Initial thoughts: I thought they would pick Christia Freeland as their new leader. Mark Moneybags Carney did raise the most support funds. As much as Canadians are not Americans, I suppose just like Donald Trump, it’s the person who cam bring in the most funds who gets to lead the party and be Prime Minister. From what I can gather, Carney is a banker at heart and is good with money. He directed the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England…somehow…and I guess he reportedly did a good job with that. Now he wants to keep the top responsibility in the country.
The Liberals see themselves as the “natural ruling party” in Canada. This has been mentioned time and time again.
Due to an unfortunate circumstance, at this time, I am actually unable to access the Liberal website at this time to get the kind of information that I was hoping to have for the middle segment.
It’s full on crashed! This is what it must be like to be Rick Mercer. I will have to turn to other sources to find the information I was hoping to look for there. This does prove one thing. If you can’t keep your website in good working order, how are you supposed to expect people to vote for you. In the name of fair play, hopefully they will be able to get this resolved.
The most interesting thing I’ve heard in other news about Carney was that he “axed the carbon tax.” A very conservative thing to do. Makes me wonder what the Conservatives will have planned now that he’s gone and done their main thing already.
I had to go to the Elections Canada Website to find out that the lady running in my riding is Alana Hirtle and then to this CBDC NOBL website to find out anything about her…because the link to her own website was not working from the Elections Canada one. Here’s what I was able to eventually find out. For a party who wants people to vote for them, they really need to get their online presence…or lack of ability to get there…figured out.
Alana Hirtle has been active in business for over 30 years, primarily in the hotel and event management fields, including 14 years as “Green Queen” and Event Manager at White Point Beach Resort. In 2013 she moved to Truro to become General Manager of the Super 8 in the Power Centre.
In 2016 she made a career change and can now be found helping small business owners as a Business Analyst at CBDC Northern Opportunities for Business Limited.
Alana was a founding member of the Atlantic Canada Chapter of Meeting Professionals International in 2005 and served as President in 2008-2009. She also sat as the Atlantic Representative for the Green Meetings Industry Council Canadian Chapter in 2011-2012, and on the Canadian mirror committee for the ratification of ISO 2012-1 standards for the London Olympics.
Since moving to Truro, Alana has ventured into new volunteer opportunities, including President for the Central Nova Tourist Association (2014-2016), Chair of the Truro Heritage Advisory Committee, Member of the Events Truro Colchester Committee, Member of the Truro Brand Leadership committee, and President of the Rotary Club of Truro 2017-2018. She is the Rotary lead for the Portapique Community Build Up + Project.
Party Platform – Thanks CBC for keeping us organized
Climate Change
The Liberals cut consumer carbon pricing before the campaign. They plan to introduce incentives to help families invest in clean energy, including reinstating the zero-emissions vehicle subsidy program. They would tighten the output-based pricing system for large industrial emitters to ensure carbon markets work properly. They are open to building pipelines and speeding up energy projects. They would allow Quebec to veto any pipeline on its territory. They say they would phase out the use of fossil fuels in government buildings by 2030. They would develop a carbon border adjustment mechanism to tax imports from countries that don’t have comparable carbon pricing. They would invest $20 million to help the Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation complete the first phase of the development of its hydroelectricity facility. They would invest $94 million to upgrade power plants in Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven, Igloolik and Iqaluit.
Cost of Living
The Liberals say they would trim one percentage point off the lowest income tax bracket. They would also cancel a proposed hike to the capital gains inclusion rate. They would ease access to employment insurance by raising regional unemployment rate percentages and eliminate the GST on all homes up to $1 million for first-time homebuyers. They would suspend rules that prevent people with severance packages from collecting employment insurance for six months.
Defence
The Liberals would aim to increase NATO defence spending to two per cent of Canada’s GDP by 2030. They would review Canada’s contract for U.S.-built F-35 fighter jets and partner with allies for the next generation of aircraft. They would invest $420 million to protect sovereignty in the Arctic. They would modernize procurement legislation to enable the Canadian Armed Forces to buy equipment. It is unclear whether the Liberals will keep the $1.3-billion border security plan announced in December, which promises to increase drones and enhance aquatic and aerial surveillance in the Arctic as well as at the U.S. border.
Foreign Policy
The Liberals would try to strengthen ties with allies that share Canada’s values. They would impose sanctions on Russia to push for a ceasefire with Ukraine.
Government Spending
The Liberals would shrink public spending. They would cap the size of the public service and attempt to make government operations more efficient by “leveraging AI and machine learning.” They would aim to balance the government’s operational spending within three years, while running a “small deficit” on capital spending.
Housing
in addition to eliminating GST for first-time homebuyers on new and majorly renovated homes under $1 million, they would create a standalone entity that would act as a developer overseeing the construction of affordable housing in Canada. That entity would supply $25 billion in debt financing and $1 billion in equity financing to “innovative Canadian prefabricated home builders.” The Liberals would invest almost $74 million to improve critical housing infrastructure, speed up housing development and help meet the growing demand for affordable housing in the North. They would invest almost $66 million to build, renovate and repair hundreds more homes across Nunavut, including for Indigenous Peoples and underserved groups.
Immigration
The party would maintain caps on immigration until it determines Canada has the capacity to receive more newcomers.
Infrastructure
The Liberals would create a First Mile Fund to build transportation networks to connect natural resource extraction sites to rail lines and roads. They would put into effect a “one window” approvals process to fast-track approvals for large-scale, national-interest infrastructure projects. They would work to speed up approvals for the construction, commissioning and operation of a new Indigenous majority-owned Cedar LNG processing facility. They would invest $175 million in the Hudson Bay Railway and at the Port of Churchill, in Manitoba.
US Relations
The Liberals are matching 25 per cent tariffs on all vehicles imported from the U.S. that are not compliant with CUSMA. They would inject $5 billion into a new “trade diversification corridor fund.” They want to renegotiate bilateral agreements with the U.S. immediately following the election. In response to expected job losses in a trade war, they would temporarily remove the one-week employment insurance waiting period. They would prioritize and procure Canadian-built vehicles. They would implement a $2-billion “strategic response fund” with the aim of protecting the Canadian auto industry and helping workers develop expertise.
Hopefully, they will be able to stand up on their own without having to have Jagmeet’s approval for everything. I always found it weird that the Liberals and NDP were so codependent on eachother. May as well merge and form one party at that point.