GHG emissions, pollution – and lower taxes on what we do want – jobs, income and savings.  Our plan is for a revenue neutral tax shift to ensure Canadians are not adversely affected by changing tax policies.

2. Why should voters give you their vote on May 2?

The Green Party Platform is about finding common ground.  The Green Party is about consensus building and win-win solutions. Electing a Green Party candidate as MP for the riding will mean having a representative who is willing and able to work with the other parties for the common good. Canada needs Green MPs like me, who will work to break down partisanship. We will not only work cooperatively amongst ourselves, we will restore respect and civility to Parliament and get OTHER MPs from other parties (many of whom hate rabid partisanship) to cooperate with us.

I have work experience in many areas – corporate, education, as a small business owner, in non-profit and have been an activist for local and global social justice and the environment for more than 40 years. While I don’t agree with all constituents, I believe I can represent the riding to advance the common good and to achieve true prosperity. I believe we need a Vancouver Island North MP who is unwilling to accept the status quo.  Greens want to stop that bus and create systems where healthy people in healthy communities on a healthy planet are what inform our policies and programs.

 

Ronna-Rae Leonard – New Democratic Party:

1. What will you and your party do to boost Campbell River’s economic situation?

In the middle of a recession, John Duncan voted to impose the job-killing HST on BC. Now Stephen Harper is threatening to penalize British Columbians to the tune of $1.6 billion if they vote against the HST in June.

Jack Layton has pledged that regardless of the outcome of the vote, B.C. will keep that money. With this pledge, small business owners can have confidence that British Columbians will have a free and fair vote on the HST, without threat of punishment.

New Democrats will also invest in small businesses, as they are Campbell River’s economic backbone. We will cut small business taxes by two percent to spur job creation, and we will introduce a $4,500 tax credit for businesses that create new jobs.

We will restrict raw log exports, invest in developing alternative energy, and restore the home retrofit program to generate jobs and reduce home heating bills.

2. Why should voters give you their vote on May 2?

People across the riding tell me they think that Ottawa is broken and it’s time to fix it.

People say they are looking for a party and a leader they can trust to make life more affordable, generate jobs, improve health care, and strengthen pensions.

That’s why I’m proud to be part of Jack Layton’s team. We have practical solutions that put you and your family ahead of corporate tax giveaways.

On Vancouver Island, voting New Democrat is the best way to defeat the Conservatives and bring in a positive alternative.

 

Mike Holland – Liberal Party of Canada

1. What will you and your party do to boost Campbell River’s economic situation?

Government can’t claim to have the answers but it should be ready to be a partner to the community, because it’s the community that has the ideas and the initiatives that will grow the local economy. We can help lay the foundations for economic growth, however, and it starts with education. By helping students pay for college, university or trades training, we’ll ensure businesses have access to skilled labour when they want to expand.

By investing in early learning and childcare, we’ll ensure parents can re-enter the workforce confident they have affordable and safe childcare for their children. And we’ll support research in new industries such as green energy, in which the North Island has the potential to be a world leader.

2. Why should voters give you their vote on May 2?

For 37 years on the North Island we’ve elected MPs from the extreme left and the extreme right. Meanwhile, our local economies continue to decline faster than other regions, jobs continue to evaporate and young people are forced to leave in search of opportunity elsewhere. Rather than again trying the same failed approach and expecting different results, I think it’s time we tried a balanced, Liberal alternative. I have a history of working with people of all political stripes to do what’s right for our community. It’s time our communities had someone to fight with them, and I’m ready to step up and join them.

 

John Duncan – Conservative Party of Canada

 

1. What will you and your party do to boost Campbell River’s economic situation?

I worked in the coastal forest industry for 20 years and lived in coastal communities including Campbell River, Sayward, Port Clements and Ucluelet.

I understand the local issues and share your values. I will work with a re-elected Conservative Government to ensure that our region’s economy remains a priority. I am committed to continuing to represent our region, and I will continue to advocate for infrastructure and other investments, in collaboration with provincial and local authorities, that will assist economic diversification and quality of life. Some recent and key investments that are designed to achieve this include: extending the Campbell River Airport Runway; upgrading Highway 19A and installing new water and sewer mains from Hilchey Road to Rockland Road; upgrading trails in the Beaver Lodge Lands and Campbell River Forest District; expanding the We Wai Kai Industrial Park at Quinsam Crossing; investing in the Campbell River Lacrosse Box; and upgrading the small craft harbours in Campbell River, Heriot Bay and Quathiaski Cove.

2. Why should voters give you their vote on May 2?

Vancouver Island North is a special place and it is an honour to represent it.  I’ve worked in coastal logging operations up and down the coast for 20 years and I’ve lived and worked in small communities which has given me a strong understanding of the resource sector and the priorities of our coastal communities. After five weeks and ten all-candidate meetings I am confident in saying that none of my competitors comprehend the diversity or understand the economy of our communities. The  NDP candidate claims that she will represent this riding, yet she has shown a lack of understanding for the forestry, aquaculture, fishing and mining sectors. For example, she thought Quinsam Coal was a proposed mine and not an operating one.

She has also spoken out in favour of the long gun registry, even though people in this riding are largely opposed to it. I understand the importance of our resource industries and the people they employ and the families they feed. Understanding our communities is essential as an MP, but it is also important to translate this understanding into real results. My time in opposition, then government and then cabinet has given me experience with how to get things done.  Experience has been key in helping me serve and advocate for people, for families and for our communities in Vancouver Island North.  The people of our resource-dependent communities care very much about the environment.  But vibrant communities need people, and people need jobs.  We must find a balance.

Our Conservative Government has a demonstrated record of balancing the economy alongside the environment. We also have a low tax plan to help our economy and get people back to work.  My team has run a clean and positive campaign that has focused on our Conservative Government’s tangible record of achievement. I would be honoured to continue to represent the most live-able and beautiful riding in Canada. On May 2, 2011 there is a clear choice. The choice is to vote for an experienced candidate who understands all the communities in this riding.

 

Jason Draper – Independent Party of Canada

1. What will you and your party do to boost Campbell River’s economic situation?

The abysmal economic situation of Campbell River is not something that can be solved in Campbell River alone.  Campbell river just happens to be one of the first few cars in the slow motion global economic train wreck we are all witnessing.  Smaller communities always seem to take the brunt of the crash when things go bad economically.  But the reason that happens is because the fundamental problem with the economic system has not been addressed.  I offer the solution given to the Reagan Administration in the ‘80’s, as laid out by the mathematician Mike Montagne.  Although rejected as a solution by the Republicans years ago, it has stood the test of time and has not been invalidated, and very recently has begun to be recognized by many economists and politicians the world over, most recently in helping restructure Iceland’s economy. This system totally stops the big bankers in their tracks by abolishing usury (compound interest), and scheduling loan payments over the lifetime of the asset to close the door on inflationary and deflationary cycles. Since so much money is involved, you can be sure the big bankers don’t want you to hear about this.  But that alone should be impetus enough for you go to our website (independentpartycanada.ca) and check out what we are offering you.  In short, we are offering a permanent solution out of the financial disaster that is looming, and I am the only one in this riding who for two elections now, are willing to discuss this issue.

2. Why should voters give you their vote on May 2?

Independents such as myself enjoy the freedom from party politics and the party whip that you need in these unsure economic times.  The ridiculous party phrases of “balance the budget”, “reducing the debt”, and “creating jobs” are losing their credibility in the minds of the voters as the truth of the economic hegemony spreads via the web.  I offer the only mathematically proven way to discharge the current debt with the stroke of the pen, in the same way it was created, and replace it with the mathematically sustainable alternative.  I and others are working toward implementation of MPE (Mathematical Perfected Economy) as soon as possible.  Other parties like CAP and other independent candidates are nailing the problem on the head, but only the Independent Party of Canada is offering the mathematical solution.  The electorate, educated and awakened, should choose to take the ball and chain off their collective leg and put it on the leg of the bankers.  To turn the tables on them and to return our economy, our livelihood, and our way of life back to us is our purpose, and that will not happen until the voters get fed up enough to start voting independent all over the country, starting with Vancouver Island North.