By Jenn Watt

Politicians: they’re all the same anyway right?

Because Canada’s government is relatively stable with services that – for the most part – are delivered as expected sometimes it can seem that the parties are interchangeable.
You’ll commonly hear people dismiss the electoral process as unimportant because one MP is the same as the next and each party is pretty much the same.

Compared to the tumult of some countries it can seem like Canadian political parties offer much of the same. But claiming that we will get the same outcome no matter who arrives in the House of Commons following this federal election is far from accurate.
Unfortunately the news cycle has been captured by some non-issues this election with important issues such as childcare aboriginal people jobs and housing sidelined.
Cut through the mud that is flying between parties and there are some very real issues we need to decide on.

This week we asked candidates to tell us what they would do on three topics that will affect the Haliburton Highlands: jobs affordable housing and childcare.
Each of the MP hopefuls gave thorough and specific answers that make the choice clear – or at least give a clear image of what each choice will lead to.

Take a moment to read over what they have to say and imagine Haliburton transformed by the proposals they pitch (and when the plan is vague keep that in mind too).
There is a big difference for example on the vision each party has for childcare.

Do you think Haliburton would be better off with a universal childcare system as promised by the Greens and NDP or do you think parents should receive a monthly cheque to spend as is being offered by the Conservatives and Liberals?

It’s a similar picture on the jobs front. The Conservatives believe that the best environment for job creation is one with low taxes for businesses and they intend to continue to cut those taxes.  The Liberals say infrastructure investment will stimulate the economy and fix the lengthy list of deteriorating bridges roads etc.
The NDP candidate has a specific jobs strategy on his website but also points to local solutions including community funds for start-ups and eliminating the fees on credit card usage that retailers have to pay.

There is much more than that – please read over what the candidates have to say on pages 8 9 and 10.
If you’d prefer to hear it directly from the candidates go to haliburtonecho.ca where we have produced four-minute videos with each candidate. The clips give you a chance to hear about who the candidates are what they see as important and what you can expect from them.

We have a big choice to make in two weeks. Make an informed one.