By Joe Boulé
Health care. Education. Workfare. Tax cuts. Law and Order. Those are some of the issues that have dominated the election on the provincial scene.
It’s not much different on the local level.
Like most provincial elections, the issues that surface in the ridings are generally a microcosm of the “big picture” throughout Ontario. But at a local level — in Ottawa Centre — words such as “education cuts” get replaced with more concrete examples such as “McNabb Park.”
Throughout the short campaign, the Liberals and New Democrats leaders have attacked Progressive Conservative cuts made to health care and education in the past four years. The Tories are hoping that Ontario’s growing economy, increased jobs, fewer people on welfare and income tax cuts will get them re-elected.
Liberal candidate Richard Patten and New Democrat Elisabeth Arnold believe that the Tories have hurt health, education and community services in Ottawa Centre. But their alignment in identifying the same issues ends there. Both candidates are offering different solutions to oust what Arnold calls “the most anti-family, pro-sexist government that we’ve had in a long time.”
“I think if you look at health care, look at education, look at affordable housing, those are the issues that we confront every day when we walk down the street,” said Arnold, a former Ottawa city councillor. She believes the Tory cuts transcend demographics and affect everyone.
“We see it in the increase in homeless people on our street who aren’t getting the mental health services they need . . . in the lack of affordable housing…or whether you are a homeowner…there’s a commonality of interest there.”
Arnold is backing the NDP’s “master plan” of reversing a Tory implemented income tax cut that is enjoyed by only the wealthiest in the province. According to the NDP, that would free $1.5 billion to reinvest into faster hospital services, cutting tuition, controlling rent and would keep small schools like Centretown’s McNabb Park from closing.
“I’ll fight to the death on (school closures),” said Patten, who attended all-candidates debate two weeks ago that focused on early childhood education. When the issue of McNabb Park was briefly raised, he said adamantly “that place should not close.”
“If there’s excess space, let’s get creative. Let’s use it for day-care space, for training, for (English as a Second Language), for organizations who may want to use it,” said Patten.
He also wants to give a property tax break to small business owners, stop hospital closures and provide more funding for programs like women’s and homeless shelters. — But as with his party — Patten remains evasive on where the funding for these projects will come from. According to the Liberal plan, the first priority is to balance the budget and then give a tax break to lower and middle income workers.
Progressive Conservative Ray Kostuch is virtually ignoring the above issues — banking on the idea that people are more worried about their jobs than about health care and education.
“I’ve been going door to door and people say it’s the economy. People are concerned about jobs and they’re concerned about having their own jobs — about their neighbours having jobs — and rightfully so, because if people have jobs, people are generating wages,” he says. “If we don’t have economic growth, we cannot finance those social programs we’ve all come to rightfully expect from our tax dollars.”
Kostuch, an engineer and chartered accountant, said the Conservative income tax cuts actually stimulate economic growth because people have more money to spend. In turn, this will increase the total revenue of the government. That money can then be used for social programs.
“We have a right to very high social programs, and I’m thinking of education and health care. With a strong economy and with tax revenues we are able to re-invest in those two areas and also in all the other areas that we’re concerned about.”
On a local level, Kostuch wants to tackle the current construction trade-war between Ontario and Quebec is he’s elected.
While the three major parties discuss taxes, education and health services, on the perimeter are fringe parties such as the Green Party which are offering something completely different — focusing on the environment.
Chris Bradshaw, of the Green Party, is trying to entice voters with clean air, less traffic and safe streets.
“Why don’t we consider strengthening the quality of our neighbourhoods? More eyes on the street. Why can’t we provide more programs for young people . . . municipalities in this province cannot take on any new responsibilities without the permission of the province,” said Bradshaw.
He said the key to a better riding is a provincial government that can understand the “ecology of municipalities.”
In the end, it’s the voters who decide what the important issues are in any election. They set the agenda which politicians follow in their quest to get elected.
That was demonstrated at the child-care all-candidates’ forum where the NDP and Liberal candidates talked for two hours on child care even though the issue is an official part of their respective platforms.
Why? Because it was important to the voters who attended. Any observer who went to the debate would have thought that early childhood education and daycare were at the top of the Liberal and NDP platforms.
Only the members of the Conservative Party (whose absence spoke volumes) gave an accurate reflection of their priorities.
But usually politicians will adopt anything that is important to the voter in order to win their support.
NDP candidate shares plans with Gina Harris
Reversing tax cuts to wealthy wage earners will be Elisabeth Arnold’s top priority if elected to Queen’s Park.
Rolling back the cuts granted to the top six per cent of income earners by the Harris government will give the NDP $1.5 billion to reinvest in Ontario communities.
The NDP platform promises to restore rent control, build affordable housing, and enhance shelter allowances to help the homeless rebuild their lives. It also promises to cut university and college tuition fees by 10 per cent, protect junior kindergarten, and repeal Bill 160, which gives the government control over taxation and school funding.
Arnold’s job as a city councillor for Somerset Ward brings her face to face with people looking for affordable housing, or worried about school closures, or seeking fast and competent health care for aging parents. The fact that community resources have been gutted to pay for tax cuts to benefit the wealthy makes her angry. Angry enough to make the move from municipal to provincial politics.
“This is the most anti-family, sexist government that we’ve had in Ontario in a long while,” said Arnold, speaking at an all-candidates forum on child care. It was a forum in which no Conservative candidates took part.
Equally frustrating to Arnold is the lack of outrage by the Liberals towards Harris government policies.
“. . . most of our local members are Liberal, including the leader of the party, Dalton McGuinty. And that caucus has been completely silent on these really important issues that have devastated our community. So, it’s out of a real anger at what’s happened in our community, and the lack of any effective opposition that I’ve decided to run,” she says.
Arnold believes she can make a difference, whether as a government MPP or an opposition MPP. Over the past four years she has made her presence felt on city council, despite being the only New Democrat there. She stood up to the NCC’s plan to demolish 16 blocks of Metcalfe Street, and fought to keep the Plant Pool on the city’s priority list.
Outside of City Hall, her community involvement ranges from chairing the winter walking committee, to her work on committees studying the housing needs of women and youth.
Arnold is an accomplished kayaker, and was a member of the Canadian National Canoe team for five years. She says the discipline required to excel in sports, and the ability to focus on a goal serves her well in the political arena. In fact, her greatest personal achievement was not quitting after losing her first attempt to get elected to municipal government.
Whatever the outcome of the provincial election, she will continue to better the lives of people in her community.
“Making a difference is what is the most satisfying thing for me in life.”