MPs propose economical plans

Kings-Hants federal candidates spoke also to the unsettled condition of international economics and finances during The Hants Journal’s electoral forum Sept. 25. They tried to define the issue as it impacts Kings-Hants constituents.

NDP candidate Carol Harris says her political team will try hard to preserve jobs. “We know what’s happening in the U.S. is an unmitigated disaster. We can’t forecast what will happen there and what the spinoff will be for us, but it’s possible we’ll have to block some of the international trading deals that were brought in by the governments in the past.”

Another point to address is the severe gap between those who are excessively wealthy and the others who are falling further into economic poverty, Harris said. “We’ll help people afford things they really need: health care, education. We’ve seen those cost escalate.

“Finally, we will buy locally, grow locally and manufacture locally,” she said. “It’s ridiculous how we’ve let these jobs escape to other places.”

Green Party candidate Brendan MacNeill said the federal government has become too tied to large corporations and Canada has become heavily reliant on taking from other countries.

“This land has many things to offer and this should be drawn on at a local level,” MacNeill said. “We should be producing our own food and not subsidizing large corporations. This, in turn, will help our economy.”

Liberal candidate Scott Brison said the country was in its best shape before, but is in debt now. “Stephen Harper’s government has been a big spending government, there’s no question about it.”

Saving and investing income is important, Brison said. “Cutting the GST was probably the dumbest move. It’s also important we see that we need to be green with our economy.

“We could be the clean energy capital of the world,” Brison said. “We should be renegotiating into better trading deals to diversify trading relations so we’re not so dependent on the U.S.”