By George Canyon
If someone asked you what it meant to “toe the party line,” would you know what they were talking about?
Since I stepped up to serve as the Conservative Candidate for Central Nova, I have been meeting with people at their doors regularly. I have heard about senior’s issues, about health care and how families are struggling to get by come month’s end. The underlying theme of most of the conversations is how much it is costing people to try and make ends meet. The cost of groceries is high, the cost of gasoline is high, the cost to heat their house is high, the amount of tax they pay is high, and so much more.
I believe we need leaders in government that are truthful and transparent. Leaders that will speak for the wants, needs and well-being of the people that have entrusted them to enter office and serve as their voice in Ottawa.
Sean Fraser, Central Nova’s Liberal Member of Parliament for the last four years, has unfortunately been unable to vote to best represent the interests of the riding, and has instead blindly followed the so-called leadership of Justin Trudeau. He has not been the voice for the people of Central Nova.
Sean Fraser voted for a Carbon Tax, making it harder for families and small business to make ends meet. This tax did not help us meet our greenhouse gas emission targets under the Paris Agreement. Instead even the Liberals have acknowledged that their plan will fail to meet this commitment. If Justin Trudeau is voted back into office, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has stated that every province will pay a heavier Carbon Tax, up to five times the current amount, in order to meet Paris.
Sean Fraser voted to cancel the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit. Under our previous government, this tax credit actually made it more affordable for families to enroll their children in extracurricular activities including hockey, dance and music. I recently heard from a dad who had to tell his son he won’t be able to play hockey this year because they can’t afford it. A new Conservative government will bring back this tax credit to help make life more affordable for this family and many others.
Sean Fraser also voted against Bill C-405, a Conservative Private Members Bill which proposed to address the specific issue of underfunded defined benefit pension plans in the case of insolvency. Its goal was to curb abuses, like huge executive payments, and giving administrators more flexibility in maximizing the financial return for pensioners. This legislation would have allowed a larger pension fund to absorb the stranded fund to keep it going and benefit from the pooling of risk and the potential for upside.
Liberals, including Sean Fraser, did not even allow this important bill to reach the committee stage to hear from witnesses who could have addressed the seriousness of the issue. Instead it was defeated by the Liberals in a “whipped” vote.
Had this bill passed, it would have protected pensioners like those who will be impacted by the potential closure of Northern Pulp. As I have been told by many pensioners, that have put their heart and soul into the mill for many years, they may lose up to twenty percent of their pensions if the mill closes. For some, that is over eight hundred dollars per month.
I do not blame Sean Fraser for having to “toe the party line.” He has had to vote as Justin Trudeau has instructed. We have all been witness to what happens when you question Trudeau’s self-proclaimed authority; you wind up exiled like Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott.
The people of Central Nova know that their best interests have not been represented by their Liberal Member of Parliament, Sean Fraser, over the past four years and it’s time for a change.
The people of Central Nova deserve Truth and Transparency.
The people of Central Nova deserve to have their voice heard in Ottawa. They don’t need another Liberal MP who will be Ottawa’s voice in Central Nova.
George Canyon is the Conservative candidate for Central Nova.
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