Fusion Halifax hosted “Meet your MP candidates” on Thursday evening. The event was held at the Waterfront Warehouse in Halifax.
Prior to the event the candidates were presented with six questions.
Here are the questions that were posed, and what your candidates for Halifax West had to say:
Urban Development Action Team: Do you support a new convention centre in Halifax? Why or why not?
Conservative Candidate: Dr. Bruce Pretty
A Conservative government will continue to support the economy in Nova Scotia. This project has been deemed a top priority by the Municipality and the Province. It’s an MPs job to fight for investments that can improve our local economy. I, like many, still have some questions. But quite simply I’m ready to take a stand that brings development to the HRM.
Liberal Candidate: Geoff Regan
That’s a difficult question to answer without having seen detailed costing and analysis of this project. If it is economically viable and sustainable, I would have no difficulty supporting the inclusion of federal funding along with the municipal and provincial contributions. I think the federal government should be supportive of projects that contribute to the economic growth of the region and enhance both the city and the province.
NDP Candidate: Gregor Ash
Didn’t provide an answer
ArtsScene Action Team: How will your party support the Halifax arts community and ensure it becomes a growing part of the local economy?
Conservative Candidate: Dr. Bruce Pretty
Across Canada, the arts community contributes $46 Billion dollars to the economy and supports over 630 000 jobs. The Conservative Government has increased support to the Canada Council for the Arts by 20% — that’s the highest level in history. We will provide ongoing support to the Canada Periodical Fund which local publications can use. We will also implement a Children’s Arts Tax Credit of $500 so families can get their kids into arts programs early in their lives.
Liberal Candidate: Geoff Regan
As a member of the all-party Arts Caucus, I understand the value that arts and culture have in our economy and in our community and I am working to help promote the arts and culture sector. I want to ensure that our artists can pursue education and career opportunities in their field. That is why I support measures like the Liberal Learning Passport that will give each high school student $1,000 a year over four years to attend community college or university and why I support copyright reform to ensure artists receive fair compensation for their work.
NDP Candidate: Gregor Ash
The arts are a huge part of my life. I’ve been Executive Director of the Atlantic Film Festival Association for 11 years, I know that the Creative Economy is increasingly fundamental to the economic and social development of our communities. While serving on the Nova Scotia Arts and & Culture Partnership Council I advocated for Status of the Artist legislation and a long-term arts strategy in Nova Scotia. We need to work with individual artists, improve education and establish stable funding to support economic development. We should be promoting our artistic community abroad by reinstating the Trade Routes and PromArt programs.
People Factor Action Team: Over the past ten years, Halifax’s employment growth has been stagnant, most recently to the tone of 1%. Not only is the growth minimal, creating just over 2000 new jobs each year, most of this growth is in part-time, not full-time positions. Also, keep in mind, Halifax attracts a large number of youth to the city each year to attend one of Halifax’s six degree granting universities or to find a job. As a result, our city is at an advantage with thousands of well educated and motivated new university graduates (Saint Mary’s alone graduated roughly 1,400 last year) entering the workforce each year. With minimal employment growth in the city, how will your party create an environment where young professionals can develop their careers and make a decent living in Halifax?
Conservative Candidate: Dr. Bruce Pretty
A Conservative government will implement a low tax plan. Lower taxes enable businesses to create jobs. We will implement a Hiring Credit for Small Business which is a one year EI break. 525 000 small businesses could take advantage of this program. Furthermore, we will not raise corporate taxes. Raising taxes when the global economy is still recovering simply does not make sense. We will also increase support to the Canadian Youth Business Foundation to support young entrepreneurs. Also, we are expanding our trade agreements to Europe and India — companies in Halifax can take advantage of their strategic location and seize these new trade opportunities.
Liberal Candidate: Geoff Regan
First, I think we are very privileged to have so many world-class education institutions here in Halifax. Education is key to building a foundation for a strong economy now and into the future. The Liberal Party believes in innovation and we’ve made a commitment to focus on three key sectors expected to lead economic growth in Canada and abroad. These sectors are clean resources, health and biosciences and the information and communications technology sector, all of which are prevalent in Halifax, including RIM, which I am proud to have had a role bringing one of their facilities to Halifax West.
NDP Candidate: Gregor Ash
The best way to drive the economy and get people working is to use our creativity and spur innovation. Education is fundamental; we have to engage students and ensure that post-secondary education is accessible and affordable. By working with business, universities can create more applied research and innovation. We need action on training a skilled workforce that can create and keep the jobs of the future here in Halifax. Companies like RIM, HB Studios, Copernicus, Big Motion Pictures and The Hub are all examples of innovative companies bringing jobs to Nova Scotia.
Immigration and Diversity Action Team: Immigrants have an important role to play in the economy, yet many face challenges with economic integration e.g. recognition of their foreign credentials, language training, and willingness of employers to hire immigrants. What will your party do to ensure immigrants get the services they need for effective integration?
Conservative Candidate: Dr. Bruce Pretty
This is something I’m particularly interested in. We’ve all heard stories about foreign trained doctors taking temporary jobs to make ends meet. This doesn’t make sense – especially when we need more Doctors. If they can pass the written and verbal medical exams, I believe we should find space in an internship program so they can become licensed in Canada. The Conservative government has already begun to invest in some improvements, like a Foreign Credentials Referral Office. We will also provide loans to recent immigrants to pay for training and accreditation.
Liberal Candidate: Geoff Regan
A great majority of case work handled by my constituency office is immigration related, so I am very familiar with the challenges new Canadians face. A Liberal government will provide leadership on the issue of foreign credential recognition, which is costing our economy more than $2.6 billion a year. We would bring the provinces, regulatory bodies, educational institutions, employers, unions and other stakeholders together to tap into this essential resource. A Liberal government would reverse Conservative cuts to programs for immigrants, such as English as a second language.
NDP Candidate: Gregor Ash
Halifax West is the most diverse and rapidly expanding area in Atlantic Canada. By focusing on a strategy that will work for both our communities and those entering the country, we can build a stronger Halifax West. We need to focus on putting families back together, streamlining the application process and clearing the immigration backlog. Having community-level language and orientation services will allow cooperation and natural integration. We also need to engage professionals who are entering this country to fill the gaps that exist in certain skilled fields, such as medicine, by recognizing their credentials. These sorts of reforms require leadership.
Sustainability Action Team: As an aspiring Member of Parliament, what will you do to help change Canada’s reputation as a hindrance to global pollution reduction?
Conservative Candidate: Dr. Bruce Pretty
The Lower Churchill Falls development can significantly reduce Nova Scotia’s dependence on fossil fuels. We have this fantastic opportunity to have a green energy corridor through our province. With the power form our wind farms, the power that will come from our developing tidal energy, and this massive hydroelectric project we have an opportunity to develop a green energy corridor. I would also like to see more National Parks and national Conservation Areas – something our party has already committed to do.
Liberal Candidate: Geoff Regan
Decades of experience and investment in hydro-electricity add considerably to the Canadian knowledge base and future opportunities. As global markets demand ever higher standards of environmental stewardship, energy efficiency and corporate social responsibility, Canada can lead the world. Under a Liberal government we will – by earning a reputation as a in clean resources resource-based products produced with the lowest possible impact, and supplying knowledge, technology and expertise to other markets for responsible management, development and consumption of natural resources. That’s why clean resources are one of three “Canadian Champion Sectors” at the heart of a Liberal government’s approach to innovation, including new tax incentives for innovative start-ups.
NDP Candidate: Gregor Ash
New Democrats have been the only leadership in Ottawa on climate change. It was the NDP that worked to get the Climate Change Accountability Act passed through parliament, which was unfortunately scrapped by the unelected Senate. We need emission targets, and we need creative solutions about how to reach them. The provincial government here in Nova Scotia has gotten us on track, making us one of the most environmentally progressive provinces in the country. The federal government needs to step up to be an equal partner and make a commitment to creating green jobs, investing in renewable energy, ending subsidies for the oil industry and creating a market for carbon emissions.
Health & Wellness Action Team: How will your party ensure our population is properly educated in the areas of mental and physical health to lessen the future burden on our health care system?
Conservative Candidate: Dr. Bruce Pretty
This is a great question. Nobody wants to see an overburden healthcare system caused by a sedentary lifestyle. The Conservatives implemented a $500 tax credit in 2008 so families could afford to enrol their kids in activities. We’ll keep this going and double it once the budget is balanced. We also want adults to get more active. We’ll put in a similar $500 tax credit for adults.
Liberal Candidate: Geoff Regan
A Liberal government will implement a new Canadian Health Promotion Strategy. We will support sport and active living and improve education and promotion of healthy foods. We will work with the Council of Ministers for Education in Canada towards setting national targets for physical activity in primary and secondary schools. We have put forward Canada’s first National Food policy. A Liberal government will also consult with provinces, stakeholders and experts, and put in place a Canadian Brain Health Strategy in its first year in office. Its main objective will be helping Canadian families cope and it will encompass such diseases as Alzheimer ’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson’s Disease.
NDP Candidate: Gregor Ash
The federal government needs to provide a significant leadership role and work in cooperation with the provinces. When Ottawa renegotiates the Canada Health Accord, we need a government that will stand up and fight for a more efficient, accessible system that focuses on not only physical health, but on mental and emotional well-being. This country needs a vision for homecare and pharmacare that works for everyone. We need more doctors and nurses. We have to improve the nutrition of our children. The NDP fought to implement Medicare and will keep fighting to ensure that it works for all Canadians.
For more information on Fusion Halifax and “Meet your MP candidates” visit www.halifax.ca.
Source: http://www.bedfordbeacon.com/fusion-halifax-hosts-meet-your-mp-candidates
