Opinion

VIEWPOINT

Yolanda Charlie

Students, parents, and teachers: submit your art to newsroom@merrittherald.com for a chance to be featured each week! Submissions are printed on a first come, first serve basis.

Publisher Theresa Arnold publisher@merrittherald.com 250-378-4241 MERRITT HERALD

Editor Jake Courtepatte newsroom@merrittherald.com 250-378-4241 Reporter Morgan Hampton reporter@merrittherald.com 250-378-4241 Sales Representative Office Administrator Ken Couture kcouture@aberdeenpublishing.com 250-378-4241 Making Advertising Work For You.

CANADA VOTES

The Herald’s sister paper, the Peachland View, asked the three candidates running for the Central OkanaganSimilkameen-Nicola riding in the federal election the following question: “Our deficit is close to $1 trillion. How are we going to solve this problem without burdening our businesses more?” Below are their responses.

Dan Albas, Conservative Party

That is the key – how to do this without burdening business (or taxpayers for that matter) as we depend on businesses of all sizes to employ our youth and help families put food on the table.

Obviously, we need to increase revenues by growing our economy, but this is a simplistic answer.

In order to grow our economy, we need to look at barriers that stand in the way. Right now, one of the greatest barriers is a lack of competitiveness.

I will give an example of this. Recently the Liberals announced a ten-day paid sick day plan that will be paid for by employers. While that sounds like an idea that some would support, we need to study the fiscal impacts, intended and unintended consequences of new policies.

Let’s look at B.C. based Tolko Forest Industries for a moment. While Tolko closes lumber mills in places like Merritt and Kelowna they are opening and investing in new Lumber Mills in US states such as Mississippi and Louisiana.

That means we are losing well-paying jobs and all levels of government lose various forms of tax revenue. All of this is to the benefit of US States that are the homes to these new lumber mills.

Keep in mind in these states Tolko (as an employer) would not be paying for the costs of these extra sick days that drive up the costs of doing business.

Another example is Bombardier. After Canadian taxpayers subsidized the development of the “C-Series” jet it will now be built at a plant in Alabama.

As we move more oil by rail instead of by pipeline the order by CN for more locomotives will see those locomotives built in Texas and not Canada.

In my view we must be more competitive. While I have no doubt all of the political parties will agree on the need to grow our economy only the Conservative platform recognizes that we must identify the barriers that stand in the way and create a more fair and competitive environment where Canadian business can and will succeed.

Sarah Eves, Liberal Party

Supporting Canadians during the pandemic was vitally important. The Liberal government’s programs protected employees who lost their jobs, renters who faced eviction, and small businesses which were closed or struggling.

To support Canadians, the government had to incur debt. To tackle that debt a Liberal government will stimulate the economy. Programs such as creating more daycare spaces at $10/day will allow women to return to work or enter the workforce for the first time.

Up to $8 billion will be invested to support projects reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. We will reduce, by 50 per cent, the general corporate and small business taxes that manufacture zero-emission technologies until 2029, with smaller reductions until 2032.

We will invest in infrastructure, creating jobs. We will continue to support our hardest hit sectors such as tourism with temporary wage and rent programs, and with the Canada Recovery Hiring Program. Those businesses will be able to continue to do what they do best. Rather than burden our businesses, these initiatives will help Canadian businesses seize new opportunities.

Liberals know that believing in Canadians, and investing in them, works. The Bank of Canada predicts our economy will grow 6 per cent this year, and 4.5 per cent in 2022. The alternative, austerity and cutting programs, is not an opJoan Phillip, New Democratic Party

Our deficit has grown every year under the Liberal and previous conservative government, placing the responsibility to finance the deficit on every day Canadian families and small businesses. Utilizing tax heavens and fancy loopholes, big corporations and the ultra rich continue to not pay their fair share. In 2017, the Toronto Star investigated this and found that the largest 100 corporations in Canada avoided a whopping $62.9 billion worth of taxes between 2011 and 2016, and this trend continues.

In the 1950s, corporations shared the tax burden with individuals at almost a 50/50 spilt. Under both liberal and/ or conservative governments the gap widened whereby in 1985 the individuals share increased to 79 per cent with corporations only contributing 21 per cent. Under the leadership of Trudeau big oil and gas have been given $18 billion in subsidies in this year alone. This must stop. These companies are rich enough without our public dollars subsidizing their operations and executive bonuses.

To get things back on track and begin reducing the deficit, we must have the big corporations and the top 1 per cent wealthy contribute their fair share of the tax burden. A 1 per cent increase to the top 1 per cent would generate $70 million. In addition, the subsidies being given to big oil and gas could be rediverted into the clean energy sector and at the same time generate good paying jobs for those displaced by the oil and gas industry. This would also begin to address the climate crisis we are all facing by reducing our carbon footprint. Lower and middle-class Canadians are shouldering a disproportionate tax burden and that needs to change. We deserve better and better is possible with an NDP government.

HARD ICE-CREAM, FRESH SALADS, COLD SANDWICHES AVAILABLE!

BUTTER CHICKEN • SAMOSAS • FRESH FISH & CHIPS

Two week SPECIAL

Cheeseburger

with fries, gravy and pop

Only..... Bacon & Tomato Sandwich

with fries, gravy and pop

Only.....