“What steps will you take to stop the wild spending and re-start the economy?” That’s a question The Discourse heard after we asked what questions you have for provincial election candidates.
We sent the question to candidates in the Nanaimo-North Cowichan riding. BC Liberal candidate Duck Paterson did not respond to the request by the deadline. We will update this story if we receive a response.
The Discourse is offering pop-up election coverage in Nanaimo based on feedback from residents. Sign up to get our stories straight to your inbox. If enough people want us to continue in-depth coverage in Nanaimo, we’ll stick around.
Chris Istace, BC Green Party
We need to invest in people. Careful investment on a local scale, like a small business, lifts up everyone in the community. Our communities depend on small businesses, and small businesses depend on our communities. Focusing recovery efforts on ensuring the health of these businesses is crucial. We also need to invest in resource jobs. Resource jobs help feed families throughout our communities, but now is the time to invest in ensuring those jobs are stable and that they preserve our environment for future generations. Smart investments in families is another key promise the BC Greens can make. Ensuring families have what they need to get to work, get care for their kids, or stay home and care for their young children is crucial. Families with young children are under tremendous pressure today. Parents today juggle long working hours and multiple demands on their time, as household incomes flatline, and housing costs increase. I want to support parents who choose to return to work by enhancing access to quality Early Childhood Education and care, and more flexible work arrangements; while ensuring those who choose to stay home with their children will have an income supplement.
Doug Routley, BC NDP
Our COVID recovery plan focuses on investing in people and communities— because we know that is the best way to create growth in our local economies. Our investments in people and communities over the past three years have given us the strongest economy in all of Canada, and put us in the best position to recover from the pandemic. One of our platform commitments that I think will most benefit our community is the new Recovery Investment Fund which will deliver about $3 billion a year — above and beyond our existing $23 billion in new capital commitments over three years — to drive new growth and investment. The funding will be used in communities all over the province to build new schools, hospitals, childcare spaces, roads and transit, and more – creating an expected 18,000 new jobs every year. [end]
