In light of recent criticism levelled by the newly named Conservative candidate in our riding of my work as your member of Parliament, I’d like to correct the record and share some notable results achieved in our riding over the past 4.5 years since I’ve had the honour of serving as your representative:
1) Funding more than 1,000 new affordable housing units in every region of our riding and streamlining the housing development process by working directly with municipalities.
2) Introducing affordable childcare and creating almost 550 $10/day spaces in our communities and cutting fees in half across the board.
3) Policies that have cut the national poverty rate in half from 2015, including local projects that feed vulnerable seniors.
4) The largest recovery package in Canadian history for any species to restore wild Pacific salmon.
5) Launching the $1 billion Nature Agreement with B.C. and First Nations to protect 30 per cent of B.C.’s nature by 2030, prioritizing the preservation of our remaining old-growth forests, as per my motion M-83. And the passage of historic legislation I championed to establish the right of Canadians to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.
6) Roll-out of the first serious climate plan in Canada’s history, that has reduced emissions more than any G7 country since I was first elected, and driven local economic growth, particularly in the clean-tech hub of Squamish.
7) Working with our business sector to ensure they had the support to get through the pandemic, allowing our hardest-hit sectors like tourism to exceed pre-pandemic business.
In contrast, the Conservative Party deals in slogans, not real solutions. Just ask Mr. Roy, how will the Conservative Party axe the provincial B.C. carbon tax?
That’s why the Conservatives under Prime Minister Stephen Harper never built any affordable housing. Instead of supporting families, they were sending cheques to millionaires. Their environmental program was gutting environmental law and muzzling scientists. Climate action was denying its existence to maximize fossil-fuel extraction. And their record was higher taxes on small businesses, higher taxes on the middle class, and higher unemployment.
While the Conservatives and Mr. Roy are focused on empty slogans, I will continue to work on real solutions to tackle the problems our communities face. This includes building more affordable homes, tackling cost of living, improving transportation, growing our economy, and building a healthier future.
I’ve always put our communities first, even when it meant challenging my party’s policies, including on the climate, electoral reform, and foreign affairs. That’s real representation.
Our community faces an important choice in the next election, and I hope we can have an honest debate based on facts and concrete solutions, and what is at stake, rather than empty slogans.
