Election Day is just around the corner, and if you're unsure who to cast your ballot for, here is the list of candidates running in the riding of Chatham-Kent-Leamington.
CKNewsToday.ca and WindsorNewsToday.ca reached out to all five candidates running to be the next Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding and asked them several questions.
Here are their responses.
Dave Epp - Conservative Party of Canada (incumbent)
1.Ontario continues to experience a housing shortage. While we need to build more homes, it is also vitally important that farmland be protected in this region. What specific steps would you take to make sure that both things are achieved?
Supply and demand is more sustainable than government building houses. We have the lumber, manufacturers, space, and the need. Unfortunately, we also have Red Tape. Did you know we built fewer houses last year than we did in 1972 - but with double the population? At the same time, we need to focus on infilling and building "up" to preserve our best farmland. It’s only common sense!
2. Aging infrastructure, like roads, bridges, and sewers, continues to be a problem with municipalities complaining that they are shouldering too much of the costs that should be covered by the upper levels of government. What financial support is your party offering to municipalities to help provide relief for local property taxpayers?
We as Canadians have a $62 billion deficit. Roads and bridges are typically paid with property taxes, debentures, fuel excise tax revenues, and upper-level infrastructure funds and various programs that the federal government contributes to. We must balance our priorities and remember that there is only one taxpayer even though they pay three levels of government. We need to find sustainable balance and stop just trying to throw money at the problem. We need to restore common sense and respect to taxpayers’ dollars.
3. The family doctor shortage continues to be an issue in this region. There are far too many people in this riding who don’t have a family doctor. What specific steps would you/your party take to increase the number of family doctors?
We need to put measures in place that will work with the College of Physicians to recognize assess and credentialed foreign-trained doctors and nurses and certify or deny applications within 60 days. If someone is deficient, then let’s give them the opportunity to be retrained to Canadian standards.
4. Uncertainty over tariffs is raising serious financial concerns for the agricultural and manufacturing sectors – two of the largest employers in Chatham-Kent-Leamington. What is your party committed to doing to address these concerns and support local businesses?
No one can anticipate what the US President will do. We simply have to get on with getting our own house in order. We need to knock down inter-provincial trade barriers and learn to trade with ourselves. We need to revisit the 65 free trade agreements signed under the Harper administration and better leverage our strengths as we renegotiate CUSMA. Investment seeks certainty and that is one of the greatest weaknesses right now, not just because of the tariffs, but also because of our debt, deficit and heavy regulations which too often makes investment look elsewhere. It is time to restore common sense to government.
5. The cost of living has become unmanageable for some and many people are also concerned about a possible economic recession in Canada. What would you do to address the cost of living for voters in Chatham-Kent-Leamington?
Bring common sense and fiscal responsibility back to government so it is not a driver of inflation. Have government lead by example. International inter-provincial and government regulations to streamline and reduce unnecessary costs and delays for business approvals, fix our inter-provincial trade inefficiencies, reduce our debt and deficit, cut red tape, support our agricultural and business communities to be profitable to keep our local economy strong and employ people at a decent wage.
Keith Pickard - Liberal Party of Canada
1. Ontario continues to experience a housing shortage. While we need to build more homes, it is also vitally important that farmland be protected in this region. What specific steps would you take to make sure that both things are achieved?
We know that there is a housing shortage and that the federal government needs to take direct action to help solve the crisis. A Mark Carney government, if elected, has the plans for the most ambitious housing package since the Second World War, building 500,000 new homes a year that gets the federal government back in the business of home building. We would make the housing market more efficient by catalyzing private capital, cutting the red tape, and eliminating the GST for first-time homebuyers on homes under $1 million so that more Canadians can enter the market.
Of course we know in Chatham-Kent–Leamington that farming is the heartbeat of our economy and community and we would ensure that any additional housing would be done with the consultation of the farming communities.
2. Aging infrastructure, like roads, bridges, and sewers, continues to be a problem with municipalities complaining that they are shouldering too much of the costs that should be covered by the upper levels of government. What financial support is your party offering to municipalities to help provide relief for local property taxpayers?
Our plan is to invest in communities, while Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives want to cut funding into municipalities. By directly investing in infrastructure like highways, bridges, and sewers we are not only investing in critical infrastructure but we are investing in the productivity of our economy.
3. The family doctor shortage continues to be an issue in this region. There are far too many people in this riding who don’t have a family doctor. What specific steps would you/your party take to increase the number of family doctors?
Again, as Liberals we believe in investing in our communities as opposed to cutting services. During the last government federal health transfers were increased to record levels but we know more needs to be done. In the short time Mark Carney has been Prime Minister he has already developed a good working relationship with the Ontario government and has made plans to increase federal transfers even further that will result in more family doctors.
4. Uncertainty over tariffs is raising serious financial concerns for the agricultural and manufacturing sectors – two of the largest employers in Chatham-Kent-Leamington. What is your party committed to doing to address these concerns and support local businesses?
The question of this election, and particularly in Chatham-Kent–Leamington, is who is the best leader to get us a fair trade deal with the United States. We will stand up to the US administration in order to show that they need our critical expertise in the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. In addition, Mark Carney has already committed to support programs that are targeted toward industries and workers most affected by the tariffs imposed on Canada. Meanwhile, Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives have not shown any commitment toward these types of safety nets.
5. The cost of living has become unmanageable for some and many people are also concerned about a possible economic recession in Canada. What would you do to address the cost of living for voters in Chatham-Kent-Leamington?
We cannot fully control the US President, but we can make it easier for Canadians to weather uncertain times by putting more money in their pockets. By canceling the ‘carbon tax’ we have already lowered gas prices by an average of 18 cents per litre and delivered on middle-class tax cuts that will save families hundreds of dollars a month.
Trevor Lee - People's Party of Canada (PPC)
1. Ontario continues to experience a housing shortage. While we need to build more homes, it is also vitally important that farmland be protected in this region. What specific steps would you take to make sure that both things are achieved?
The housing shortages affecting Canada are due in large part to Canada's current immigration levels. Bringing in over 500,000 people a year, we can not keep up with the demand, which in turn, drives prices up. The People's Party will put a pause on immigration, and have a full moratorium on immigration. This will immediately have an effect on the housing crisis.
2. Aging infrastructure, like roads, bridges, and sewers, continues to be a problem with municipalities complaining that they are shouldering too much of the costs that should be covered by the upper levels of government. What financial support is your party offering to municipalities to help provide relief for local property taxpayers?
Infrastructure is primarily a provincial issue. However, the federally-run Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities Canada (HICC) which plays a key role in co-financing projects would be used to help. Our party will immediately stop foreign spending, and reinvest that money into Canadian projects, like infrastructure, to help our communities and the provinces handle the costs.
3. The family doctor shortage continues to be an issue in this region. There are far too many people in this riding who don’t have a family doctor. What specific steps would you/your party take to increase the number of family doctors?
Health care falls under provincial and territorial jurisdictions. The People's Party's plan for improving our healthcare is to implement reforms in line with more efficient, less costly mixed universal systems. With these reforms, and using the money saved from foreign spending, we would then be able to help provincial governments build new healthcare facilities and hire and train more doctors by providing higher pay so they don't leave Canada.
4. Uncertainty over tariffs is raising serious financial concerns for the agricultural and manufacturing sectors – two of the largest employers in Chatham-Kent-Leamington. What is your party committed to doing to address these concerns and support local businesses?
The People's Party would remove all retaliatory tariffs, and put everything on the table to work out a new trade deal with the US administration. Retaliatory tariffs will only hurt Canadians in the long run. Canada relies too much on our US neighbor, so the best way forward is to have discussions and work out a new deal, not go to war with them with tariffs.
5. The cost of living has become unmanageable for some and many people are also concerned about a possible economic recession in Canada. What would you do to address the cost of living for voters in Chatham-Kent-Leamington?
The People's Party of Canada's plan to deal with the cost of living is two-fold. Pause and reduce immigration, which is putting a strain on housing, healthcare, and government funding, and also stop foreign spending to re-invest that money into issues here at home. We will also balance the budget in the first year, reduce and simplify our income tax system, and reduce the size of government. We need to run more efficiently, which will save Canadians more than any dangling carrot being offered.
Seamus McInnis Fleming - New Democratic Party (NDP)
Seamus McInnis Fleming has not yet returned answers to the questions or we were unable to reach a contact person for him. Once answers to the questions are sent to CKNewsToday.ca or WindsorNewsToday.ca, they will be added to this post.
You can find more information about Seamus McInnis Fleming by clicking here.
James Plunkett - Green Party of Canada
1. Ontario continues to experience a housing shortage. While we need to build more homes, it is also vitally important that farmland be protected in this region. What specific steps would you take to make sure that both things are achieved?
Build up rather than out. Build on land deemed unusable for agriculture.
2. Aging infrastructure, like roads, bridges, and sewers, continues to be a problem with municipalities complaining that they are shouldering too much of the costs that should be covered by the upper levels of government. What financial support is your party offering to municipalities to help provide relief for local property taxpayers?
We would send financial support for the drainage upgrades and bridge repairs. Our bridges being sealed shut has only decreased tourism by waterway and hurt our economy.
3. The family doctor shortage continues to be an issue in this region. There are far too many people in this riding who don’t have a family doctor. What specific steps would you/your party take to increase the number of family doctors?
We would seek to expand community health clinics and train the next generation of health workers, especially in rural, remote and underserved regions such as CKL.
4. Uncertainty over tariffs is raising serious financial concerns for the agricultural and manufacturing sectors – two of the largest employers in Chatham-Kent-Leamington. What is your party committed to doing to address these concerns and support local businesses?
Stockpile essential raw materials to ensure stable supply. Ensure Canadian oil, minerals, timber and seafood are refined processed and value added before export. Apply export taxes on US needs.
5. The cost of living has become unmanageable for some and many people are also concerned about a possible economic recession in Canada. What would you do to address the cost of living for voters in Chatham-Kent-Leamington?
Ensure that low- and middle-income earners pay no federal income tax on the first $45000 of earnings, increasing take-home pay. Work to implement regionally appropriate living wages that reflect cost of living realities.