As people in the Parry Sound—Muskoka riding prepare to vote leading up to the April 28 federal election, we asked the candidates another round of three questions:
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?
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?”
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?
Below are their answers:
Conservative Party of Canada: Scott Aitchison (incumbent)
1. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Conservatives will reward results.
2. 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.
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’s dependence on dirty dictator oil from Putin, and bring home jobs and bigger paycheques for Canadian energy workers.
3. 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.
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.
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.
Liberal Party of Canada: Geordie Sabbagh
1. In Parry Sound–Muskoka, rental vacancy rates aren’t just statistics — they represent real families struggling to find a place to live. I’ve heard their stories, and I’ve 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.
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.
After the Second World War, Canada was facing a massive housing crisis – similar to today’s. But Canada solved that housing crisis, and we can do it again with the right leadership. The Liberal housing plan will double Canada’s 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’t work.
The Liberal plan includes the creation of a new entity called “Build Canada Homes” (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.
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.
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.
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.
Mark Carney is going to lead the next government — and when he does, Parry Sound–Muskoka needs someone at the table. We can’t afford to be left behind.
2. 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.
Mark Carney said, “Nature is part of our very identity as Canadians”. And I say, nowhere in Canada is that more applicable than Parry Sound-Muskoka. It’s 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.
I am excited to be a part of a Liberal plan which includes:
- Protecting our freshwater, including by investing $100 million in a strategic water security technology fund to advance Canadian R&D, AI, monitoring, and data tools.
- Enshrining First Nations’ right to water into law.
- Protecting nature where it protects us, including by implementing nature-based climate solutions which deliver measurable carbon sequestration and biodiversity benefits while supporting community resilience.
- Championing nature conservation internationally.
In Parry Sound-Muskoka, we already have a number of civilian and local government organizations, groups, projects and initiatives working to address climate change: the Muskoka Watershed Council; The Muskoka Land Trust; District of Muskoka Envirohub; The District of Muskoka Greenhouse Gas Initiative and the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve just to name a few. I commit to ensuring that local initiatives are considered at every step of the way as the Mark Carney government rolls out their plan.
However, we cannot lose sight of the need to protect the environment, grow the economy and create jobs— at the same time. These issues are inextricably connected. If we aren’t addressing climate change, we won’t have an economy to grow, and if we don’t grow our economy, we won’t be able to properly address climate change. All of this is contingent on creating the jobs to make it happen. One cannot truly be successful without the other. Especially in this time of crisis, we need bold new approaches to make this work. My job will be to ensure Parry Sound-Muskoka is included in every way.
That’s why I support the Liberal plan to: double investments in clean energy, home retrofits, and rural infrastructure; grow green jobs across forestry, trades, agriculture, and energy and support local innovators who are already leading in sustainable technologies and tourism.
Mark Carney is the only candidate with the lived experience to manage climate change and make Canada a global leader in clean growth. He is also the only one with the economic acumen to lead us through crisis and still grow the economy. I want to be on that team to be sure our riding has a voice in that future and ensure we’re not left out of decision making.
Parry Sound-Muskoka is a national treasure. We need to keep it that way!
3. I spent several years as a Hospital Chaplain; my family is still without a local doctor, and I watched my father fade away in a crowded ER hallway. This is personal.
We all know our healthcare system is under pressure — and in Parry Sound–Muskoka, we feel it more than most. That’s why the Liberal Plan is more important than ever.
· Prime Minister Carney has reaffirmed his intention to move forward with national pharmacare by ensuring access to diabetes medication and contraception across the country.
· Through our Pharmacare program, we’re expanding access to reproductive freedom and lifesaving medication for Canadians with diabetes.
o With Pierre Poilievre’s cuts to pharmacare: Canadians with diabetes could pay up to $1,700 more per year.
o 9 million Canadians would have less reproductive choices. 9 million!
· We’ll continue working with all Provinces and Territories to ensure that Canadians don’t have to choose between filling up their prescription or putting food on the table.
· Dental care is essential for Canadian families. Mark Carney has committed that he will ensure these programs are protected.
To maximize the benefits of personal healthcare, we need to work closely with all levels of government. In a short span of time Mark Carney’s government has already shown that they can do this. Here in Muskoka, we are moving toward new/improved hospital facilities. The federal government must be able to work with the Ontario government to ensure these facilities can be fully funded and staffed with more doctors, nurses and PSWs. I want to be sure that Parry Sound-Muskoka’s healthcare needs are at the forefront in every decision taken and our rights to healthcare are protected.
Locally, I will listen to the needs of frontline workers and families to be sure I am carrying their message to Ottawa.
People’s Party of Canada: Isabel Pereira
1. Overall inflation has become a major problem in every sector of the economy and is a consequence of inflationary monetary policy. This inflationary policy adds to the already overheated conditions in the housing market.
Recognizing the housing is primarily a provincial or municipal government responsibility at the federal level I as a member of parliament representing the constituents Parry Sound – Muskoka would stop contributing to the overheated housing market by:
Substantially reduce immigration quotas, from about 500k planned by the Liberal government for 2025, down to 100k-150k per year (depending on economic and other circumstances). This will help reduce demand for housing.
Modifing the Bank of Canada’s inflation target, from 2% to 0%. This will cool down inflation in all sectors, including housing
Respecting local planning by reducing federal pressure to “densify” neighbourhoods in order to accommodate mass immigration policies
2. It is a fact that the world’s climate has always changed and will continue to change. Until twelve thousand years ago, much of Canada was under ice, and it is thanks to natural climate change that we can live here today.
There is however no scientific consensus on the theory that CO2 produced by human activity is causing dangerous global warming today or will in the future, and that the world is facing environmental catastrophes unless these emissions are drastically reduced. Many renowned scientists continue to challenge this theory.
In fact, CO2 is beneficial for agriculture and there has recently been a measurable “greening” of the world in part thanks to higher levels. Despite what global warming
propaganda claims, CO2 is not a pollutant. It is an essential ingredient for life on Earth
and needed for plant growth.
The People’s Party of Canada will prioritize implementing practical solutions to make Canada’s air, water and soil cleaner, including bringing clean drinking water to remote First Nations communities. The People’s party would also invest in adaptation strategies to address issues that arise as a result of any natural climate change.
3. The People’s Party of Canada recognizes that healthcare is an exclusive provincial jurisdiction. However, for years the federal government has insisted that the provinces satisfy a series of conditions set in the Canada Health Act in exchange for transfer payments. These conditions discourage innovation.
It’s time for Canada to implement reforms in line with the more efficient and less costly mixed universal systems of other developed countries. Replace the Canada Health Transfer cash payments with a permanent transfer of tax points of equivalent value to
the provinces and territories, to give provinces a stable source of revenue. In practice, the federal government will give up its Goods and Services Tax (GST), and let provincial and territorial governments occupy this fiscal room.
New Democratic Party: Heather Hay
We did not receive a response from NDP candidate Heather Hay on time.
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The comments by Isabel Pereira of the Peoples Party of Canada are the only ones that make sense. Our housing crisis has been fueled by the insane Liberal immigration quotas and those quotas need to be drastically reduced. The climate change rhetoric is another scam designed to make rich people (globalists) richer and poor people poorer. There is enough evidence by highly qualified climatologists to show that CO2 is not the threat that the alarmists are using to heighten fear levels and manipulate the public. And healthcare is, and should be, a Provincial issue. The Feds should not be influencing healthcare policies to suit their political agenda. Unfortunately, the PPS will not get anywhere close to a majority to make a difference, despite their policies being in Canadians’ best interest. So, as usual, Canadians are likely to vote to get someone out of office rather than voting for someone that is most suitable. Hopefully we can get rid of these Liberal criminals that have been so bad for this country and try and hold the next government more accountable. .