Federal election 2019: Campaign platforms

In September I sent a list of questions to all registered federal candidates seeking to represent the various communities that make up Ward 3 (Regina-Lewvan, Regina-Wascana, Regina-Qu'Appelle). Those questions are listed below. Only one candidate responded: Winter Fedyuk (Liberal, Regina-Lewvan).

Questions

What investments would you make into affordable child case spaces?

What is your climate change strategy?

What kind of investments would you make into renewable energy initiatives, technology, and infrastructure?

How should the federal government address the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in foster care?

What is your stance on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP)? How should the federal government implement this document?

How would you empower municipalities when it comes to deciding where federal infrastructure money can be spent?

What investments should the federal government be making into civic public transit services?

What investments should the federal government be making into inter-city public transit services?

Do you believe municipalities should receive a higher share of the Gas Tax and Cannabis Excise Tax?

What is your strategy to address homelessness and poverty?

What investments should the federal government make into affordable housing?

What role does the federal government play in local gang exit strategies and implementation plans?

What investments should the federal government make into mental heath and addictions services?

Do you support the continuation of Canada Post’s door-to-door delivery service?

How should the federal government address human trafficking and the exploitation of foreign workers in Canada?

Candidate Responses

Winter Fedyuk (Liberal, Regina-Lewvan)

What investments would you make into affordable child case spaces?

I’m proud to be a part of a team that prioritizes helping families. The Liberal Party has committed to giving families more time and money to help raise their kids. This will include giving up to $1000 more to familesi to help when the costs of raising kids are highest, by boosting the CCB by 15% for children under the age of one; making sure families get more money right away by making maternal and parental benefits tax-free; and making paid leave fairer for all families by introducing a 15-week leave for adoptive parents.

We have also committed to making before and after school child care more accessible and affordable. We have already created tes of thousand of new pre-school child care spaces, and will move forward with creating up to 250,000 more before and after school spaces for kids under 10, with at least 10% of these new spaces set aside for care during extended hours. Further, to help families with the high cost of care, we will also lower child care fees for before and after school programs by 10% across the board. More than a million families will benefit.

What is your climate change strategy?

Climate action can’t wait. On Sept 20 and 27, I joined students across Regina at the climate strikes. I agree with what they are telling us: there is no issue more important to our future than fighting climate change. In the last four years, the Liberal party made real progress with putting a price on pollution, committing to ban harmful single-use plastics by 2021, supporting renewable energy and phasing out coal. There’s a lot more work to be done.

Moving forward, we are committed to a net-zero emissions future, where there are no carbon emissions, or where emissions are completely off-set by other actions that remove carbon from the atmosphere. We will continue to lead with a price on pollution and a plan to help reduce emissions. Natural climate solutions are also part of real climate action, which is why we committed to planting two billion trees to clean our air and protect our communities.

Finally, and equally important, especially to this community, the Liberal team is committed to a clean energy transition. We will invest every dollar we earn from the Trans Mountaiun Expansion Project in Canada’s clean energy transition.

What kind of investments would you make into renewable energy initiatives, technology, and infrastructure?

Canada is home to an abundant supply of clean and renewable sources of power--including hydro, wind and solar. We will move forward with a new Clean Power Fund which will help support the electrification of Canadian industries, including our resource and manufacturing sectors. The Fund will also help support the transition of northern, remote and Indigenous communities off reliance on diesel-field power and onto clean, renewable, reliable energy.

The Liberal Party will lower taxes for Clean Tech Business. We will cut corporate taxes in half for businesses that develop technologies or manufacture products that have zero emissions. The market for clean technology is expected to exceed $2.5 trillion by 2022. We want to take advantage of this opportunity to attract and grow businesses that will help us meet our ambitious climate goals.

It is estimated that revenues from the Trans Mountain Expansion Project could generate $500 million per year once the project has been completed. This revenue, in addition to any profit from the sale of the pipeline, will be invested in natural climate solutions and clean energy projects that will power our communities.

How should the federal government address the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in foster care?

The current system is broken and needs to change. To reduce the number of Indigneous children in care, and affirm the inherent rights of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities to care for their kids, we will ensure that the Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit and Metis Children Youth and Families is fully implemented. We will also move forward with long-term, predictable, and sufficient funding to support the full implementation of the Act.

I am committed to working collaboratively with Indigenous and provincial governments on this issue.

What is your stance on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP)? How should the federal government implement this document?

We will take action to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the first year of a new mandate. We will move forward with introducing co-developed legislation that fully respects the intent of the Declaration, and establishes Bill C-262 (legislation to implement the Declaration previously introduced) as the floor, rather than the ceiling, when it comes to drafting this new legislation.

How would you empower municipalities when it comes to deciding where federal infrastructure money can be spent?

In the last four years, the Liberal Party has made real progress when it comes to moving forward with the infrastructure communities across the country need. Under the Investing in Canada Plan, the vast majority of infrastructure projects are already underway, creating good, middle class jobs and making our communities better places to live. At the same time, some provinces are playing political games – delaying project approvals and putting good jobs and our quality of life at risk.

To make sure that the infrastructure that people and communities need is built, we will require that all provinces and territories identify and approve all of their long-term infrastructure priorities within the next two years. Funds that aren’t designated for specific projects by the end of 2021 will be reinvested directly in communities through a top-up of the federal Gas Tax Fund.

What investments should the federal government be making into civic public transit services?

To give cities the predictable transit funding they need to plan for the future, we will move forward with making the federal commitment to fund public transit permanent, and will make sure that it keeps up with the rising cost of construction over time. This will mean an additional $3 billion more per year in stable, predictable funding for our cities’ transit needs, on top of transfers through the federal Gas Tax Fund.

What investments should the federal government be making into inter-city public transit services?

It is the responsibility of provincial governments to prioritize these kinds of investments when determining how to use their provincial resources or federal funding allocations. I am not currently aware of any program or mechanism that allows the federal government to unilaterally step in when decisions such as the closure of STC are made. However, as the MP for Regina-Lewvan, I will bring this issue forward to the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Rural and Economic to ensure that affected communities have all the information they need about the options available.

Do you believe municipalities should receive a higher share of the Gas Tax and Cannabis Excise Tax?

Yes.

What is your strategy to address homelessness and poverty?

The Liberal government is committed to act as a leader and full partner in the fight against poverty. We have already taken significant action to help Canadians make ends meet. The Opportunity for All plan is Canada’s first ever national poverty reduction stategy, and it brings many of our policies and programs under one roof. For example:

The Canada Child Benefit, which iis a tax-free, income-tested benefit targeted at families who need it the most. Thanks to the CCB, nine out of 10 Canadian families have more help each month to pay for things like good, programs and school supplies. More than 300,000 children have been lifted out of poverty. The program has been increased twice, and we recently made a commitment to increase the benefit by 15% for children under the age of one.

The increase of the Guaranteed Income Supplement, and our announcement to further increase it for seniors over the age of 75.

The National Housing Strategy, which will see $40-billion invested over ten years to give Canadians a safe and affordable place to call home.

The new Canada Workers Benefit, which will allow low-income workers to take home more money for things like groceries, utility bills and other essentials.

What investments should the federal government make into affordable housing?

Please see above about the National Housing Strategy. I think this is a significant start.

What role does the federal government play in local gang exit strategies and implementation plans?

The Government of Canada's greatest responsibility is keeping its citizens safe. Due to federal and provincial jurisdictional divides, there is very little direct intervention the government can do in regards to gang exit strategies. That being said, Public Safety Canada has a number of programs that provide direct funding to local organizations doing this essential work. Also, earlier this year Minister Goodale announced that the Government of Canada is investing $11.9 million in funding for projects in Saskatchewan aimed at preventing, disrupting, and combatting gun and gang violence.

What investments should the federal government make into mental heath and addictions services?

The Liberal Party will strengthen health care and make sure all Canadians get the high-quality care they deserve. We recently announced that we will set clear national standards for access to mental health services so Canadians can get the stigma-free support they need when they need it. Mental health and addictions is an area of policy that I am particularly committed to being a champion for. I have seen too many people suffer and don’t ever want to attend another funeral because of it.

Do you support the continuation of Canada Post’s door-to-door delivery service?

Yes.

How should the federal government address human trafficking and the exploitation of foreign workers in Canada?

Human trafficking is one of the worst crimes we face today. I am proud to be with a team that made significant progress on this issue, and pledges to do much more.

The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking (CCTEHT), a non-government organization, launched the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline on May 29, 2019. A first of its kind in Canada, the hotline is a multi-lingual and confidential service that is operational 24/7, 365 days a year. It connects victims and survivors of human trafficking to law enforcement, emergency shelters, transition housing, long-term supports, counselors, and a range of other trauma-informed services. Services are offered in more than 200 languages and are accessible to the deaf, hard-of-hearing and non-verbal.

On September 4, 2019, the Government of Canada announced an investment of $57.22 million over five years, starting in 2019-20, and $10.28 million annually thereafter, in new federal funding to combat human trafficking under a National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking.

I would encourage everyone to read the National Strategy here: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2019-ntnl-strtgy-hmnn-trffc/index-en.aspx

All candidate contact information

Winter Fedyuk

[email protected]

Liberal Party (Regina-Lewvan)

https://winterfedyk.liberal.ca/contact-us/

Trevor Kwok

[email protected]

People’s Party (Regina-Lewvan)

https://regina-lewvan.com

Mario Milanovski

[email protected]