Conservative candidate Helen-Claire Tingling makes her case

By Helen-Claire Tingling

Canada is a beautiful country that is rich in natural resources, is home to some of the world’s most talented individuals, and has been a leader on the world stage. I am a proud Canadian, but watching the direction that Trudeau’s Liberals have taken this country worries me. Over the past four years Justin Trudeau has raised taxes, racked up debt and deficits, and made life more expensive for people like you and me. I am running to champion the people of University–Rosedale so that they can get ahead, not just get by. 

When it comes to housing affordability, this Liberal government is not as 
advertised.

I am running as the Conservative candidate in University–Rosedale to put more money in your pocket. I am running to lower personal taxes. And I am running to make life more affordable for Canadians. 

Two-thirds of Canadians feel that they either can’t pay their bills or they have nothing left over at the end of the month after they do. Gasoline. Groceries. Home heating. Real estate. Debt. Everything keeps getting more expensive. People are barely getting by. And they’re definitely not getting ahead. 

Trudeau has hiked taxes on small business owners and ended tax credits that make things like dance lessons and transit passes more affordable. Another four years of Trudeau’s runaway spending and we will have an economic crisis on our hands with debt and deficits forcing either massive tax hikes or deep cuts to essential services to cover the spending. Or, some terrible combination of the two.

When it comes to housing affordability, this Liberal government is not as advertised. Their heavy-handed mortgage stress test, their raising of mortgage insurance premiums, and their punishing new taxes on middle class Canadians have made it harder to realize the dream of homeownership. 

Another four years of Trudeau’s runaway spending and we will have an economic crisis on our hands with debt and deficits forcing either massive tax hikes or deep cuts to essential services to cover the spending.

Not only is Canada failing to hit our Paris Agreement targets, we are getting further and further away. Canadians trusted Justin Trudeau when he said he would protect the environment and lower Canada’s emissions. Instead, all they got was a carbon tax. 

The good news is that we have an opportunity to change course. 

A Conservative government will live within its means. Under a Conservative government, any new spending not already budgeted for must be paid for from savings within the government. Put another way, if you decide to take a family holiday, your roof repair has to wait. You can’t do both. Your bank account is not a bottomless pit, and neither is the taxpayer’s pocket. 

A Conservative government has committed to working with provinces and municipalities to knock down regulatory barriers that discourage new home construction so more homes can come on the market to lower prices. 

Under the Conservative plan, it will not be free to pollute – and unlike the Liberal scheme, there will be no sweetheart deals for anybody. The Conservative plan recognizes that we can create more jobs in Canada through technological growth while at the same time lowering global emissions.

It is hard enough to get by without the government making it more difficult. And if you work hard, you should be able to buy a home, save for retirement, and care for your children and your parents as they age. 

Canadians families work hard; they deserve a government that will work just as hard for them.