Thursday, 28 April 2011 12:41

There's only 4 days left before we elect a new government. Do you know who you're voting for yet?

The candidates for the Trinity-Spadina riding are Rachel Barney (Green), Christine Innes (Liberal), Gin Siow (Conservative), Chester Brown (Libertarian Party of Canada), Nick Lin (Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada) and incumbent Olivia Chow (NDP).

Residents of Liberty Village can cast their ballot at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Meeting room A at 1001 Queen Street West. The polls open at 9:30am and stay open until 9:30pm.

Here is a run-down of the key points of each of the candidates:

Olivia Chow (NDP):

An NDP government plans on working with the provinces to bring about increases to the Canada/Quebec Pension Plan benefit, with the eventual goal to double the benefits received. They will introduce a Job Creation Tax as well as implement a new tax credit to help with the up-front costs of renovations to make your home more energy-efficient.

The NDP party would also re-introduce legislation to ensure that Canada meets the long-term target of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions to a level 80 per cent below that of 1990 by the year 2050.

Christine Innes (Liberal):

A Liberal government will commit to reducing the deficit to one percent of GDP within two years, down from 3.6 percent in 2009-10. They will concentrate on three key sectors expected to be sources of growth in the global economy in the coming years: clean resources, health and biosciences, and digital technology.

The Liberal party will work with the provinces, territories, First Nations and conservation groups to protect more of Canada’s intact wilderness areas. This effort will emphasize an ecosystem-wide approach to conservation.

Gin Siow (Conservatives):

A conservative government plans on creating jobs through training, trade and low taxes. The conservative party plans on eliminating the deficit by 2014-2015 by controlling spending and cutting waste. They are investing in the development of Canada’s North, cracking down on human smuggling and strengthening the Canadian Armed Forces.

The conservative party will support families through their Family Tax Cut and give additional support for seniors and caregivers. They are also making our streets safe through new laws to protect children and the elderly.

Rachel Barney (Green):

A Green government plans to create thousands of jobs through investment in renewable energy, expanding passenger rail and modernizing freight, retrofitting thousands of buildings to high standards for energy efficiency. They would also reform, revise and rethink our current trade agreements and would end the failed strategy of corporate bail-outs for big business, and subsidies to nuclear and fossil fuels.

The green party would create a healthy agriculture sector, with support for those who wish to transition to organic farming. They will move forward in implementing the spirit of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Chester Brown (Libertarian Party of Canada):

A Libertarian government would not support Kyoto or any similar agreement. They reject the attempted power-grab by bureaucrats in the name of global-warming fear mongering. The Libertarian Party of Canada believes that Canadians should be free to run their own lives instead of the government dominating the lives of Canadians through taxes and regulations.

Ultimately, their goal is a society that moves away from coercive taxation completely to a system of fees for services. They want Canadians to pay only for the services they use and agree to.

Nick Lin (Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada):

The Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada is very concerned about the political situation in Canada whereby the current political arrangements are used to disempower the polity and block them from having a say in the affairs that affect their lives. These issues include that attacks on social programs and public services, the wrecking of the Canadian economy by the monopolies or Canada's involvement in coups and foreign aggression, such as Haiti, Afghanistan and now Libya.

You can follow what people are saying about the election in Liberty Village and Trinity Spadina through the twitter hashtags #trinspa #Elxn41

Whoever you support this May 2nd, remember to vote!

--David Taller