MyNorthBayNow.com reached out to candidates for the upcoming election to get their thoughts on important issues. Each week leading up to the election, we will publish stories online which include the candidates’ voices so the riding can hear what they have to say.
This week, we discussed economic recovery.
Here is the question we posed to each candidate:
With lives and livelihoods impacted directly by the COVID-19 pandemic, how will your party lead the economic recovery process in Nipissing-Timiskaming? What actions are you proposing specifically for the riding?
Anthony Rota, Liberal Party Of Canada
Incumbent Liberal Candidate Anthony Rota says his party has been hard at work to empower Northern Ontario communities. He says FedNor recently becoming a stand-alone agency will allow us to make more decisions in the north for the people of the north.
Rota also says the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how essential high-speed internet is, and that’s something his party has committed to delivering to 100% of the country by 2030, and 95% by 2026. He says that is well underway right here at home, with large amounts of funding already invested as well as some announced. Rota also points to the various benefits delivered by the Liberals during the pandemic, including the Canadian Recovery Sickness Benefit, the Canadian Economic Recovery Benefit, reducing student loan payments, payroll increases, wage subsidies and a whole list of programs introduced that he says will enable Canadians to hit the ground running when the economy opens up.
Scott Robertson, New Democratic Party
The NDP’s Scott Robertson says in our region, our economy is fueled by small businesses. He says the NDP has always been a strong supporter of mom and pop shops and local community businesses and that’s why his party will continue rent and wage subsidies for small businesses until people are able to fully open up. He says credit card merchant fees are an obstacle for small businesses and his party would cap those to 1%. Robertson says the NDP will also introduce a tax credit for graduates to work in rural and northern communities, as he says the ability to attract workers is something he hears from business owners. For our riding, he says the NDP understands rural transit is important, and they would bring back cancelled bus routes, the Ontario Northlander, and other commuter services that help keep our economy strong. Robertson says another issue is access to broadband and reliable cell services, which the NDP has pledged to bring reliable service within four years, all while introducing price caps for cell phone and internet service as we pay among the highest for that service in the world.
Greg Galante, People’s Party of Canada
Nipissing-Timiskaming PPC candidate Greg Galante says the Trudeau government’s response has impacted more lives and livelihoods than COVID itself. He says he gets confirmation of that when he speaks with local business owners. Galante says the federal government’s directives of COVID-19 are political, and not evidence-based, science-based, and they didn’t take into account any cost-benefit analysis. He says to re-open the local economy, his party would wind down the Canadian Employment Response Benefit, as business owners have told him they can’t get anyone back to work. He says incentivizing people to stay home and do nothing is a recipe for economic disaster. Secondly, he would end the carbon tax as he calls it a job killer. Galante says our riding is heavily dependant on resource-based industries and agriculture, which require the use of fuel to extract, transport and process.
MyNorthBayNow.com was unable to reach other party candidates prior to publishing but will update this list when they do.
