Political candidates stances on low-income plans

October 15, 2019

Caleb Nickerson

caleb@theequity.ca

Jonathan Carreiro-Benoit – Bloc Quebecois

The big point of our platform proposes to take less bureaucracy in the administration of some files. Per example wants just one taxes report for Quebec. In this way, the federal level can secure some major issues, like the Phoenix pay system. Less bureaucracy means less cost and more investment in other problems. We also want to decentralize administrative decisions in regions to lower the costs and create more jobs for people, so the money is invested in good places.

We ask Ottawa to give the money to Quebec because the federal government is doing nothing to resolve issues. Quebec knows best where to prioritize investments. We can name for example the case of the social lodgements. We know where is the requirement and Quebec still the best to built efficiently and effectively these kind of structures.

After that, the Bloc wants to make the services of telecommunication, like decent quality of internet and cellular network coverage. We also want to make the prices more affordable for everyone. We want to create a Quebec version of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

Claude Bertrand – Green Party

There are many definitions for “Middle Class”. For the purpose of answering the above question, the following definition was used: Middle Class (from The Economist in 2009); those who have a reasonable amount of discretionary income, so that they do not live from hand-to-mouth (as the poor do), and defines it as beginning at the point where people have roughly a third of their income left for discretionary spending after paying for basic food and shelter.

Although it is not the least fortunate riding in Canada, the Pontiac has more than its share of people who are struggling to live.

The Green Party will, as part of a minority government, advocate in favour of those who need help by negotiating with the minority governing party for:

A living wage: the Green Party will vote in favour of a minimum living wage for all (to be determined for each riding/region)

An minimum wage of $15/hr: the Green Party will vote in favour of an increase in the minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Making a safe and affordable housing a human right: The Green Party will push for the establishment of a Minister of Housing. The Green Party will make safe and affordable housing a basic human right in Canada and will put in place several initiatives in order to foster the building of new affordable housing units and the renovation of affordable housing units.

The Green Party will also help the less fortunate by advocating for free post-secondary education, a comprehensive pharmacare program, a dental care program to be included as part of the existing healthcare system.

Finally, as the MP for the Pontiac, I will convene a task force composed of Federal, Provincial and Municipal leaders, as well as Indigenous and business leaders in order to determine how best to kick start the Pontiac’s economy using seed funding from the Federal and Provincial governments.

Mario Belec – People’s Party

The middle class is defined as follows: The middle class is a concept of social classes based mainly on the standard of living. This group is “above” the poor (or working class) and “below” the well-to-do classes (we also speak of the upper or elite class, mainly consisting of the patrnat). The question of its exact definition remains delicate and explains that we also speak of the “middle classes” in the plural with a lower middle class and a higher middle class. The usual criteria of definition being the standard of living, in other words, revenues and wealth.

Debts and deficits are nothing more than deferred taxes on our children and grandchildren. Instead of buying votes with borrowed money, a responsible government should cut spending, balance the budget as quickly as possible, and then lower taxes in a prudent manner to put money back into Canadians’ pockets.

A People’s Party government will:

Get rid of the deficit in two years through spending cuts and fiscal prudence. Spending cuts will include: corporate welfare ($5B-$10B), foreign development aid ($5B), CBC ($1B), equalization payments, and funding for programs which are provincial or municipal responsibilities.
Stop using our tax system for political ends and make it simpler and fairer. In particular, it will eliminate targeted tax measures that are inefficient and serve no compelling public policy purpose.
Cut personal income taxes after the deficit has been eliminated, over the course of several budgets, as the fiscal room is found to allow it. The objective will be to lower taxes for all Canadians by raising the basic personal exemption to $15,000 (from $12,069 in 2019) and reducing the number of tax brackets from five to two, with incomes from $15,001 to $100,000 taxed at 15%, and income over $100,000 taxed at 25%.
Over the course of one mandate, gradually abolish the personal capital gains tax by decreasing the inclusion rate from the current 50% down to 0%.

Denise Giroux – New Democratic Party

Liberals and Conservatives are making many promises to help middle-class Canadians while ignoring the needs of the working poor, the disabled, and those who care for them. Is what’s best for the middle class necessarily best for Canada as a whole?

“Middle class” is an exceptionally vague term; some simply define it as all Canadians minus the top or bottom 20 per cent. The OECD suggests it includes those with incomes between 75 and 200 per cent of the median income, which in Canada is $27,600 for an individual and $76,000 for a family. This then includes individuals with incomes between $21,000 and $55,000, and families with incomes from $57,000 to $152,000—a huge range which still fails to take into account family size, housing costs, and other variables affecting actual buying power.

Policies based on helping the middle class may end up helping many people who really don’t need much help. This effect is accentuated by the big parties’ fondness for tax credits as a policy instrument; by definition tax credits pay greater benefits to those in higher tax brackets.

The NDP’s focus is on helping the less well-off. We would increase the minimum wage to $15/hour – a first step toward establishing a living wage in Canada – and establish a universal pharmacare program that would save families over $500 a year. No Canadian should have to make heartbreaking choices between buying needed drugs and putting food on the table.

We would establish dental care for Canadians with household income below $70,000, increase Employment Insurance benefits, and create 500,000 affordable non-profit housing units for lower-income families and our elderly in every region.

The NDP approach to economic policy–helping those most in need–is not only the right thing to do, but the best thing for the economy as a whole. When lower-income people receive more money, they immediately spend more on food and other basic goods. This in turn increases demand for those basic goods, leading to increased employment in the businesses providing them, and this in turn increases tax revenues and reduces demand for social programs like EI. It also reduces health care costs, as working people are generally healthier than the unemployed.

In contrast, when those already near the top of the “middle class” get additional money, they are less apt to spend it. Salted away, it has nowhere near the same job-creation effects of a minimum-wage increase. While this may be good for families receiving the benefits, it is debatable whether it helps the country as a whole.

Will Amos – Liberal Party

From day one, our Liberal government has been there to support the middle class and those working hard to join it. Liberals define the middle class using a broad set of characteristics including values, lifestyle, and income. Middle-class families typically aspire to a lifestyle that includes adequate housing and health care, educational opportunities for their children, a secure retirement, job security, and adequate income for modest spending on leisure pursuits. The income required to attain such a lifestyle varies based on Canadians’ specific situations, such as whether they face child care expenses or whether they live in large cities where housing is more expensive.

The first thing we did when we were elected was cut taxes for 9 million middle class Canadians and raise taxes on the wealthiest one-percent. We also introduced the Canada Child Benefit (CCB), a tax-free monthly payment for low- and middle-income families to help with the cost of raising kids. This measure benefits 9/10 families and has helped lift 300,000 children out of poverty. In Pontiac, 25,320 kids benefit every month. We also restored the age of eligibility for the Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement back to 65 from 67, which was increased by the Conservatives, and increased the GIS top-up by up to $947 for 900,000 single seniors. These investments, which the Conservatives voted against, have already helped lift more than 825,000 Canadians out of poverty.

Moving forward, we will ensure that people don’t pay federal taxes on the first $15,000 they earn. This tax cut will save Pontiac families nearly $600 a year and help lift twice as many people out of poverty as the Conservative plan. To make life more affordable for seniors, we will move forward with increasing the OAS benefit by 10% once they turn 75, and raise it with inflation. For most seniors, this will mean up to $729 in additional help every year once they turn 75. We will also increase the Quebec Pension Plan’s survivors’ benefit by 25%. This increase, worth up to $2,080 in additional benefits every year, will give Pontiac seniors more money when they need it most. Finally, we all know that seniors’ housing is an important issue in our riding. If re-elected, I will continue to work directly with Villa James Shaw to ensure this project receives the federal funding required to move forward.

Dave Blackburn of the Conservative Party and Louis Lang of the Marxist-Leninist Party did not respond in time for print.

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