Rob Silenzi – Conservative Candidate, Hamilton East – Stoney Creek

Issues

ACCOUNTABILITY

Canadian families work hard, pay their taxes and play by the rules – and they expect their government to do the same. The previous Liberal government was plagued by scandal, waste, mismanagement and persistently refused to reform the unelected Senate. Conservatives are taking action to rebuild public trust in Canada’s institutions.

Conservatives are making government more accountable to build a stronger, safer, better Canada.

Conservative Record
The Conservative government passed the Federal Accountability Act, the toughest anti-corruption law in Canadian history, which:

Bans political contributions by corporations and unions
Reduces personal political donations from $5,000 to $1,000 per year
Strengthens the power for the Auditor General to “Follow the Money”
Mandates stricter rules for lobbyists and implements a five-year ban on lobbying by Ministers, their aides and senior public servants
Provides real protection for whistleblowers

Conservatives also took action to make our democratic institutions more effective and more democratic by:

Introducing legislation to facilitate the election of Senators
Introducing legislation to end the lifetime appointment of Senators by limiting Senate terms to eight years
Instituted fixed election dates

Liberal Record

Liberal corruption was outlined in the Sponsorship Scandal investigations of Justice John Gomery and Auditor General Sheila Fraser.
Liberals used the unelected, unaccountable, Liberal-dominated Senate to stall passage of the Federal Accountability Act for 141 days.

NDP Record

The NDP purports to be a party of accountability, but they create special positions within the party for union activists and the big labour movement.
Most worrying, the NDP policy resolutions – adopted at party conventions made up of mandatory and disproportionate union and labour activists – are binding to the party: interests of a few dictate policy consequences for the many.

CHILD CARE

Many families struggle with the cost of child care. For 13 years, Liberals promised but never delivered new child care spaces. Conservatives are giving parents choice in childcare – direct support to fit each family’s unique needs – and investing in new child care spaces.

Conservatives are building a stronger, safer, better Canada for families and children.

Conservative Record

Delivered choice and support to parents through the Universal Child Care Benefit: $1,200 per year in direct support for every child under six – over $3.7 billion in 2006 and 2007 to help parents with the cost of child care
Invested $250 million per year to assist the provinces and territories in creating new child care spaces

Liberal Record

For 13 years, Liberals promised new child care spaces but never delivered.
Liberals oppose the new $1,200 Universal Child Care Benefit and have promised to take it away from thousands of families.
Liberals voted against $250 million per year for the provinces to create new child care spaces.

NDP Record

New Democrats joined the Liberals in opposing the 2006 and 2007 budgets including the Universal Child Care Benefit and $250 million per year for new child care spaces.
The NDP plan for child care puts interest groups, bureaucrats, and politicians ahead of parents when it comes to federal funding assistance.

CRIME

Safe streets and safe communities have long been a part of the Canadian way of life. Under the Liberals, little was done to address concerns about the increasing threat of gun, gang and drug crime in our neighbourhoods. Conservatives have taken action to get tough on criminals and make our streets safer.

Conservatives are tackling crime to build a stronger, safer, better Canada.

Conservative Record

Passed a law to crack down on street racing
Cracked down on money laundering by organized crime and terrorists
Invested $16.1 million to protect youth at risk
Invested $64 million in a National Anti-Drug Strategy
Established Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime
Took action to arm border guards
Invested $1.4 billion to strengthen our national security and further protect against the threat of terrorism
Invested in 1,000 new RCMP personnel and are working with the provinces and municipalities to hire 2,500 more municipal police
Introduced legislation to limit house arrest to ensure people who commit serious and violent crime will serve their time in jail instead of their living rooms
Introduced legislation to require mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes
Introduced legislation that will result in tougher sentences for violent repeat offenders and establish reverse onus in bail hearings for firearm-related offenses
Introduced new laws to protect children from sexual predators by increasing the age of protection from 14 to 16
Introduced new laws to help police crack down on drug-impaired driving

Liberal Record

Liberals have gutted new legislation that would have established mandatory minimum penalties for gun crimes.
Liberals are stalling progress on legislation to establish reverse onus for bail for offenses involving firearms and tougher sentences for repeat dangerous offenders.
Liberals voted to weaken another tough anti-crime bill so that people who burn down your house or steal your car may serve their sentences at home instead of in jail.

NDP Record

The NDP supported the Liberal plan to gut legislation that would have limited house arrest for many people found guilty of break and enter, arson and car theft.
The NDP consistently opposes new laws to get tough on criminals.

ENVIRONMENT

Canadians want action on the environment; action that reduces green house gases while preserving our standard of living and way of life. Unfortunately, previous Liberal governments failed to act while Canada’s air quality got worse and greenhouse gas emissions skyrocketed. Conservatives are turning the corner with a practical, achievable plan to clean up Canada’s air, land and water and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Conservatives are taking real action on the environment to build a stronger, safer, better Canada.

Conservative Record

Created $300 million Chemicals Management Plan to regulate chemicals harmful to human health and the environment
Dedicated $2 billion over seven years for the production of renewable fuels
A $225 million investment to acquire and preserve ecologically sensitive lands
Introduced a balanced, achievable plan to reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2020 and cut air pollution in half by 2015. In this plan:
- For the first time ever, industry will be forced by law to meet tough emission reduction targets; and
- National caps for industrial emissions of four air pollutants commonly associated with smog and acid rain will be introduced.
Created $2 billion ecoENERGY Initiative to promote smarter energy use, greater use of clean energy sources, and cleaner use of traditional energy sources. This program includes initiatives like:
- Consumer oriented incentives like the ecoAUTO rebate for fuel efficient vehicles; and
- Grants to individuals and businesses to help them invest in energy and pollution-saving upgrades.
Created $1.5 billion trust for clean air and climate change in partnership with the provinces and territories. This includes strategic investments like:
- The development of an East-West electrical transmission interconnect between Manitoba and Ontario;
- Support for research and innovation for the reduction and sequestration of greenhouse gases; and
- Support for the development of a “hydrogen highway”, a network of hydrogen fuelling stations for fuel celled buses and vehicles, in British Columbia.

Liberal Record

Former Liberal environment ministers Christine Stewart and David Anderson and former top policy advisor Eddie Goldenberg have all said the Kyoto Accord was never a priority for the Liberals.
For 13 years, Liberals promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but did nothing while Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions increased by 27%.
Liberals, according to a September 2006 report by the Auditor General’s office, never had a viable plan to meet their Kyoto targets for greenhouse gas emission reduction.
Liberals stood idly by as Canada slid to 28th out of 29 OECD nations in pollution regulation rankings.

NDP Record

The NDP voted against $4.5 billion in funding to clean up Canada’s air and water, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change.
The NDP supported a Liberal environmental plan – Bill C-288 – that would cripple Canada’s economy but do little to clean up Canada’s air.

HEALTH CARE

Canadians value their publicly-funded, universally-accessible health care system. Unfortunately, the previous Liberal government cut health care funding while patient wait times almost doubled. Conservatives have made historic increases in health funding and patient wait times are finally getting shorter.

Conservatives are improving Canada’s health care system to build a stronger, safer, better Canada.

Conservative Record

Signed Patient Wait Time Guarantee agreements with all provinces and territories
Implementing the 10-Year $41.3 billion Federal/Provincial Plan to Strengthen Health Care
Provided $612 million in new funding to help provinces reduce patient wait times
Established the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer with $260 million in funding over five years to implement a national cancer strategy
Provided $300 million to protect women from cancer of the cervix
Increased funding for new training spaces to address the shortage of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals
Invested $400 million in the Canada Health Infoway to develop electronic health records and reduce medical errors

Liberal Record

The previous Liberal government cut health funding and patient wait times nearly doubled.
Slashed $25 billion from the Canada Health and Social Transfer and created a health care funding crisis for every province and territory in the country.
Failed to address the severe shortage of doctors, nurses and other critical health care professionals.

NDP Record

The NDP voted against all new funding for heath care contained in the Budgets of 2006 and 2007.

LEADERSHIP

Canadians have a choice between two leaders, two visions and two records. The choice is clear:

Stephen Harper

Stephen Harper continues to get things done for families and taxpayers.

In Stephen Harper, Canadians have:

A strong leader who knows where he stands and knows where he is going.
A leader who has put the aspirations of families – and the pressures they face – at the heart of national decision-making.
A man who passionately believes in a Canada where what matters is what you’ve done and where you’re going, and not where you’re from or who you know.
A Prime Minister firmly on the side of those who work hard and play by the rules.
A leader with a proven record of getting the job done.
Canada moving forward and Canadians can plan for the future with confidence.

Michael Ignatieff

Michael Ignatieff is an out-of-touch politician whose weak leadership would set families and taxpayers back.

In Michael Ignatieff, Canadians see:

A weak leader who doesn’t know where he stands and doesn’t know where he’s going;
A long list of policy flip-flops and reversals;
An old-style Liberal whose free-spending promises would weaken the economy and result in higher taxes, and
A ditherer who has difficulty setting priorities

For Canadians, the choice is clear: strong leadership with the Conservatives or weak leadership with the Liberals.

LOWER TAXES

Canadians pay too much tax. Under the Liberals, working families and seniors were squeezed while the Liberal government rewarded Liberal insiders and mismanaged our tax dollars.

Under the strong leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Conservatives are cutting taxes to build a better Canada.

Conservative Record

GST cut from 7% to 5% – that’s a tax cut for all Canadians.
Reduced the lowest personal income tax rate to 15% from 15.5% as of January 1, 2007.
Created the new Working Income Tax Benefit to help 1.2 million people over the “welfare wall”.
Created the new $1,000 Canada Employment Credit to lower taxes for working Canadians.
Created the new $2,000 Child Tax Credit amount for every child under 18, a $1.5 billion tax savings for families.
Increased the amount all Canadians can earn without paying federal income tax to $9,600 in 2007 and 2008 and to $10,100 in 2009.
Enacted the Tax Fairness Plan to provide $1 billion in tax relief for Canadian seniors and pensioners.
Delivered new tax credits for public transit, kid’s sports, textbooks, tools, and apprentices.
Eliminated income tax on student scholarships, fellowships and bursaries.
Cut taxes on small businesses.
Ensured fairness for single-earners by ending the marriage penalty.
Eliminated the job-killing corporate capital tax.
Enacted the “Tax Back Guarantee”- a plan to use interest savings from national debt repayments to reduce personal income taxes, each and every year.

Liberal Record

Liberals promised to scrap the GST in 1993 but never did.
Instead, Liberals squandered billions of tax dollars on scandals like the Sponsorship Program and failed schemes like the Human Resources boondoggle and the long gun registry.
Liberals voted against every tax relief measure put forward by the Conservative government.

NDP Record

The NDP has a long history of opposing tax cuts and making expensive promises that would drive taxes up.
The NDP joined the Liberals in voting against every single tax relief measure for Canadians implemented by the new Conservative government.

SOVEREIGNTY

Canada’s Arctic is central to our national identity as a northern nation. For thirteen years, previous Liberal governments were asleep at the switch and did nothing to assert Canada’s domain over the North.

Since coming into office, Conservatives have developed a four-pronged Arctic agenda – economic development, national sovereignty, Northern input and control, environmental protection – that will help Canada extend and defend its Arctic sovereignty.

Conservatives are establishing sovereignty over the Arctic to build a stronger, safer, better Canada.

Conservative Record

A four-pronged Arctic Agenda:

Economic development – unleashing the resource-based potential of the North;
National sovereignty – protecting our land, airspace and territorial waters;
Northern input and control – ending paternalistic federal policies of past governments;
Environmental protection – protecting the unique Northern environment;

With concrete results:

Construction of eight Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships;
Construction of an Arctic deep water port;
Increased northern surveillance by the Canadian Forces;
Invested $20.5 million into climate change research in the Arctic; and
Contributed $150 million for scientific research to coincide with the International Polar Year.

Liberal Record

Liberals gutted military funding and reduced Canada’s capability to patrol the North.
Between 1993 and 2002, the Liberal Government did not send a single Canadian Forces ship into Arctic waters.

NDP Record

The NDP platform did not contain a single mention of the Arctic.

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