{"id":189272,"date":"2025-04-14T17:13:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T21:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/?p=189272"},"modified":"2025-04-25T13:02:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T17:02:29","slug":"federal-candidates-round-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/federal-candidates-round-three\/","title":{"rendered":"Parry Sound\u2014Muskoka federal candidates on housing, climate change, and healthcare"},"content":{"rendered":"
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As people in the Parry Sound\u2014Muskoka Riding prepare to vote leading up to the April 28 federal election, we asked the candidates another round of three questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Rental housing vacancy rates in Muskoka are at zero per cent, while in Parry Sound, they are below one per cent, and despite all sorts of funding announcements, the shortage persists. What will you do to encourage the creation of more rental housing in your riding? And what concrete steps will your party take to address the housing affordability crisis in Canada, especially for young people and first-time homebuyers?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Do you believe our climate is changing? If you do, what specific policies will you implement to address climate change, reduce carbon emissions, and promote clean energy innovation while balancing economic growth and job creation?”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.  What is your plan to ensure the sustainability and accessibility of Canada’s healthcare system, particularly with the aging population and increasing demand for services? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are their answers:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conservative Party of Canada:<\/strong> Scott Aitchison<\/a> (incumbent)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1<\/strong>. Housing has been my main focus since I was a Mayor, and I am honoured to serve as the Conservative Shadow Minister for housing. In Ontario, 36% of the cost of new home construction is government charges, fees and taxes. This means that governments are the most expensive part of the cost of building a home. Government is also the reason it takes so long to get permission to build in Canada – adding more expense to construction. Canada ranks 34th out of 35 comparator countries in the OECD for getting a building permit! We have to speed up approvals and reduce the burden of government on home building – especially rentals and homes for first-time buyers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Liberals already copied Conservative policy to remove the HST from rental housing – and that is a good start. This will make it easier for builders to bring new rental units to market at lower prices. But we also have to work with local government to help them speed up the process and to make investments in infrastructure that will get more homes built. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the different types of homes are connected – while stimulating rental construction, we must also stimulate the construction of homes for purchase. Conservatives will remove the federal tax from new home purchases up to $1.3 million. This will save young people, first-time buyers, and seniors looking to downsize up to $65,000 on the purchase of a home and roughly $3,000 every year in mortgage payments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Liberal government policies on housing have made the situation worse because they have given billions of dollars to big-city bureaucracies that are still increasing the cost of housing and not speeding up the approval of new homes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conservatives will set targets, and cities that are meeting or exceeding the target will get federal infrastructure funding; those who delay and add costs to homebuilding will not receive federal infrastructure funding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conservatives will reward results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2<\/strong>. Yes. Conservatives will take local action by investing in and incentivizing private investment in renewable technology – like the Henvey Inlet Wind Energy Centre – so we can harvest clean and renewable energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conservatives also understand that this is a global fight and that Canada accounts for a small portion of global emissions. We will build a national energy corridor to export Canadian oil, liquified natural gas, and critical minerals to the world. This will help developing nations grow with clean and responsible Canadian energy, break Europe\u2019s dependence on dirty dictator oil from Putin, and bring home jobs and bigger paycheques for Canadian energy workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.<\/strong> As your Mayor and District Councillor, I led the charge to save both our hospitals in Muskoka and re-develop Fairvern Nursing Home in Huntsville. We see both of these projects coming to life, and I am excited to see the results of these transformational projects for generations to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My main focus on health care is to bring more nurses and doctors to Parry Sound-Muskoka. A new Conservative government will create a Blue Seal Professional Licensing Standard recognized in each province so doctors and nurses can work anywhere in Canada. Red tape and bureaucracy block health care workers from moving to Parry Sound-Muskoka. The Blue Seal Professional Licensing Standard will remove that red tape and make it easier for Parry Sound-Muskoka to attract these heroes to our communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conservatives will continue to be a strong partner to the provinces, providing reliable and increasing health care transfers – just as Canadians expect and what Prime Minister Harper delivered under the last Conservative government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Liberal Party of Canada:<\/strong> Geordie Sabbagh<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1<\/strong>. In Parry Sound\u2013Muskoka, rental vacancy rates aren\u2019t just statistics \u2014 they represent real families struggling to find a place to live. I\u2019ve heard their stories, and I\u2019ve lived the crunch myself.  In the past, it may have taken many years to scrimp and save for the minimum down payment on a house, but today it can seem completely insurmountable even when working multiple jobs. And the high cost of rent just exacerbates the challenges of saving for a house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Parry Sound-Muskoka this can be even more complex. Much of the focus is on high-end cottages and homes, leaving few contractors or tradespersons to focus on affordable housing for full-time residents. The lack of available housing also impacts the cost of rent.  Relatively speaking for the size of our communities the rents, for the most part, reflect much larger city populations, especially in the summer months. There is often more profit from someone renting a house as an Airbnb than by the month\/year. They can make as much in a few summer months as they can rent on a yearly basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the Second World War, Canada was facing a massive housing crisis \u2013 similar to today\u2019s. But Canada solved that housing crisis, and we can do it again with the right leadership. The Liberal housing plan will double Canada\u2019s current rate of residential construction over the next decade to reach 500,000 homes per year, and I plan to make sure that Parry Sound-Muskoka is included in that plan in a significant way. Our challenges are unique and need full representation when those plans are developed. Unlike the Conservative party, we recognize the need for both the public and private sectors to get this done. We already know that the carrot and stick method doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Liberal plan includes the creation of a new entity called \u201cBuild Canada Homes\u201d (BCH), which will get the federal government back in the business of building in cooperation with private contractors and tradespeople. The BCH will: build affordable housing at scale (including on public land), catalyze a new housing industry, and provide financing to affordable homebuilders. This is a crisis, and we need immediate and direct action and leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also support the Liberal plan that includes purpose-built rentals the reintroduction and improvement of the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive and the expansion of the Rent-to-Own stream to help renters build equity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We know there are incredible businesses here in Parry Sound Muskoka. A good example is prefab housing being built right in our riding. I want to see our local innovation as part of the plan to move forward. This can only happen if we are at the table when the plans are made. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the jobs created to support the Liberal Housing Plan here in Parry Sound-Muskoka must be local jobs. We need to expand the trades and support local businesses to make this happen, and that is what I plan to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Carney is going to lead the next government \u2014 and when he does, Parry Sound\u2013Muskoka needs someone at the table. We can’t afford to be left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2<\/strong>. Climate change IS real, we feel it right here in Parry Sound-Muskoka and we need to take real action to fight it now. I have seen the effects firsthand as a volunteer firefighter and we cannot afford to put it off.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Carney said, \u201cNature is part of our very identity as Canadians\u201d.  And I say, nowhere in Canada is that more applicable than Parry Sound-Muskoka. It\u2019s a crucial part of our community, and we need to protect it for future generations. My 10-year-old son is so much more aware of climate issues than I was at his age. He along with other children and young people know that their futures depend on us acting now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am excited to be a part of a Liberal plan which includes:<\/s><\/p>\n\n\n\n