Federal Election 2008 – Peel Speaks Out

Will you personally commit to actively pursue concrete poverty reduction targets with your political party?

Yes Not at this time

What do you think you can do, as an individual Peel representative, to move the poverty agenda onto the priority list of your party?

Comments:

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

You have seen Peel’s statistics on social housing. The Federal Government’s abdication of social housing to lower levels of government IS NOT WORKING!

Do you believe our national government has a responsibility to its citizens to come up with a Canada-wide strategy to address our social housing shortage?

Yes Not at this time

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Do you have any strategies you could suggest to bring Peel’s stock of social housing up to necessary levels?

Yes Not at this time

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Will you commit to making Peel’s social housing shortages one of your priorities if you are elected?

Yes Not at this time

EMPLOYMENT INSURANCE

Unemployed Ontarians each receive on average $4630 less than those out of work in the rest of Canada. EI coverage rates are 43% for Canada and 30% for Ontario and even less in the Greater Toronto Area (at only 22%). (Human Services report to Peel Regional Council, February 2008).

The declining share of unemployed workers receiving EI means that more unemployed are turning to social assistance. This represents another soft download from the federal government to the province and municipalities.

Will you commit to making E.I. fairness for Ontario and Peel residents a priority should you be elected on October 14, 2008?

Yes Not at this time

Will you commit to forming a Peel Caucus to specifically address the concerns of 1.2 million Canadians who reside in this Region?

Yes Not at this time

STRENGTHENING MUNICIPALITIES: BEST USE OF TAXES

The infrastructure needs of Peel are beyond the ability of property tax payers to carry. Only $0.08 of every tax dollar paid in Canada is collected by municipalities.

Will you commit to fighting for the designation of one percent of the 5% GST to municipalities across Canada for their infrastructure capital needs?

Yes Not at this time

Do you have suggestions as to how the billions of dollars of crumbling infrastructure in our cities can be addressed in any other way?

Yes Not at this time

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Ontario receives far less than its fair share of health and welfare transfer payments from Ottawa. Consequently, much of the health service for your constituents is downloaded onto property taxes, a regressive form of taxation.

Will you personally commit to fight for fair healthcare transfers to Ontario in the immediate future rather than the phase-in to 2014-2015 has been committed to now?

Yes Not at this time

What will you do to influence this issue within your party?

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IMMIGRATION

Forty-eight per cent of Peel’s residents are New Canadians. Federal transfer payments for immigrant settlement are still lower for Ontario than other provinces and Peel is still under-serviced. Rates of poverty and underemployment for immigrants are double those of Canadian-born families. Immigrant families have more children (StatsCan) with 20% of Peel’s children currently living in poverty.

The current points system does not attract immigrants with the wide variety of skills needed in Peel's manufacturing and trade sectors. Will you commit to pressure your party into an immediate review of the points system?

Yes Not at this time

You represent professional immigrants who are in many cases grievously under-employed. What solutions do you propose to address this persistent problem?

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Will you personally commit to be a voice for Peel immigrants in Ottawa?

Yes Not at this time

Can you describe any innovative solutions to the very real difficulties immigrants are experiencing in our Region?

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