本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛Email Story Font Size Date: 2008-09-16
By Lauren Gilchrist
There is one thing three out of the four candidates in this federal election can firmly agree on -- the Stephan Harper government must go.
Despite the recent television ads showing Prime Minister Harper in his "extreme makeover mode" wearing blue cardigan sweaters and kissing babies, Liberal candidate Betsy McGregor says the ruling minority Conservative government is a "fend for yourself" type, marred by economic mismanagement and scandal.

When the Conservative Party took power there was a $13 billion surplus that Ms McGregor says has been "decimated" in just two short years.

"No other Prime Minister has obliterated a surplus with that speed," she says.

"The cupboard is bare in two short years and there is no margin for error. We are on the brink of a deficit."

Ms McGregor says the Conservatives chose to cut the GST, which doesn't lower the tax burden on Canadian families on a daily basis. Now she notes a Statistics Canada report has listed Canada as the worst economy in the G7, the world's seven largest industrial market economies.

But incumbent Conservative candidate Dean Del Mastro defends his party's record saying they have reduced taxes, have established a firm plan on the environment, are investing in infrastructure and are transferring more money to the provinces.

"I think obviously we made a number of fundamental changes since we came into government," he explains.

One of those changes is reducing taxes. Mr. Del Mastro says Canadian families with an average household income of $60,000 are now paying approximately $3,000 less in taxes a year. He says his party has made "huge investments" when it comes to health care and post-secondary education.

"The health care budget has grown by hundreds and hundreds and millions of dollars," he says.

Yet Ms McGregor says the Conservatives are not paying attention to health care, have no plan to address poverty or housing, have cut funding to the arts, and have tarnished Canada's image on the world stage.

"We have slipped a long way from Prime Minister Lester. B Pearson. When he spoke on the floor of the United Nations the world watched Canada," she explains.

Mr. Del Mastro notes the Conservative government gave $3.2 billion in new transfers to the Province in the 2007 budget and Ontario now gets per capita transfers for education, health care and infrastructure.

"That has never been in place before. We have been the party that has stood up for Ontario and stood up for fairness. Can more be done? Sure. But we are there for Ontario," he explains.

He notes in the 2007 budget the government increased funding for post-secondary education by 40 per cent and they also put into place annual increases of three per cent in funding for post-secondary education. He says they are supporting post-secondary education at a level far more significant than any government in Canadian history.

But NDP candidate Steve Sharpe says the provinces are still not getting a fair cut.

"They [the Conservative Party] claim they have fixed the fiscal imbalance which isn't true," says Mr. Sharpe.

He notes the transfer payments to the provinces do not reflect what they really need.

"The Conservatives are saying the provinces are getting what they deserve now and most of the provinces don't agree."

Mr. Del Mastro says the Build Canada Fund, the federal government's new infrastructure program is making the largest infrastructure investment since the Second World War.

"What does that mean locally? We are building a train to Peterborough," he explains.

Mr. Del Mastro notes under this investment in infrastructure he would also like to see money flow to the local speed skating oval project as well to the Peterborough Municipal Airport and investing in expanding Highway 407.

"We have made massive investments to infrastructure. It makes Peterborough a much more viable place to conduct and support business," he says.

When it comes to the environment, Mr. Del Mastro says his party has a plan.

"We are actually the first government to have a plan," he notes.

"The previous government has no action plan."

Mr. Del Mastro says that plans means implementing a national strategy to reduce Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2020 and also bringing forward elements from Canada's Clean Air Act.

But Mr. Sharpe says that plan, called Bill C-377 which would make Canada's House of Commons the world's first legislature to adopt science-based targets to slash carbon emissions, was originally brought forward by NDP Leader Jack Layton.

"There's no question Jack Layton is in favour of a cap-and-trade system," says Mr. Del Mastro.

But he notes the Conservative Party's plan is to work with industry while "Jack Layton's plan is to come down on industry and punish it."

Ms McGregor says the Conservatives are "environmentally irresponsible" having been awarded a Fossil of the Day Award two years in row for undermining the United Nations negotiations on climate change.

She notes the Sierra Club of Canada has also given the Conservative's an F+ for mismanagement of the environment while they have given the Liberal's Green Shift Plan a B+.

Local Green Party candidate Emily Berrigan says another critique is Prime Minister Harper's decision to remove "equality" from the mandate of the Status of Women.

"And he has embarrassed us again and again on the national stage, at climate change negotiations, HIV/AIDS, Food and Biodiversity Summits (by blocking progress at all of these), by refusing to sign the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights, not to mention the despicable display around Omar Khadr," she says.

Ms Berrigan says the Harper government has a "tyrannical attitude towards the media and free speech."

"No minister is allowed to open their mouths without pre-approval, and be damned if you dare to speak out against your leader," she says.

"The Conservative government is not a government for the people and certainly not for the world. Anybody can show leadership. It takes a truly courageous person to show vision and to push for much needed change."

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