Elections
Will your platform promote the growth of manufacturing jobs in Hamilton? If so, how? If not, why not?
Responses to the question: "Will your platform promote the growth of manufacturing jobs in Hamilton? If so, how? If not, why not?"
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6 Candidate Responses (top)
| Hamilton East-Stoney Creek | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Bob Green Innes | Yes | The Canadian Action Party intends to promote jobs in Canada by undertaking a critical review of the entire NAFTA and free trade systems which seem to have morphed into conduits for siphoning wealth into secrecy bound tax havens such as Delaware and the City of London. For example Google, of do-no-evil fame, uses the Irish Sandwich and Double Dutch technique.
Not only is there extreme anger in our ranks over such things as National Treatment Clause and Chapter 11, which arguably diminishes our ability to protect our natural and economic environments, but there is no doubt that the playing field is tilting dangerously toward complete corporate abdication of any responsibility toward the jurisdictions in which they operate. Please sign my petition to end or isolate tax havens. Whether such jobs end up in Hamilton depends on whether the city can become more competitive, relative to its neighbours. While the fact that Hamilton has shouldered more than it's share of social services and other public entities should be redressed, I believe that Hamilton must work diligently on management problems that are beyond the purview of the Federal Government. Further, while CAP has no policy on the matter, my own belief is that the unnecessary and ill timed Pan Am Games, and any similar undertakings should be canceled forthwith until such time as the global financial problems have been resolved, our recommended Monetary System Reform has been implemented and other pressing priorities have been dealt with, such as fixing the education boondoggle which sees too many new grads hobbled by excessive student debt. The entire practice of the federal government trying to control everything through funding only serves to disconnect the taxpayer from the equation. |
| David Hart Dyke | Yes | Yes, it will. While Canada has been insisting that it can't be done, Germany has created a green energy sector from scratch that now employs more people (in well-paid jobs) than its auto sector. I would work hard to persuade green technology manufacturers to move here and take advantage of Hamilton's excellent existing industrial infrastructure, educated workforce and geographic advantages.
In addition, the Green Party favours economic stimulus measures that would put Hamilton to work on a wide variety of projects intended to help the city's businesses, homes and infrastructure adapt to a world where energy costs will continue to increase. Measures to build and retrofit energy-efficient housing and small businesses, increase local food production, build better public transit, and more are part of our platform. And we have economist-reviewed means to make it happen without jacking up peoples' taxes. |
| Gord Hill | Yes | Yes, I have spent my life developing markets and products in the plastics industry. Things have changed drastically. My last business was in high volume injection moulding this was lost to mainly China. I decided to go into digital printing acquiring the highest quality machines available and led the City in technology this lasted only a short while as technology is moving so fast that it has become extremely competitive with many of the post secondary schools pumping out designers creating an over supply of designers and printers. What we need to do is look at products based on our Natural Resources and apply our Human Resources to them. We must be competitive on a World Wide basis. One example for me is to be the World producer of Stainless Steel Sinks we set up a manufacturing line from the beginning until the end product, utilizing Canada's Nickel, Iron Ore, etc. producing the roll in line and stamping the product out at the other. Our goal would be to manufacture all Stainless Steel Sinks for all World manufacturers under license, They design we produce. We look at products that would benefit from having a savings in freight and and the gain of opening the North American market to them those companies outside of North America with Patented products who are truly here for the purpose of growing and the utilization of our Resources that they could not get otherwise. We help Canadians by facilitating and helping them meet their goals of creating new products and markets - our Financial Institutions, Universities, Colleges and Governments are set up to promote these ideals. |
| Greg Pattinson | Yes | Libertarians are high on economic freedom. Canada is currently ranked number three in the world on economic freedom, which is why our economy fared so well and was the strongest of any industrialized nation during the '08 recession. Being number three means there is still room for considerable improvement. Even the highest ranked country could improve. By removing unnecessary bureaucratic restrictions it would not only promote growth in manufacturing but also in all sectors of the economy. |
| Wayne Marston | Yes | I have responded to two questions together, as the solutions are inextricably linked. No program to rebuild Canada's manufacturing base will succeed unless policies are in place to insure that Canadian materials are used in the production of Canadian goods.
Take steel, for example. The NDP will implement policies to promote the use of Canadian steel wherever steel is used in manufactured goods in Canada-in shipbuilding, automobile production, and so on. There are over 50 small, steel related firms in Hamilton, and they will benefit enormously from the NDP plan to reduce the small business tax rate. We will also extend the Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance for eligible machinery and equipment acquired before 2016. As part of our plan to promote small business and jobs, we will as well introduce a Job Creation Tax Credit that will provide up to $4,500 per new hire. We will likewise continue funding projects such as the metallurgical research currently being undertaken at the McMaster Innovation Park. With more and more R&D being undertaken locally, businesses are more likely to locate and/or remain in Hamilton. As for foreign investment, last November the NDP tabled a motion to amend the Investment Canada Act. We believed then and believe now that the Investment Canada review process is too secretive and has failed to ensure incoming direct investment is, in fact, in the interest of Canadian workers. The NDP motion does away with much of the secrecy that currently surrounds the takeover approval process, and would allow more transparency by requiring public hearings on the bids and public disclosure of the government's reasoning for bid approvals. |
| Wendell Fields | Yes | The MLPC in Hamilton is at the fore-front of the work to oppose the nation-wrecking of the monopolies, and for manufacturing. We are part and parcel of the Canadians from coast to coast who are organizing and fighting on the basis Our Resources Stay Here! and Manufacturing Yes! - Nation-Wrecking No! Governments must do their duty and stop the rapacious monopolies like U.S. Steel, Vale Inco, Xstrata, BHP Billiton, Exxon Mobil and others who come to Canada and try to dictate to the Canadian people what is going to happen with their industries and resources.
The wrecking by global monopolies of the resource and manufacturing base of our economy has brought to the fore key questions for all of us. Who should profit from Canada's natural resources -- the people or global monopolies? Who should control the direction of the economy? What is the aim of the economy and Canadian society? Who decides? Under neoliberal globalization, the resources which belong to the people and which are needed to build a society which recognizes the rights of all are being stripped away. Neoliberal globalization is destroying jobs, especially in the manufacturing sector, and reducing wages and benefits and the ability of retirees to live in dignity. Hamilton knows this scenario only too well, as USW 1005 members are still locked out by U.S. Steel, and we continue to lose the factories and jobs that made Hamilton a manufacturing town. MLPC fights for public right, not the narrow selfish interests of domestic and foreign monopolies. These monopolies must be restricted so that they cannot simply do whatever they want to expand their empires at the expense of the workers who produce the wealth, Canada's socialized economy and social fabric. It is outrageous that these monopolies can mumble something about "rationalizing production, competition, production costs or inefficiencies" and then simply shut down plants, destroy entire industries as they have with forestry or ship raw resources and jobs south. Public right must control the direction of the economy, not monopoly right. Public ownership of these resources where the people decide their use and development is required. This starts with workers organizing themselves so as to elect governments that permit the people to exercise control over the natural resources and social wealth for purposes of building a pro-social and self-reliant economy which enters into relations of mutual benefit with others. At the very least, this requires that: * Monopolies must not be permitted to shut down mines, mills, and entire industries, throwing workers onto the street and doing harm to the local and national economy; * Resources must be upgraded, processed and manufactured in Canada and near their source. * Wholesale prices must be publicly controlled, not left in the hands of the speculators and price-fixers. * Monopolies who exploit natural resources must be held to agreements to provide a definite number of jobs at Canadian standard wages and working conditions, including pensions for retired workers. * The public and governments have the right to decide on the claim of the owners of capital on their invested capital to ensure that the investment is of mutual benefit to both Canada and the investors and not one-sidedly to the narrow benefit of owners of capital and ripped out of the economy. * The public and governments have the right to oversee and direct the impact of the project on the environment and to appropriate the needed funds from the monopolies to harmonize the project with the natural environment. For Hamilton specifically, the MLPC has various proposals which are outlined in our daily online newspaper (at cpcml.ca) which can be searched through google or other internet search engines. |
Response Summary (top)
| Brief Response | Count | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 6 | 100.0% |
| No | 0 | 0.0% |
| Maybe | 0 | 0.0% |
3 Candidates Have Not Responded (top)
| Hamilton East-Stoney Creek | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bob Mann | ||
| Brad Clark | ||
| Michelle Stockwell | ||
