Prosperity agenda key for province
Patrick Muncaster
Liberal Party
As a BC Liberal I believe we need a prosperity agenda for this province.
This involves:
• creating the right climate for investment and growth;
• investing in people;
• ensuring that growth is sustainable by protecting the environment.
I have indicated that jobs, transportation, communications and learning are at the top of my priorities.
We need a stronger voice for Powell River-Sunshine Coast in Victoria.
I want to strengthen our local economies in the Powell River-Sunshine Coast riding and the BC economy so we can afford the public services people expect of their government and create opportunities for our young families.
The road map involves managing the costs of government while catching the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented by our resource industries and most especially by our natural gas reserves and the current high price of energy in Asia.
I believe we need to be clear on the high environmental standards we expect to apply for projects so that potential investors can know where they stand. We cannot have, however, paralysis by analysis and lose lifetime opportunities. We need to be balanced and decisive.
I am strongly committed to encouraging and celebrating an entrepreneurial culture for I believe that the riding’s future prospects will depend more on value added, distance insensitive, products and services.
High paying jobs come from the leverage provided by: heavy capital investment and new knowledge and skills—people with very high professional qualifications. We need to pay careful attention in our budgeting to knowledge growth and to attracting skilled professionals.
In Powell River-Sunshine Coast we also need to support our arts community and improve our recreational resources. This will help to draw skilled professionals and entrepreneurs here where they will bring new talents and jobs. Investments here will also support our tourist industry.
A prosperity agenda is an innovation agenda. We need to be evolving our major institutions like health care and education at least as fast on the inside, as the world is changing on the outside. We need not to be afraid of reform. We need to ask more from our institutions.
Sound judgement leads to thoughtful policies
Nicholas Simons
New Democratic Party
An election has been called for May 14. In 85 constituencies MLAs will be chosen to represent their local communities as well as British Columbia, the province.
Our social, economic and ecological future requires thoughtful policies based on the best science and in the best interest of British Columbians as well as the global community.
Under the current government we’ve seen the social safety net develop gaping holes, the cost of living increase substantially and the protection of our environment treated as an annoyance. Policies have been implemented without proper deliberation, like the DriveABLE program, and without necessary oversight, like the so-called “smart meter” program. Others have been imposed without notice, like the HST.
As your MLA I have promoted good ideas, opposed bad ones and have always exercised my judgement in a way that I can explain. The Opposition demonstrated our values which have had a positive influence on government.
Because of mismanagement, along with the global economic situation, the province’s budget is in a deficit for the fifth year in a row. We will be challenged to accomplish everything as quickly as we would like to.
We will ensure that we can afford the commitments we make, by re-instituting a tax on banks, by restoring corporate taxes to 2008 levels, and by asking the oil and gas sector to pay their share of the carbon tax. We will only make promises we can keep, and we will not surprise anyone with hidden plans to pay for costly vanity projects or partisan advertising.
The BCNDP slogan, “Change for the better, one practical step at a time,” reflects our views on what will make our province better. Practical steps include preparing for the growing need for skilled workers, investing in creative and natural resource industries, using our best science to protect wild salmon and protect biodiversity, and implementing policies that will support small businesses and local food producers to enhance rural economies.
There are hundreds of election issues which will shape this 28-day campaign. I hope your priorities align most closely with ours and that I have earned your vote.
Working together creates change that counts
Richard Till
Green Party
Going Green is the beginning of a journey that leads far into the future; it’s a journey that we can work on together. Our communities are a powerhouse of knowledgeable, hard-working citizens who need to be valued and supported.
Change that counts almost always comes from the initiatives of ordinary citizens, seldom from governance. A critical function of successful government is to heed the practical, ecological and economic wisdom of local people who are already making things work well at the grassroots level.
Electoral reform and empowered local decision-making are essential to responsive and responsible governance. The task of making this change requires considerable time, patience and effort.
Our efforts, in this election, focus on building an awareness not only of what the Green Party is, but how we can shape ourselves to become a functioning party in BC politics; one to bring needed balance. Our priorities are:
• Politically, working toward democratic reform
• Locally, engaging the strengths of people
• Economically, supporting a shift toward sustainability
• Socially, seeking supportive ways to live in harmony
• Ecologically, addressing climate change with action
• Strategically, looking forward seven generations and beyond
Our power to create this change comes from you. We have been joined by people from all walks of life who, together with young and disaffected voters, have built a grassroots team supporting the Green vote. We are moved by the powerful and vibrant enthusiasm, rooted in the forward-looking core principles of the Green Party. We are here to listen, learn, share and build a strong grassroots team for Powell River-Sunshine Coast.
For more information about the Green Party visit the party's website. If you have questions or comments, email [email protected] or call: 604.741.1051. We appreciate you taking the time to consider our direction and our invitation to the discussion.
