2- The Oakville Beaver, Friday September 19, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com What is the main election issue in the Oakville riding? Terrence Young--Conservatives I believe the main issue in our riding is choosing a candidate who will help lower taxes and who can be counted on to take action for a stronger economy and a stronger Oakville. The Conservative government has a proven track record of strong economic management. The budget is balanced and $39 billion in debt has been paid down, saving approximately $2.5 billion in interest. As promised in the last election Terence Young the Stephen Harper Conservatives launched the Universal Childcare Benefit of $1,200 per year per child under six. This program delivers an estimated $39 million per year to families in the region of Halton. Due to Conservative actions the average Oakville family will save $3,800 a year in taxes, putting millions of dollars back into their bank accounts or Oakville's economy. These are challenging economic times, so the Conservatives have acted to benefit Oakville's auto industry employees with the Automotive Innovation Fund -- announced in the 2008 budget to help for example Ford and GM design greener and more fuel-efficient engines and vehicles. As a result, GM will build a new hybrid car in Oshawa. Send me to Ottawa as MP and I will continue to work to have a hybrid car built by the CAW folks at the Ford Assembly Plant in Oakville. A vote for Terence Young is a vote for lower taxes, strong leadership, help for seniors and families, safer streets and action on the environment. You can count on me to represent Oakville and have your voice heard in Ottawa. As part of its election coverage, The Oakville Beaver will be asking each of the candidates in the Oakville and Halton ridings to respond to a weekly question. The Oakville riding responses will be published each Friday and the Halton riding responses will be published in the Saturday Weekend edition. Bonnie Brown -- Liberals As Canada faces an economic downturn, Oakvillians need to know their federal government maintains the fiscal capacity to fulfill its responsibilities to its citizens. These include an Employment Insurance system sufficient to the needs of workers, transfer payments to the provinces to ensure quality health care and education, investments in our rapidly deteriorating infrastructure, and a robust public pension system. Past performance is the most reli- Bonnie Brown able indicator of future performance. Liberal governments from 1993-2006 bought in eight balanced budgets and left behind a $12 billion annual surplus. At the same time Canadians enjoyed the largest tax reductions in history. But now, the cupboard is bare just at the time in the economic cycle when people need their federal government to assist them. Recession looms as our economic growth stalls and jobs are lost. And Oakville is not immune. Just ask laid off Ford and Polywheel employees about the state of the economy. Just ask investors how their investments have fared. Canada must survive in a highly competitive global market. We need a new plan for a new day. The Liberals will ensure strict fiscal discipline, invest in education and research to create new, well paid jobs, cut taxes to help put money back in the hands of Canadians and position Canada to be a leader in the 21st century economy. Michelle Bilek -- NDP Effective action to address the environmental crisis is the most pressing issue in this election. New Democrats have a proven track record of leadership in environmental solutions: · Passed Jack Layton's Kyoto-Plus Bill with targets for emission reductions every five years. · Passed NDP legislation to control of toxics in toys and tabled the banning cosmetic pesticides. · Proposed a Clean Water Act with standards ensuring safe drinking water. Michelle Bilek · Stood up for our waterways and oceans by exposing how mining companies use healthy lakes as tailing ponds, moving to ban bottom trawling, and more. · Cancelled $4.6-billion in pointless corporate tax cuts to invest in better priorities -- including public transit and a home energy retrofit program. The New Democrat plan: · Builds on the Climate Change Accountability Act and provides the enforcement tools to get the job done. · Makes polluters pay for the real costs of pollution through a cap-and-trade system -- in line with the European Union and the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. · Helps families get on board the new sustainable economy with a green-collar jobs fund. ·Provides almost $1 billion a year for public transit and an energy efficiency retrofit program. · Halts new tar sands development until emissions are capped. · Implements a new energy economy strategy, and more. New Democrats have a plan that will work -- a plan that sets absolute pollution targets by law, makes big polluters pay, and invests in green solutions. Amber Door Spa Our award winning spa is the best kept secret in Oakville! in impeccable condition, we recommend servicing about every five years. Blake Poland -- Green Party The economy is a key issue in this election. Oakville is not immune from the economic slowdown being experienced in the rest of Canada and south of the border, as illustrated by Ford's recent decision to cut another 500 jobs from its local operations. The Green Party has developed a comprehensive approach to help Canadians capitalize on the single biggest business opportunity modern history: the shift to a low-carbon economy, based on alternative fuels, renewable energy and energy efficien- Blake Poland cy. Countries like Germany and Denmark that have already taken a lead in developing and commercializing low carbon technologies are reaping the benefits of being out in front. Demand for these products will continue to intensify as climate change, energy insecurity and environmental pressures, as well as demand for a healthier and more sustainable way of life, propel us towards a low-carbon future. We cannot expect companies to internalize the costs of energy and waste if we do not put a price on carbon in a way that levels the playing field for everyone. Four key elements of the Green Party's economic platform are (a) across-the-board carbon tax, (b) corresponding reductions in employment and payroll taxes, (c) provisions to allow for income-splitting in dual-earner households, (d) strong poverty elimination measures. This will be done in a way that leaves no one behind. Our campaign slogan is "Green means business". Now you know why. 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