The Feb. 2017 Auditor General鈥檚 Report says B.C. is the most indebted province in Canada鈥ut the Liberal Party says they are balancing budgets and everything is great. It鈥檚 that kind of high-handed, lie-to-you-with-a-straight-face attitude that compelled Leah McCulloch to run for office.
鈥淏.C. desperately needs a Conservative voice in government - one that fosters accountability, integrity and transparency,鈥� says Leah.
Conservatives believe in representing citizens and not special interest groups; leaner government and lower taxes; decreasing red-tape for business; promoting self-sufficiency and entrepreneurship; and balancing creation of jobs, environmental protection and free enterprise. We also support the military, agriculture and local food security, a prevention-positioned healthcare system, a student-centred education system, a well-funded justice system and senior鈥檚 care.
That being said, as we know we will not be forming government; this time our strategy is to hold the new government accountable and work to maximize benefit to our community.
Key points for the Comox Valley are below. Much more info will be at www.LeahMcCulloch.ca along with the Conservative policy document.
1. Be accountable: a) Government must use recognized accounting systems and declare actual debt honestly.
b) We need transparency on donations not only to political parties but also non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which lobby hard to affect elections and often have international funders. We need to know who is influencing our government, our vote and why.
2. Create a self-sustaining community. We can create an economic hub here for entrepreneurs, retirees, and tourists (think Sedona or Nappa). A key element is farmers. There are global forces trying to take down sovereign borders, and squeeze small producers out. We need to fight against this with everything we have. If we can鈥檛 feed ourselves we are in deep trouble.
3. Environment a) Protect our watershed by buying it or changing the rules around use. b) Repeal the carbon tax. It鈥檚 bad for business, punishes rural communities and farmers, is a tax on everything that requires transportation or heat such as schools, food, and hospitals. While there are clear and definite climate changes occurring, carbon doesn鈥檛 account for the dramatic increase in volcanoes, earthquakes, and sinkholes around the world. We urgently need to understand what is happening鈥he carbon tax won鈥檛 necessarily change a thing but it WILL punish the disadvantaged.
c) Fukushima nuclear plant is a more pressing problem as it is uncontainable and continues to spew radioactive material into our ocean. What can we do? How can we prepare? What are the effects on our ocean and ourselves? Our government is eerily silent on this issue.
Leah exhorts people who want honest, transparent people-focused government to 鈥渃ome home鈥� to a BC Conservative Party resurrected.
鈥淔orget all the noise out there,鈥� McCulloch says, 鈥渁nd vote with your values, instinct, and heart.鈥�
Leah is the Right Choice 鈥� Right Now to be your MLA. She will be adding more ideas/articles and videos over the next couple of weeks to her website at www.LeahMcCulloch.ca. Drop in or call her office at 250-897-1857.
