The Ottawa Citizen recently asked readers: “What’s the one issue that needs immediate attention from Canada’s next leader?”
Hundreds responded, and we drew up what we’re calling the Citizen’s Agenda, five questions for Ottawa-area candidates in the April 28 federal election. Below are responses from the candidates for the four major parties in the
riding of Ottawa South
:
- Blair Turner of the Conservative Party
- Melissa Simon of the New Democratic Party
- Jenna Sudds of the Liberal Party
- Nira Dookeran of the Green Party did not respond to a request to participate
Blair Turner, Conservative candidate
How do you plan to improve Canada’s economic competitiveness?
It’s in line with the party platform, introducing a 15 per cent (income) tax cut so we can help middle-class families save up to $1,800 a year. Allow tradespeople to write off all travel expenses. There’s lots of tradespeople that work in Ottawa South. Also investing in apprenticeship programs, green-light natural resource projects to protect our sovereignty, as well provide funding for unions.
A lot of what I hear at the doors, too, with small businesses and entrepreneurs, is that they feel like they’re taxed so much. Having that reduced will be huge savings for them, but also more savings for the consumers. There’s a halal meat shop in the Findlay Creek area, and the owner was telling me the price of the fresh meat that he gets delivered a couple times a week is getting more and more expensive for him to buy, and in turn, he’s passing it to the customers. It was the cost of everything — the cost of the carbon tax increase to heat the store, the cost for transport and delivery.
What is one locally-focused campaign pledge that you would implement as MP?
Vehicle thefts are the number one concern in the Gloucester area. Citizens are using the club as a deterrent, they’re adding the VIN number, they’re trying to park it in the garage. A lot of the soft-on-crime policies that the current government has introduced come up sometimes at the doors.
We went door knocking at the Uplands base, and having served some time with the Canadian Armed Forces and infantry reserves, I’d like to see our Legion open back up somewhere in Ottawa South for veterans and active service members residing in our riding.
What are your thoughts on the current size of the federal public service?
I think there can certainly be some cuts to contractors and consultants that are replacing public servants. I’m all for people working from home. As long as the work is getting done, it doesn’t matter if they come into work. When people book a desk or a computer and they show up to work, it’s been double-booked. They have nowhere to go, nowhere to work. Parking is a major issue downtown. I’m hearing that people are frustrated with trying to juggle drop-off and pick-up for childcare. If you want to come into work, that’s fine, too, as long as the work is getting done.
About 17,000 public servants leave each year, and reductions obviously can be made without firing people and protect their jobs through strategic attrition. With the current government, they’re unsure what the future holds for them. There’s a lot of stress and worry.
How do you propose helping fix the housing crisis in Ottawa?
There are empty government offices and acreage. Getting rid of the sales tax on new homes valued at $1.3 million or less, require cities and municipalities to build 15 per cent more homes or lose federal funding to try and eliminate a lot of the red tape and bureaucracy preventing builders from building. Build homes around transit stations so seniors and young people can have direct access to transit and also drive less, resulting in reductions in car emissions as well.
What’s your favourite season in Ottawa and why?
I have to say it’s fall I enjoy the beautiful colours of the trees and going for walks. I grew up in Hunt Club and Conroy area, and South keys and Greenboro. I would frequent Conroy Pit and go for walks through the trails that I used to bike on when I was younger. I’d go with my kids and my wife. I enjoy the mild and cooler temperatures. There’s not as many bugs that time of year as well. I love Thanksgiving and being blessed to have meals with family and friends, and Halloween is fun time here for me and my kids dressing up and going trick or treating.
Hena Masjedee, NDP candidate
How do you plan to improve Canada’s economic competitiveness?
Five years ago, people would have said the United States is our closest ally — there’s no worries. And now we’ve found ourselves in a completely different place. Canada has a lot of very important industries that we are not really equalized to our full potential, like critical minerals and potash. And if you just put aside our raw minerals, we have so much expertise in other fields that are up and coming, such as AI, nuclear power and sustainable energy. There are so many fields that Canada can be a world leader in, especially now that the U.S. has kind of taken a step back in leadership. We just have to prioritize those fields.
What is one locally-focused campaign pledge that you would implement as MP?
Affordable housing. The Heron Gate evictions were really an eye opening moment for me, and that really kind of showed to me how important subsidized housing and low income housing is, especially for a place like Ottawa South where there’s so many newcomers getting themselves on their feet and they get themselves a job that pays more than minimum wage. I think that the federal government can do much more to support provinces and municipalities to implement low-income housing and subsidized housing for people who need it.
What are your thoughts about the current size of the federal public service?
We have to stop cutting federal jobs, because in times like this, people need to know that their employment is not in danger. And we’re also going to have to rely really heavily on the public sector in the coming months and years. We saw what happened in COVID. We had a strong public service then, and public servants stepped up to the task. So I think that’s one sector that needs to be protected in Ottawa. I think Canadians knowing that their federal service is going to be stable and steady, and have their eyes on providing services for Canadians, is more important than reducing the size of the public service right now.
How do you propose helping fix the housing crisis in Ottawa?
Zoning is a big part of it. You see that a lot of houses are being built, but those are single-family homes that come in big yards, and they can fit, at most, six people. I think it’s time to step away from that low-density kind of housing and try and get higher-density buildings. One potential solution is deregulating and streamlining the guidelines for higher-density housing, such as eliminating height restrictions, to make it easier to build higher-density housing.
What’s your favorite season in Ottawa and why?
One hundred per cent, it’s fall. It is the most beautiful time of the year. I got eye surgery last year in the spring, so I got to see all of the seasons for the first time without glasses. And I was absolutely blown away by how beautiful fall is in this city. It’s beautiful. The air is crisp. You get to layer up and wear your cozy sweaters and scarves and boots. And then also not to be forgotten, we have Halloween, which is undeniably my favourite season. Fall is definitely unmatched.
David McGuinty, Liberal candidate
How do you plan to improve Canada’s economic competitiveness?
The first thing we’re going to do — I’m very supportive of this — is we need to remove all the federal internal trade barriers by July 1. That’s a commitment that we’ve made as a party, something we’ve been looking at for some time. I think of the importance for us here, moving from basically 13 economies joined to one. We need to really, really now bear down on opening up the market for 41 million people here. That has an impact on my local riding here, where there are several thousand small businesses.
Second thing I would say is we need to invest in learning. That means more capacity building for skills training and skills training opportunities. We want a designation in Quebec to be accepted in BC. We’re looking at one single economy as opposed to 13
What is one locally-focused campaign pledge that you would implement as MP?
My pledge, from the very beginning, over 20 years ago, is simply that I’m going to be there with people. I know that sounds maybe a little not specific, but the volume of work that comes in, phone calls, emails, the requests for help with programs and services, procurement problems with the Government of Canada, grants, and development projects. The practice of an MP in the constituency office is one of high volume, high need, and high delivery.
But there are some specific projects that I’ve been working on for some time. I’m looking forward to seeing this major development on Heron Road, the old Federal Study Centre. I’m looking forward to seeing that working well with the community and Canada Lands Company to make sure that we get the right balance there in terms of the development that’s going to take place. It’s a very, very big development, housing, multi-use. That’s going to be a big project for the riding.
What are your thoughts on the current size of the federal public service?
I understand just how incredibly essential the role they’re playing now and will continue to play, delivering the services communities need during the most challenging times. Let’s take, for example, what took place during the pandemic. I don’t know where we’d be without the public service that got us through that difficult moment. Unbelievable dedication.
We need to continue the strong to support a strong one in the National Capital Region. We’re going to remain focused on ensuring that that’s there for Canadians to get the services that they frankly, that they deserve and they require. My approach is a practical one. Let’s make sure we have the capacity and talent we need.
How do you propose to fix the housing crisis?
I was part of the team that was working on this new housing plan that we released, the Build Canada Homes Agency. It’s going to give specific focus on building affordable housing at scale using public land. We have about 20 to 25 different federal sites in this region that are being put into productive use for housing purposes. We’re getting a new housing industry off the ground. It’s going to be a little bit like we had after the Second World War, it’s going to help develop affordable housing at scale, and we’re going to have to also help fund it.
We know prefab homes are generally more energy efficient, more materials efficient, more water efficient, and we know that they’re also they’re manufacturable in a shorter period of time, and they tend to be very, very good at drawing on Canadian materials. So, prefabs and modular housing can reduce construction time.
I’ve been working with co-ops — we have 13 or 14 in the riding — with grant applications, working with them on infrastructure over the years. I’m a big fan of co-ops. We’re talking about incentivizing folks who own properties who are willing to transfer them into co-op-like structures and incentivize tax-wise to make them more affordable.
Why is your favourite season in Ottawa and why?
It has to be the fall. I just love the transition from late summer into December. It’s the colours for me, the colours here are magical. I lived abroad for many years, and when you live abroad, you miss this, you miss the seasons, but you also miss the fall in particular. So for me, it’s the highlight of my year, just being able to walk through a forest. I just find it completely enriching. Just beautiful, and this region is just stunning.
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