In the leadup to the April 28 federal election, Black Press Media asked the candidates in Saanich-Gulf Islands a series of three questions. These are their responses.
1/ What would your party do to safeguard South Island workers and businesses from the fallout from tariffs?
David Beckham – Liberal
Mark Carney’s Liberal government has acted swiftly to support workers and businesses in our region affected by tariffs, including duties on softwood lumber. We’ve made it easier to access Employment Insurance supports and will use ALL proceeds from Canadian tariffs to help workers facing temporary or permanent layoffs.
We will do more than help local businesses weather this storm. We see this as an opportunity to build the fastest-growing economy in the G7 by combining 13 separate economies into one single Canadian economic powerhouse, removing all federal internal trade barriers by Canada Day.
This region’s vibrant technology and manufacturing sectors – from environmental start-ups in the Blue Economy to well-established enterprises – will have the resources of the $5 billion Trade Impact Program to reach new markets and navigate challenges like losses from non-payment and currency fluctuations. In addition, $500 million in favorably priced loans is available to support businesses affected by tariffs. Businesses in the region will also welcome major new supports for apprenticeships in the skilled trades.
Of importance to South Island farmers is $1 billion in new financing, available through Farm Credit Canada, to reduce financial barriers facing our agriculture and food industry.
Elizabeth May – Green
South Island workers and businesses need a strong voice during times of crisis. I’ve been that voice. During the pandemic, I worked directly with former finance minister Bill Morneau and identified glitches in his COVID relief plans. Getting a "fix" for Island churches – Anglican and United requested help – but the changes applied to all. I also worked closely with companies like Wilson's Transportation and Butchart Gardens to reorient programs.
In this "dumbest ever" trade war – to quote the Economist – Greens propose to protect resource-based industries with "strategic reserves," buying our own resources for Canada's best interest.
We see opportunities in the tourism sector by aggressively promoting our local attractions to Canadians who do not know our region with the message: "Plan to Vacation Here!" to replace their (cancelled) U.S. holidays.
That said, the Trump policies have unleashed a host of economic uncertainties. Canada is likely to fare better than other countries, but we could be in a global recession. We need to make our own economy more productive and efficient by removing interprovincial trade barriers.
Where damage occurs, and communities, workers and businesses are at risk, I will move fast in concert with MPs across party lines to ensure economic supports and relief are at hand. We can get through anything if we stick together as "Team Canada."
Cathie Ounsted – Conservative
As your representative, I will fight to ensure that counter-tariff revenues directly support our affected workers and businesses. These aren't just statistics – these are our neighbours, our local shops, and the backbone of our local Saanich-Gulf Islands economy.
I believe in practical solutions: low-interest loans that help businesses weather this storm, targeted subsidies that preserve jobs, and meaningful tax relief for those hit hardest. This isn't about temporary band-aids – it's about building resilience.
For too long, inter-provincial barriers have divided our Canadian family. I'll work tirelessly to tear down these unnecessary obstacles, creating new opportunities for our businesses to thrive across Canada.
Here in Saanich-Gulf Islands, our farmers stand at a pivotal moment. As demand for local products rises, I'll champion workforce development programs that ensure our agricultural community can meet this challenge. This isn't just about responding to current tariffs – it's about building a more self-sufficient future where our community never again faces such vulnerability.
Together, we'll transform this challenge into an opportunity to strengthen our local economy and build a more resilient Saanich-Gulf Islands.
Colin Plant – NDP
This has been the biggest issue I have heard from my neighbours in Saanich-Gulf Islands. New Democrats know that workers and businesses are the backbone of this country and we will work hard to ensure they know we’ve got their backs in this trade war. We would meaningfully improve Employment Insurance (EI) by raising the Maximum Insurable Earnings and increasing the benefit rate above 55% to ensure workers can count on livable benefits that actually cover the bills. We would reduce the threshold for qualifying to a universal 360-hour standard and extend benefits to contractors and self-employed workers. We would also expand EI Work-Sharing programs to help businesses avoid layoffs. New Democrats would also eliminate the one-week waiting period for EI benefits and extend coverage duration to 50 weeks.
We would safeguard jobs through strategic investments. Launch a massive building plan focused on shovel-ready infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, transit, and health facilities – using Canadian materials like steel and creating unionized jobs. Build an east-west clean energy grid with Canadian products to deliver affordable, secure energy while creating thousands of green jobs. Lastly, we would ensure every dollar collected from retaliatory tariffs directly supports impacted workers in industries impacted by tariffs.
2/ What do you see as the best way to address the cost-of-living crisis?
Elizabeth May – Green
The best way to address the cost-of-living crisis is to recognize housing as a human right and treat the housing crisis as a national emergency. Green Party policies prioritize federal leadership in building purpose-built, affordable rental housing through fair tax treatment and sustained funding. We advocate a rapid expansion of cooperative housing and social housing, with wraparound services for the most vulnerable. At the same time, we must put an end to the financialization of housing – eliminating Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and other speculative mechanisms that treat homes as investment vehicles rather than places to live.
As inflation eases, we also need to focus on food affordability and local food security. That means defending supply management to support our local dairy farmers and ensuring grocery giants are required to stock locally grown food. Supporting small-scale farmers and regional food systems will help stabilize prices, reduce emissions, and keep more money circulating in our communities.
By investing in housing and food systems rooted in sustainability and fairness, we can ease the pressure on Canadian families and build long-term resilience. The Green Party is committed to solutions that address both immediate needs and the structural issues behind this crisis.
Cathie Ounsted – Conservative
I've listened to families across Saanich-Gulf Islands struggling with impossible choices – groceries or mortgage payments, seniors watching savings diminish, young people priced out of homes.
After a decade where Canadian living costs have outpaced other nations, it's time for change. As your Conservative representative, I'll deliver real tax relief – cutting personal income tax by 15%, from 15% to 12.75%. For average workers earning $57,000, that's $900 back annually. For two-income families, that's $1,800 for groceries, activities, or savings.
To address our housing crisis, I'll eliminate GST on homes under $1.3 million, opening doors to homeownership that have been closed to too many.
I believe in government that serves people. The 43% growth in federal bureaucracy while our population grew by just 15% diverts resources from essential community services.
I'll champion housing development through federal lands, faster approvals, skilled trades support, and capital gains deferrals for Canadian investments.
With your support, I'll build an affordable future where Saanich-Gulf Islands remains a place everyone can thrive, not just survive.
Colin Plant – NDP
My NDP colleagues and I will make your life more affordable by: scrapping the GST on basics like grocery and restaurant meals, diapers, kids’ clothes, phone and internet bills and home heating. We would also put a price cap on basic essentials at the grocery store so everyone can put dinner on the table for less. New Democrats have proven that they work hard for everyday Canadians, and we would continue to fight for them, not billionaires.
It is clear that corporate greed is driving up the costs of everything we rely on. We would also get the federal government back into building the right housing to meet the needs of Canadians. It is crystal clear that developers and corporate landlords have no interest in making housing affordable. We need more co-ops, more subsidized and truly affordable homes, and we’ll get them built.
David Beckham – Liberal
The best way to address the cost-of-living crisis is to leave more money in the pockets of Canadians. This is why the Liberal government will immediately deliver a middle-class tax cut, saving a two-income household up to $825 a year.
Under Mark Carney’s leadership, the government has already taken action to lower the upfront costs of essentials, like gas, by cancelling the consumer carbon tax. This has prompted the BC government to follow suit, lowering the price at the pumps in the region. We are also waiving entrance fees to national parks and historic sites this year.
The cost of housing has represented an insurmountable barrier for many young families in the region. We will double the pace of home construction over the next decade to almost 500,000 new homes a year and eliminate the GST on all homes up to $1 million for first-time home buyers.
The new national Dental Care Plan has helped more than 1.7 million Canadians receive much-needed care. This saves patients an average of $800 in dental care costs, helping those who might otherwise
3/ With the South Island’s aging demographic, what would you do to ensure Canada’s seniors continue to have access to the services they need?
Cathie Ounsted – Conservative
Every time I visit the community centres and farmers' markets across our islands, I'm reminded that our seniors built the community in Saanich-Gulf Islands we cherish today. You deserve health care and financial security that honours your contributions.
I'm heartbroken watching our world-class health-care system crumble when you need it most. Three-year waits for family doctors and seniors traveling off-island for basic care is unacceptable. I'll fight to eliminate the 13 different licensing bureaucracies that keep qualified healthcare professionals from serving you.
My commitment to you is personal. My plan puts you back in control of your retirement with meaningful tax relief – allowing working seniors to earn up to $34,000 tax-free, $10,000 more than now. You can keep RRSPs growing until age 73 instead of 71, while I protect your OAS, GIS, and CPP benefits.
It's simply wrong that low-income seniors face effective 50% tax rates through GIS clawbacks. Your prudence and work ethic should be rewarded, not punished. My party is also offering a $5,000 TFSA top-up for funds invested in Canadian businesses. It will help us become more self-reliant and sovereign as we stand on our own two feet and stand up to the Americans.
I wake up every morning determined to create a community where our seniors receive the care they deserve, right here in our riding Saanich-Gulf Islands.
Colin Plant – NDP
New Democrats believe that if we stand together, we can fix health care, stop price gouging and make homes affordable for seniors. We fought to make sure that all seniors can go to the dentist with the NDP dental care program, and we will work hard to expand it while continuing to advocate for free medication for seniors with universal public pharmacare.
New Democrats would also bring in a National Seniors Strategy to make seniors' health care a priority, reduce isolation and tackle seniors’ poverty. We would lift all seniors out of poverty by increasing the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). We would take the profit out of long-term care. We would work with all partners to build accessible and affordable housing to increase choices for seniors. We would ensure that seniors with pensions are at the front of the line when corporations fail. You’ve worked all your life to make Canada the amazing place it is, and now we will work to ensure you have the retirement you planned for.
David Beckham – Liberal
Mark Carney is committed to protecting ALL federal government services and benefits that are important to seniors. These include public health care, dental care and pharmacare. Seniors in the region who have been diagnosed with diabetes, for example, now have coverage for the medications and supplies they need, saving them as much as $1,700 a year.
Liberals are stalwart champions of the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement. To protect Canadian seniors and their retirement savings in this time of unprecedented economic uncertainty, Mark Carney’s Liberals will:
● Reduce the minimum amount that must be withdrawn from an RRIF by 25% for one year
● Increase the Guaranteed Income Supplement by 5% for one year, providing up to $652 more for low-income seniors, tax free
In addition, we have introduced a more flexible and accessible Employment Insurance Compassionate Care Benefit to help Canadians caring for a seriously ill family member, rather than only those caring for a loved one at risk of death.
Many seniors in this region are dedicated CBC supporters who agree with Mark Carney’s decision to increase funding by $150 million for our national public broadcaster.
Elizabeth May – Green
The COVID pandemic laid bare serious deficiencies in for-profit long-term care. No one should have been living in the unacceptable conditions found in some senior residences, such as where the Canadian Army was called to rescue seniors. We support the calls for community-based and non-profit homes and an end to shift work and low-wage staff.
Green policies ensure that senior care is prioritized under the Canada Health Act, including a focus on aging in place with supports to stay in one's own home as long as a person wants to. Loneliness is a dangerous health condition, connections and social contact are vital.
Greens have a number of programs to ensure fragile seniors have a knowledgeable and reliable "check-in" through reforms to Canada Post and through our proposed Civil Defence Corps. We will also continue to demand affordable and reliable public ground transit for all Canadians, which is especially important for seniors who find driving at night uncomfortable. We have a full range of programs, including in our full seniors strategy with details in the platform.
