Glebe Report provincial election coverage
In anticipation of covering the June 12, 2014 provincial election, the Glebe Report sent a letter to each of the six candidates whose nomination was confirmed by the Ottawa Centre Returning Officer as of May 22. The four questions posed to each of the candidates are reprinted along with their responses. Responses subject to a word limit for each question were to be printed as received and to be returned by email to the Glebe Report no later than the deadline of Monday, May 26 at noon.
Rob Dekker: Candidate for the
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
Bruce A. Faulkner: Candidate for the
Libertarian Party of Ontario
Jennifer McKenzie: Candidate for the
New Democratic Party
of Ontario
Yasir Naqvi: Candidate for the
Liberal Party of Ontario
Kevin O’Donnell: Candidate for the Green Party of Ontario
Larry Wasslen: Candidate for the Communist Party of Ontario
Yasir Naqvi
Candidate for the
Liberal Party of Ontario
1. What do you consider to be the single most significant challenge facing the voters of Ottawa Centre today? If elected, what steps would you take to address that issue?
I am out talking to people every day and keep hearing concerns about the Conservative job cuts that will hurt the public services we all rely on. Ontario Liberals know building stronger communities means investing in our people and we have a plan to create jobs, invest in urban schools, build public transit, balance the budget, and help those who look after our loved ones – like ECEs and PSWs. That is why Ontario Liberals are focused on creating jobs and protecting public services to keep building a better Ottawa Centre.
2. Please rearrange the order of the following categories to reflect your priorities as a candidate in this riding (list the most important first and the least important last): AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ECONOMY, EDUCATION AND TRAINING, ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH CARE, PENSIONS, POVERTY, PUBLIC TRANSIT, REDUCTION OF ONTARIO’S DEBT AND DEFICIT, SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESS, URBAN DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMY, EDUCATION, ENVIRONMENT, URBAN DEVELOPMENT, PUBLIC TRANSIT, HEALTH CARE, PENSIONS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, DEBT AND DEFICIT, POVERTY, SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESS, ENERGY
3. For your top three or four categories, please describe the outstanding issues for people living in Ottawa Centre (and the Glebe in particular) and the policies or programs that you think will successfully address the challenges they face.
It has been a tremendous honour to serve as your MPP for the past seven years. I love knocking on doors every weekend because I get to see the positive difference we are making firsthand. Working together, we’ll build on these achievements to continue building a better Ottawa Centre.
ECONOMY
Continuing to attract good jobs to Ottawa matters to local families. It matters to us too. Ontario Liberals have created over 477,000 new jobs since 2008, and have a strong plan to grow the economy and eliminate the deficit in a way that continues to invest in the things that matter to Glebe families.
We have beaten our deficit reduction targets every year and will balance the budget by 2017-2018 so we can continue improving local health care, increase wages for ECEs and PSWs, and build more affordable housing.
EDUCATION
Education is the foundation of our kids’ success. Full-day kindergarten, smaller class sizes, and investing in our local schools – including a permanent addition at Mutchmor and completely rebuilding Broadview – give our kids more opportunities to succeed.
These projects highlight the continued investment needed in our urban schools. Working with school boards and trustees, I have proposed expanding the use of the Education Development Charge so school boards have more flexibility to renovate and rebuild urban schools to give our kids the best start.
ENVIRONMENT
Protecting the Ottawa River matters to our community. We already completed Phase I of the work and committed $65 million in our budget for Phase II. The Conservatives and NDP did not include any funding for the Ottawa River in their platforms, but a Liberal government will get the job done to clean up and protect the river.
We’ve also broken ground on the Confederation LRT line – the largest transit investment in our city’s history – because our community wants clean, green, reliable public transit. We will work hard to secure funding for Phase II, including extending the O-Train south to reduce traffic on Bank Street and Bronson Avenue.
URBAN DEVELOPMENT
The Glebe is an incredibly vibrant community and we need to keep it that way. Since 2007, I have been working together with local residents, community associations and local planners to ensure more community-inspired development. Our community’s advocacy helped form the Liberals’ proposed land-use planning changes. They would enhance enforcement of local official plans, reduce the number of applications that go to the OMB, ensure citizens have more input into the planning process, and require parks plans to ensure green space is protected. Local development rules should help Ottawa Centre remain a vibrant, healthy and sustainable community by making sure the community’s voice is heard and the process is done right the first time.
4. What experience or expertise do you bring to the position of M.P.P. that makes you the best candidate?
We live in the most engaged and thoughtful community in our province. For the past seven years serving as your MPP, I have been working with our community, paying attention to the issues, listening to ideas, collaborating on solutions, and making the Glebe a better place to live. I understand the issues and how to bring people together to get things done, like renovating Mutchmor, cleaning up our river, expanding the Centretown Community Health Centre and building phase two of the LRT. I hope that with your support, we can continue building a better Ottawa Centre together.
info@yasirnaqvi.ca.
613-680-6855
www.yasirnaqvi.ca
Twitter: @Yasir_Naqvi,
Facebook: yasirnaqvimpp
Kevin O’Donnell
Candidate for the Green Party of Ontario
1. What do you consider to be the single most significant challenge facing the voters of Ottawa Centre today? If elected, what steps would you take to address that issue?
I view the environment as our top issue. Climate change is already happening – but what should we do about it? As MPP, one of many things I will do is lower the default speed limit on our local streets to 30 km/h. Why? Safer speeds will make cycling and walking more attractive to everyone and will help lower our dependence on cars within the urban core. It will make our local streets nicer today and fight climate change over the long term.
2. Please rearrange the order of the following categories to reflect your priorities as a candidate in this riding (list the most important first and the least important last): AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ECONOMY, EDUCATION AND TRAINING, ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH CARE, PENSIONS, OVERTY, PUBLIC TRANSIT, REDUCTION OF ONTARIO’S DEBT AND DEFICIT, SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESS, URBAN DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENT, POVERTY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, URBAN DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMY, SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESS, PUBLIC TRANSIT, REDUCTION OF ONTARIO’S DEBT AND DEFICIT, EDUCATION AND TRAINING, HEALTH CARE, ENERGY, PENSIONS
3. For your top three or four categories, please describe the outstanding issues for people living in Ottawa Centre (and the Glebe in particular) and the policies or programs that you think will successfully address the challenges they face.
Poverty is a hidden scourge. It exists in every community and we need to do more to alleviate the suffering it causes. The Greens will double the Ontario Child Benefit giving direct help to the one in seven children who live at or below the poverty line. We will pay for this by ending $2 billion of wasteful energy subsidies, most of which goes to the wealthiest among us.
I am lucky. I earn enough to support my family’s basic needs and still have something left over for extras: an afternoon of bowling, a new bicycle, ice cream from the corner store. My daughter lacks for nothing. As a parent this is a great relief. I don’t know how I would cope were I not able to provide her with the basics.
The one in seven children across Ontario whose families struggle at or below the poverty line are not so lucky, and my heart breaks for them. The Greens propose cutting the 10 per cent “Clean Energy Benefit” from hydro bills and using that money to double the Ontario Child Benefit. If you are lucky, like me, you can make do without the few dollars the Liberals have been giving you. The Liberals give me around $7 on each bill. The NDP propose an even bigger subsidy. They call this “helping working families.” I call it a waste – money I don’t need to support my family.
Everyone wants lower hydro bills. But if you asked a classroom of 21 children if they should all get $7, or if the three children without proper snowsuits for recess should be given $50, what do you think they would say? I think they would choose to help their friends. The Greens propose that all of Ontario pool together to do the same. I will gladly return my $7 knowing that a family that struggles to put good food on the table will get an additional $100 a month. What my family will barely notice will make a huge difference to another.
I am saddened the other parties plan to do the opposite. The hard math reveals most of their subsidies will go to the upper 50 per cent of Ontarians, people who have never sent a child to school hungry. That’s wrong. They know better, but they want to win votes, and they are shameless in how they will go about doing it. Our proposal fights inequality in Ontario and also helps the environment by discouraging wasteful energy practices. It is revenue neutral – we can afford it. Our plan does everything government is supposed to do: put an end to suffering.
I am proud of our plan.
4. What experience or expertise do you bring to the position of M.P.P. that makes you the best candidate?
I have been working full-time for almost 20 years. An important lesson I learned from a customer was when one thanked me for saying it would take several days to fix a problem. They were not happy with the answer, but they appreciated the unvarnished truth. Even at 20 years old I knew the most important thing was my reputation – what I could deliver – not what I could promise. I had earned my customer’s trust and on that day it was the difference between keeping them or losing them. I will always give you the unvarnished truth.
kevin@kevino.ca
613-203-2620
www.kevino.ca
Twitter: @ODonnell_K
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Kevin-ODonnell/152040151477583
Larry Wasslen
Candidate for the Communist Party of Ontario
1.What do you consider to be the single most significant challenge facing the voters of Ottawa Centre today? If elected, what steps would you take to address that issue?
The single most significant challenge facing voters in Ottawa Centre is the ongoing economic crisis accompanied by the neo-liberal austerity agenda of the Tories, Grits, and Social Democrats. This agenda attacks workers and favours corporations. If elected, I would fight to change this agenda, puts the needs of the people of Ottawa Centre first, curb corporate power, expand democratic rights: the right to a job with a dignified wage, to organize, to affordable housing including firm rent controls, and to increase social assistance to pre-Mike Harris levels.
2. Please rearrange the order of the following categories to reflect your priorities as a candidate in this riding (list the most important first and the least important last): AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ECONOMY, EDUCATION AND TRAINING, ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH CARE, PENSIONS, POVERTY, PUBLIC TRANSIT, REDUCTION OF ONTARIO’S DEBT AND DEFICIT, SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESS, URBAN DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMY, ELIMINATION OF POVERTY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, HEALTH CARE, PENSIONS, EDUCATION AND TRAINING, PUBLIC TRANSIT, ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY, URBAN DEVELOPMENT, SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESS
3. For your top three or four categories, please describe the outstanding issues for people living in Ottawa Centre (and the Glebe in particular) and the policies or programs that you think will successfully address the challenges they face.
ECONOMY
The current economic crisis has been going on for eight years with no end in sight. We need to dramatically intervene in the economy to put people’s needs before corporate greed. A comprehensive strategy to rebuild our economy with a full employment strategy is urgently needed. Such a plan would directly benefit families in Ottawa Centre and the Glebe as their skills and abilities would be in demand.
POVERTY (ELIMINATION OF)
Poverty affects us all.
1. A full employment strategy is the first step in eliminating poverty.
2. Taxing the corporations and those with the ability to pay while eliminating taxes on those earning $40,000.00 or less.
3. Returning support for social assistance to pre-Mike Harris levels.
4. Public auto insurance reduces insurance costs for low-income families that need automobile transportation.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
A comprehensive program to build affordable housing (200,000 units) throughout Ontario over four years, plus firm rent controls, will benefit residents of Ottawa Centre.
4. What experience or expertise do you bring to the position of M.P.P. that makes you the best candidate?
I have 40 years experience as a Registered Nurse, most of which has been in a critical care setting. I know what it means to work in a team setting. I know how to work under pressure. I have excellent problem-solving skills. Having a worker with these skills at Queen’s Park would be a refreshing change.
I should mention that I do have years of experience at Queen’s Park. I have gone there repeatedly to demonstrate for workers’ rights and against corporate greed. It’s time to put a red inside the legislature.
sendaredtoqueenspark@gmail.com
613-834-8363
www.CommunistPartyOntario.ca
Twitter: @larrywasslen
OTHER CANDIDATES
The Glebe Report did not receive responses to our questions from the following three candidates by the stated deadline. However, for readers seeking more information, we are including their contact coordinates.
Rob Dekker
Candidate for the
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
robdekkeroc@gmail.com
613-231-7357
www.ottawacentre.ontariopc.com
Twitter: @robertdekker
Facebook: www.facebook.com/OttawaCentrePC
Bruce A. Faulkner
Candidate for the
Libertarian Party of Ontario
info@libertarian.on.ca
brucefaulknerbf@gmail.com
613-276-0846
www.libertarian.on.ca
Twitter: @FaulknerBruce
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Ontario.Libertarian.Party
Jennifer McKenzie
Candidate for the
New Democratic Party
of Ontario
jennifermckenzie@ontariondp.ca
613-236-3003
www.ottawacentre.nationbuilder.com
Twitter:@JenMcKenzieNDP
Facebook: www.facebook.com/VoteJenniferMckenzie
