Skip to content

Oakville North Burlington Federal Candidates Responses to Halton Region Question on Economic Development

Due to the number of federal candidates for the Federal Riding of Oakville North Burlington, the questions that the Region of Halton asked will be broken down into each question. The first question deals with Economic Development.

Economic Development Question

Economic development and job creation continue to be priority issues facing Canadian municipalities including Halton Region. While all levels of government are working to create jobs and grow the economy, more must be done. Halton continues to be an economic hotspot where businesses choose to locate as a result of our competitive taxes, strong financial position and high quality of life. In addition, Halton’s successful Economic Development Strategy has been working to meet mandated provincial employment targets to achieve sustainable economic prosperity.

How would you and your government assist Halton in creating the right climate for economic growth and job creation? What would you and your government do to spur innovation in Canadian businesses to help them become more globally oriented?

Janice Best
Janice Best

Janice Best – New Democratic Party

An NDP government lead by Tom Mulcair will do a better job of showcasing local economic strength and we will show leadership in trade missions. We will highlight the strengths and potential of our communities. The NDP regards international trade as a cornerstone of Canada’s future economic growth and prosperity. With over 60% of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product being trade-related, diversifying and deepening our trade relationships is a priority for the NDP. New Democrats believe that the Government of Canada should aspire to transparency and accountability in trade negotiations.

Regrettably, the Conservative government has failed to engage in meaningful consultations with many key actors in Canadian society and left Parliament completely in the dark throughout agreements such as the CETA and the TPP negotiations. Canadians have a right to know how trade policies are being

clement_david | clement david
clement_david | clement david

David Clement – Libertarian Party of Canada

The Libertarian platform is by far the strongest platform when it comes to the economy and job creation. The first step in spurring innovation is lowering personal income taxes, corporate taxes, and small business taxes. All three of those are a priority for the Libertarian Party. By continuing to do so, Canada as a whole, and Halton specifically, can continue to be a hot spot for investment and economic development. In today’s global economy, tax rates are a leading factor in a region, or country’s, competitiveness, which is why we want to lower taxes across the board to continue to make Canada more attractive. Being globally orientated is a requirement in today’s economic environment.

The Libertarian Party is the only party that will end all tariffs on foreign goods. The reasoning behind this is that it will open up Canadian consumers, and Canadian manufacturers, to the world economy. The estimated cost (via higher prices), as a result of tariffs is approximately $7 billion/year. Eliminating tariffs ensures that our economy is open to the world, and encourages the world to open its doors to us. Not only will the Libertarian Party eliminate foreign tariffs, but we will also eliminate all forms of corporate welfare to level the economic playing field. We do not think that Canadians should be taxed, only to have their money be given to large corporations. Furthermore, eliminating corporate welfare means that government is no longer picking winners and losers in the marketplace, which empowers consumers (citizens), and creates a truly competitive market.

Pam Damoff
Pam Damoff

Pam Damoff – Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada is going to take the bold steps needed to build ambitiously and grow Canada’s economy. In light of today’s low interest rates and low debt-to-GDP ratio, Canada’s aging infrastructure, and the need for an immediate boost in economic growth, now is the time to invest in Canada’s future by spending to restore and expand our infrastructure. That’s why we have promised to double federal infrastructure investment by adding an additional $60 billion in new investment over the next ten years, starting with an immediate doubling of federal infrastructure investment from $5 billion to $10 billion in each of the next two years. This new funding will be focused on three areas critical to getting Canadians moving, ensuring we can care for the most vulnerable among us, and ensuring the health of the earth for generations to come – public transit infrastructure, social infrastructure, and green infrastructure. We will help communities like Halton build the transit they need to get people home from work in time for dinner, the community centres, daycare facilities, and seniors’ residences they need, and protect themselves from events like last year’s ice storms and floods. These investments will spur economic growth, create new jobs, and grow Canada’s economy.

Economic growth also comes from our companies and investors engaging in projects outside Canada’s borders. That is why we will work to strengthen our ties with burgeoning global markets in Asia and Africa, improve border infrastructure, streamline cargo movement, reschedule and host a new trilateral summit with the United State and Mexico to restore cooperation with two of our largest trading partners, creating a Cabinet committee to oversee our relationships with the United States, and giving our diplomats the mandate and resources they need to do their jobs well.

To ensure Canadian businesses have the skilled workers they need to innovate and succeed in the 21st century marketplace, we will invest $1.3 billion over three years (13 times more than the NDP has promised) to create jobs and opportunity for young Canadians, including more apprenticeships and more science & engineering co-op placements. At the same time, we will increase investment in skills training by $750 million per year, restoring the short-sighted cuts made by the Harper government.

Our commitment to the environment and investment in clean technology will encourage the types of business that are already calling Halton home, like Siemens, Algonquin Power and others.

It is through these critical investments that the Liberal Party of Canada will support the creation of new jobs and the growth of our economy.

http://www.greenparty.ca/ | http://www.greenparty.ca/ | Green Party of Canada
http://www.greenparty.ca/ | http://www.greenparty.ca/ | Green Party of Canada

Adnan Shahbaz – Green Party of Canada

Small businesses and the Canadians who own them are the central driver of our economy. They create more jobs than any other part of our economy. And those incomes and profits remain in the community, providing stable employment. As an added bonus, their flexible nature allows them to respond to environmental and market demands well before large corporations take action.

Putting Canadian small businesses first means reducing red tape for small business owners and enacting “Think Small First” legislation to ensure that new federal laws and regulations enhance, rather than hinder, an economic environment where local businesses and entrepreneurs can thrive.

We will create federally-funded $1 billion per year Green Technology Commercialization Grants to accelerate emerging technologies and give Canadian entrepreneurs a head start. By facilitating increased access to earlystage financing, the Green Technology Commercialization Grant will help our entrepreneurs compete internationally. It will help good ideas and emerging technology get to market, growing our sustainable economy and creating good local jobs and opportunities in our communities. We would also lower the small business tax rate 2%.

Effie Triantafilopoulos
Effie Triantafilopoulos

Effie Triantafilopoulos – Conservative Party of Canada

Expanding trade and investment for Canadian companies is a priority for Conservatives. Expanded trade means more jobs for more Canadians.

Over the last 10 years, the Conservative government has successfully negotiated free trade agreements with 39 countries, including the European Union and South Korea, to significantly increase Canada’s trade network and provide more export opportunities for Canadian businesses. Not since the Conservative government of Prime Minister Mulroney, which successfully negotiated the free trade agreement with the United States, has a government done as much to expand trade as the current Conservative government of Prime Minister Harper.

Currently, the Conservative government continues to pursue free trade agreements, such as the on-going Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Free Trade Negotiations. Conservatives are committed to deepening our trade ties in the dynamic and fast-growing Asia-Pacific region, while strengthening our traditional partnerships in the Americas. The TPP is a part of the Conservative’s ambitious pro-trade, pro-export plan to create jobs and opportunities for Canadians.

In addition, the most recent federal budget has made a number of investments and tax changes to encourage greater trade and investment. Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, an association that represents manufacturing companies, praised the Conservative government’s budget and said that,

“This year’s budget backs up the importance of both manufacturing and exporting with a number of important tax and investment measures that will have a very positive impact.”

Conservatives are committed to making significant investments in Halton Region to spur innovation. A re-elected Conservative government will establish a new Advanced Manufacturing Hub in Burlington to encourage the development of cutting-edge products and technologies. The new centre will become a catalyst for high-quality, value-added investment and jobs in the manufacturing sector. A re-elected Conservative government will also establish an Investment and Trade Promotion Office with a mandate to coordinate federal programs and policies to attract new manufacturing product mandates and investments to Canada, and help Canadian firms increase market share globally.

Finally, Conservatives are committed to continuing to invest in “trade infrastructure” – such as the Port of Quebec and the Windsor-Detroit border crossing – to ensure Canadian goods can get to new markets.


What's next?


Reader Feedback