The North Delta Reporter sent all seven candidates hoping to represent Delta in Parliament five questions to gauge their positions on some of the big issues for Deltans in the 2019 federal election. We gave candidates a limit of 900 words total to answer. Here’s what independent candidate Tony Bennett had to say…
(Note, the candidates’ answers have been edited for length, clarity and to conform with Canadian Press style, as required.)
1) What is you/you party’s plan to combat climate change and safeguard the environment for future generations?
Safeguarding the environment starts with each person in Delta doing their part to reduce, reuse and recycle. Consumerism is the root of our environmental woes.
Proactively, we as part of a world-leading nation of green initiatives should be growing our electric economy to compliment the oil and gas industry, with hope the electric economy ultimately becomes the primary provider of jobs and energy to the Canadian way of life.
Building more hydroelectric sources of renewable energy such as dams and run-of-the-river generation are ideal low-impact and highest yielding cleanest sources of renewable energy, creating thousands of high-paying jobs and careers by transitioning responsibly to the electric economy.
Water conservation programs like rain gardens and rainwater reservoirs on residential housing toilets, such as the technology developed in Australia, are complementary to the electric economy.
Introducing energy storage as a key part of the curriculum in our schools K through 12 is another complementary and proactive step to growing our electric economy.
Building transmission lines and electric charging stations coast to coast will create jobs is also complementary and support the electric economy.
2) How do you/your party plan to make homes in Delta more affordable for new buyers as well as increase the number of available rental units in the community?
My plan, Canada’s Housing Affordability Planned Strategy, is available at tonybennettformp.ca. Canada’s Housing Affordability Planned Strategy (CHAPS) outlines how we as Deltonians and Canadians can lead our fellow citizens into the future and re-establish the Canadian norms for homes and raising families that support both our children, parents and the overall solvency of our nation.
Further steps to have vacant homes made available to the rental pool need to be taken. Moneys raised by taxes of empty homes need to be committed to affordable housing, not general revenue.
The additions of the CHAPS program and anti-vacancy incentives will normalize the price of housing in Canada and Delta back to 2015 levels.
3) How would you/your party reduce the tax burden for Delta families?
I believe solutions and improving our tax structure at the CRA level to allow mindful, patriotic Canadians the ability to help our nation without putting themselves in a financial burden is the solution.
Specifically the CRA and GAAP need to be amended to allow tax deductions for goodwill on behalf of the nation. This would be applied to litigators and prosecutors working on behalf of the federal government to prosecute smugglers and criminals, from all sources, taking advantage of our borders and national services. This will cut down on the waste of our taxes and allow for future tax deductions without cutting services.
In the case of the national housing program CHAPS, professional services and mortgage fees offered as free to the program are eligible for the tax deduction by giving them the the CHAPS program pro bono for the benefit of controlling the cost of providing affordable housing.
4) What will you/your party do to support the growing number of seniors in our community?
Seniors should have improved widows CPP protection typical of corporate and union pensions, approximately 60 per cent of the deceased pensioners value, for the life of the widow.
Seniors compose 20 per cent of the mixed tenure of occupants in the CHAPS program.
5) Many Deltans are concerned about the shootings and other gang-related violence happening across the Lower Mainland. How will you/your party help reduce violent crime and keep law-abiding folks safe?
I believe my aforementioned tax deductible goodwill can inspire the good members of our many law societies across the nation to volunteer their time at-cost, which will be made tax deductible and control the costs currently preventing us from prospecting and removing these criminals from Canada.
I believe as a community we need to reach out to our young citizens — sons, daughters and neighbours — and get involved in their lives as much as possible. Play catch or basketball or just sit and talk about their stuff; these young citizens are the ones whom end up at the bottom of these tragedies or worse, the bottom of their graves.
The federal election takes place on Monday, Oct. 21.
Click here to read the other candidates’ answers.
READ MORE: Meet your candidates for Delta MP
editor@northdeltareporter.com
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