Federal election 2105

With the economic situation and recent job insecurities, how would you turn the situation around if you were to represent the Bow River riding?

 

Fahed Khalid
Democratic Advancement Party of Canada
First off we should be realistic that the economic situation will take some time to rebound. Notwithstanding some decisions and steps will be taken to facilitate the turnaround. Oil and Gas is a major industry for Alberta and Canada and this industry affects other industries too that are in the riding. The slowdown is caused primarily by the international oil prices that Canada does not have full control over. We do have control over other things and that is what we should focus on.
• Infrastructure is a key item for the riding and now would the best time to invest in infrastructure. This would be beneficial two ways as first off it would create jobs. These jobs would result, as the need is the repair and maintenance of current infrastructure, and also development of new infrastructure projects that are critically needed. Therefore these would result in jobs and the riding would see tangible results of infrastructure work that is needed in the riding.
• Fiscal policy would be another item. In economic times, taxation and wages are key issues. The tax structure that is beneficial to small businesses, which are a majority of business in the riding, would create and sustain the economy to get through this current situation. The tax should be such that is the least burden in small business. The higher tax should be on major corporations that make lots of money and the rich elites, not the average taxpayer and small business that consists of the hard working families and individuals in the riding. In addition the minimum wage will need to be addressed which during a downturn is not the best time to implement an increase. Talking to constituents in riding, this is not really welcome by the constituents, and also economically for businesses at this time the increase is also not beneficial. These are two items that I would address so the riding can get back on track and control things they we are able to.
These are the high level issues that would address policy concerns that span the riding. There would be more secondary detail issues to tackle after these primary issues are addressed. Just to be clear we are conservative and an option to the current conservative party and the alternative to voting for the other left-wing parties that want the minimum wage to increase which makes no sense economically at the moment.

 

Andrew Kucy
Independent
What families and businesses need most in these uncertain times is reassurance from all levels of government that they have not been forgotten and will not be taken advantage of. The idea of raising taxes on individuals and businesses while so many are struggling to make ends meet is counterproductive and harmful.
Once I’m elected to represent Bow River I will push for a commitment from whichever party ends up leading the country for a moratorium on tax rate changes for at least two years. With the current years budget finally balanced by the Conservatives the country has an opportunity to look at all government departments and agencies for cost savings and increasing efficiencies. I would advocate for each and every department to reduce their overall budget by 10 per cent each year for two years through a combination of wage reductions for employees and working with suppliers to reduce the rates charged to the government for equipment and services.
I know this is an achievable target and can be done with a minimum of disruption to services to Canadians because I’ve experienced it first hand in my work place as we were significantly impacted by the oil price plunge over the last year. It will not be easy and some tough decisions will be required, but as stewards of Canadians tax dollars the federal government needs to show leadership in this. The entire amount of savings realized by this strategy could then be invested in infrastructure and social programs equitably across Canada. That investment would create work for local businesses and provide assistance to families in Bow River and all other ridings in Canada.

 

Frans VandeStroet
Christian Heritage Party (CHP Canada)
The CHP would put Canada back to work with a nationwide infrastructure stimulus package that would fix our cities, our highways and our bridges. The CHP proposes a limited and targeted application of ‘Quantitive Easing’ to specifically finance infrastructure projects and boost the economy, without incurring massive commercial debt (T-bills) with its associated commercial interest costs that now consume a huge and increasing portion of the taxes Canadians pay to Ottawa.
Jobs stimulate the economy. The CHP would revive the plan that was successfully used in Canada to combat unemployment after the Second World War. The Bank of Canada was ordered to make interest-free loans (basically a form of ‘Quantitive Easing’) to provinces, municipalities and cities for infrastructure projects: roads, highways, bridges, rail lines, ports – today we could include hospitals, urban and inter-urban passenger rail lines, water and sewage treatment plants. These facilities improved access to resources and to markets, and the increased economic activity enabled the borrowing agencies to quickly repay the loans – which were then retired, so that the injection of capital was non-inflationary. That construction activity touched off the longest-lasting economic boom in Canadian history. And when the loans were repaid, the permanent infrastructure was still there. Today, it’s crumbling, and the only solution that other Parties offer is taxing you to rebuild it. It’s time for a new infrastructure initiative – one that works and doesn’t rely on increasing your tax burden.
Last but not least, the CHP is also in favour of a simpler taxation system in which we don’t punish people for earning income or making profits. We want to put Canadians in charge of the tax they pay by shifting taxation towards consumption instead of production. In other words, we promote higher progressive national retail sales tax, thereby making it possible to go to (much) lower income tax rates. We need to increase productivity of our Canadian industry, create jobs here in Canada, and a better tax system is one of the ways to do that.

 

Lynn MacWilliam
NDP
A recent Ipsos poll commissioned by Global News found that 85 per cent (81 per cent in Alberta) of Canadians agree that taxes paid by large corporations should be increased. Forty-nine per cent of Canadians say they strongly agree.
According to Statistics Canada, Corporate Canada has $680 billion of “dead money.” The numbers show the amount has increased $44 billion since the same time last year. Since 2005, the amount of dead money has more than doubled.
In a 2014 report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Canada’s amount of dead money is the fastest growing of any G7 country.
“Canadian firms may be missing on productive investing possibilities,” the IMF said. That’s a contributing factor to Canada’s falling business investment in machinery and R&D, low employment growth and sluggish economic growth.
Canadian businesses rank last among like countries relating to investment in R&D according to the Conference Board of Canada, hurting our ability to build an innovation-led economy.
As the MP for the riding of Bow River, I will work with the NDP government to ensure big, profitable corporations pay their fair share of taxes. In 2000, the corporate tax was 28 per cent. Today, it is 15 per cent. According to the Parliamentary Budget Office, the cuts to corporate taxes between 2006 and 2015 has cost Canada $12 billion annually.
Small and medium businesses create most of the jobs in Canada. The NDP will decrease small/medium business taxes from 11 to nine per cent. We will also create an innovation tax credit for business to invest in machinery, equipment and property used in innovation-boosting R&D, saving Canadian manufacturers making these investments approximately $40 million each year. We will also extend the accelerated capital cost allowance for manufacturing and processing machinery and equipment.
The Government has said over and over again cutting corporate taxes will stimulate business and boost economic growth. It appears the opposite is the case.

 

Martin Shields
Conservative Party of Canada
If elected as your Member of Parliament I plan on focusing on keeping the economy strong, preserving our heritage and ensuring our agriculture industry is recognized for the vital role it plays in our communities. This focus along with a strong support for our municipalities is what will ensure our jobs stay at home, our family farms and businesses flourish and our communities continue to grow.
As a Conservative, I believe our government’s main mission is to create an economic climate that allows and encourages all Canadian families to flourish and prosper. To encourage and enable a stable economy that provides solid, well-paying jobs and it means a balanced budget. This is the result we will have with strong Conservative leadership in Ottawa.
We have a strong track record of economic leadership and successes. We will build on those successes and continue to support our families, our communities and our future.

 

 

Green Party candidate Rita Fromholt and Liberal Party candidate William MacDonald Alexander were not available for comment as of press time.