In the leadup to the April 28 federal election, Black Press Media asked the candidates in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke a series of three questions. These are their responses.
What would your party do to safeguard South Island workers and businesses from the fallout of tariffs?
Ben Homer-Dixon – Green
In the face of a trade war, Canada urgently needs to increase its level of economic sovereignty, and a crucial step in that process is guaranteeing federal support for the businesses and workers nationwide who would bear the financial brunt.
Presently, the goal at the federal level for economic security should be reforming our current systems to be more self-reliant and mutually cooperative while designing policies that will help us weather not only the present storm, but future storms as well. This includes financial support for vulnerable industries and businesses in the short term, and in the long term, changes to our national industries to increase domestic sale of materials and maintaining stable trade with reliable partners.
Stephanie McLean – Liberal
Prime Minister Carney has pledged that by July 1, a Liberal government will eliminate all internal federal trade barriers, which will create billions of dollars in economic growth across our country and help create thousands of good-paying jobs. We will create Canadawide work credentials so that training received in B.C. can be used in any other province and vice versa. A Carney government will retaliate on U.S. tariffs, while making whatever investments it takes to protect Canadian jobs, industries, and Canada’s sovereignty.
Additionally, a Liberal government will continue to focus on diversifying our trade and defence alliances, to continue to reduce our historic reliance on the United States in various sectors.
During this campaign and once I am elected, I will connect regularly with our local business leaders to ensure I am receiving their feedback so that we can continue to add their ideas and feedback into the actions we take.
Maja Tait – NDP
One of my top priorities, alongside my NDP colleagues, is standing up for South Island workers and businesses against the damaging effects of international tariffs. Our "Build Canadian, Buy Canadian" plan ensures that Canadian jobs are protected by prioritizing local procurement policies and supporting unionized jobs. We will use every dollar collected from retaliatory tariffs to directly support impacted industries, such as manufacturing and agriculture, which are vital to our community.
Additionally, we will expand Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, making them more accessible and generous so workers have a safety net during economic uncertainty. By investing in value-added processing and incentivizing local production, we aim to reduce reliance on foreign markets while creating sustainable jobs here at home.
Grant Cool – Conservative
Grant Cool did not respond to the questions.
What do you see as the best way to address the cost-of-living crisis?
Stephanie McLean – Liberal
Creating good-paying jobs, building affordable homes, and ensuring that there are no unreasonable barriers to work. A Liberal government will build 500,000 new homes across Canada every year, eliminate provincial credential barriers and trade barriers, and eliminate the GST on first-time home purchases for homes sold for under $1 million, which will substantially reduce costs.
Additionally, as someone who has worked to protect workers and end predatory lending, I will also have a special focus in my work in Parliament to end unfair practices by employers and lenders that take money out of your pocket.
Maja Tait – NDP
More and more families in the South Island are struggling with skyrocketing costs for essentials like housing, groceries, and utilities. For many, they’re doing everything right and still struggling to get ahead. We need to ensure that we are lowering costs for hard-working families, and that’s exactly what the NDP is focused on.
To provide immediate relief, we propose cutting the GST on essential items such as groceries and children's clothing while implementing price caps on basic food items to prevent corporate profiteering. Our plan also includes building affordable housing, banning corporate landlords from buying up homes, and strengthening rent controls to ensure housing is a human right, not a commodity. To fund these measures, we will introduce an excess profits tax on corporations making record profits during this crisis. These steps will ease financial pressures on families while addressing systemic inequalities in our economy.
Ben Homer-Dixon – Green
The current cost-of-living crisis is the product of several systemic failures simultaneously intersecting, so any effective solution cannot be one that only addresses one or two facets of the larger problem. The Green Party’s proposed approach aims to tackle housing prices and wealth inequality with a series of policies that all Canadians will benefit from.
Our aim is to enshrine housing as a fundamental human right, and to that end prevent large corporations from buying up houses and make sure affordable housing remains affordable indefinitely. We’ll support this initiative through income tax relief for those experiencing financial insecurity while creating additional tax brackets for the wealthiest Canadians to ensure their social contributions are proportional to their income.
With the South Island’s aging demographic, what would you do to ensure Canada’s seniors continue to have access to the services they need?
Maja Tait – NDP
Seniors in the South Island deserve dignity and access to quality services. The NDP will expand public health care by introducing universal pharmacare and dental care programs, ensuring seniors can afford essential medications and treatments without financial strain. We will also invest in long-term care by transitioning facilities away from for-profit operators and ensuring they are publicly funded and operated with proper staffing ratios.
Furthermore, we’ll increase funding for home care services so seniors can age comfortably in their communities. By boosting Old Age Security (OAS) benefits and ensuring affordable housing options tailored for seniors, we will create a safety net that values their contributions and guarantees their well-being.
Ben Homer-Dixon – Green
Supporting an aging population necessitates strong social services, reliable housing availability, and easy access to public health services. The Green Party has plans to tackle all of these issues. An ideal starting point is strengthening the existing national health system, including dental and pharmacare, while supporting the implementation of universal long-term care and targeted guaranteed livable Income for people living with disabilities. Financial relief and housing security, as part of addressing the cost-of-living crisis, would also be important.
Stephanie McLean – Liberal
As the minister of Service Alberta, I worked closely with seniors across the province to ensure that service delivery was meeting them where they were at. A big part of that will be removing the barriers that cross-provincial and internationally trained care workers face in finding work in British Columbia, protecting existing service centres from conservative cuts, and working closely with local leaders and seniors groups to listen to emerging and evolving needs, and with their help, develop proposals that we can take into the budget process. Pierre Poilievre voted against increasing OAS, GIS, and dental care – I will work hard to protect these important supports.
