Winnipeg South Q and A – Gordon Giesbrecht

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/10/2015 (3656 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg South is home to 85,540 people, based on the 2011 census, and includes the University of Manitoba and new developments of Waverley West. There are 62,156 people registered to vote in the riding.

The riding covers an area of 105 square-kilometres and includes neighbourhoods on both the east and west side of the Red River.

Four candidates are running for MP in Winnipeg South. Based on community  issues and concerns, The Sou’wester posed the same questions to each candidate to find out how they hope to work for the community if elected to Parliament.

Here are Conservative candidate Gordon Giesbrecht’s answers:

Q: What will you and your party do to support university students and their families, given that the province’s largest post-secondary institution is in Winnipeg South?

A: I look forward to bringing a unique perspective to Parliament as the representative of Winnipeg South, having studied both at community college where I became a journeyman carpenter and at university where I earned a PhD, before spending much of my career teaching at the University of Manitoba. This election we have committed to enhancing our Registered Education Savings Plans by doubling the federal grant for low- and middle-income families. We have also directly supported the cost of helping Canadians attend a post-secondary institution.

In addition, our Conservative record in Winnipeg South speaks for itself: a new University of Manitoba Active Living Centre and substantial investments in research and training at both the University of Manitoba and the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology.

Q: How will you and your party support immigrants and newcomers in the riding?

A: I will continue to advocate for policies that improve access, and quality of life, for new Canadians in the riding. Immigration helps create the jobs, growth and long-term prosperity of the future right here in Winnipeg South. Our Conservative government has welcomed the highest sustained level of immigration in Canadian history.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

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The Conservatives are the only party that will protect and maintain family reunification by maintaining the 10-year multiple-entry Super Visa. The Super Visa has reunited over 60,000 parents and grandparents have been reunited with their loved ones since 2012, with average processing wait times of only three months.

Q: Many families in the expanding areas of Winnipeg South lack access to community clubs and public schools etc. in their neighbourhood. How will you and your party ensure these constituents have equal access to public amenities?

A: One of the challenges in a fast growing community is ensuring that the necessary infrastructure keeps up. Which is why we’ve dramatically increased federal investment in infrastructure since 2006.

Infrastructure spending is now at an all-time high. Through our New Building Canada Plan, Manitoba will see almost $1.2 billion in dedicated federal funding, including more than $467 million under the New Building Canada Fund and an estimated $713 million under the federal Gas Tax Fund. As Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South, I will continue the hard work of Rod Bruinooge to secure funding for projects that benefit our community.

Q: Residents who have had door-to-door Canada Post delivery for decades have lost that service in favour of community mailboxes and more residents will be affected. How do you feel residents in the riding will be affected by the end of door-to-door delivery?

A: Those who live in seniors’ residences, apartments or condos where mail is delivered to the lobby; and rural customers with a mailbox at the end of their driveway, will experience no change. With our growing community, most neighbourhoods won’t experience any change, but for those households that will be transitioning I hope they understand Canada Post cannot continue an out-dated model.