Legend

• CON Conservative
• LIB Liberal
• NDP New Democratic Party
• COM Communist
• GRN Green
• IND Independent
• CHP Christian Heritage Party
• PPC People's Party

• How big of a priority is it to balance the federal budget?

  Essential

  High priority

  Neutral

  Low priority

  Not important

  GRN

  Paul Bettess: It is important to not leave the next generation of Canadians with a huge public debt. But it is also important that we prepare Canada for the coming climate emergency.

  CON

  Melanie Maher: The Conservative party has a plan to balance the budget within 5 years. Canadians have a choice, a choice to continue down the path of the tax-and-spend Liberal plan, or they can choose a Conservative government who will be fiscally responsible and is focused on helping Canadians get ahead.

  NDP

  Jean-Paul Lapointe: While run away deficits and debt are to be avoided, most people recognize that it would be almost impossible to buy a house without a mortgage. Balancing the budget is secondary to helping Canadians fight climate change, technological change, and providing social services.

  LIB

  Terry Duguid: It is important to strive for a balanced budget. But we must also support low and middle class Canadians, seniors and our most vulnerable citizens, even if that results in a small deficit. Government spending can drive economic growth. For example, the tax-free Canada Child Benefit, which helps 9 in 10 families with the cost of living, is mostly spent in local economies, spurring growth and job creation. Too much emphasis on government cuts to services for the sole reason of lowering the deficit can stall economic growth. I think the Liberal government gets the balance right. Over the past four years, Canada had the fastest-growing economy in the G7 countries and record low unemployment. To put the size of our deficit into perspective, Canada has the lowest debt burden in the G7, and our debt-GDP ratio is less than a third of where the United States is now.
  • Did not respond:
  • PPC Mirwais Nasiri

• I would rather have more money in my pocket through tax cuts than have the federal government increase spending on public services.

  Strongly agree

  Somewhat agree

  Neutral

  Somewhat disagree

  Strongly disagree

  GRN

  Paul Bettess: Of course I want more money in my pocket, but I also understand that it takes money to continue to provide essential public services.

  CON

  Melanie Maher: The Conservative party has a plan to balance the budget without risking the delivery of critical health services and social programs. There are so many ways to reduce spending by eliminating wasteful spending that we have seen under Justin Trudeau’s leadership. For example, $215,000 for Trudeau’s vacation to the Bahamas, $155,000 on a red leather couch, or $17,000 to bring a personal chef on Trudeau’s disastrous trip to India to name a few.

  NDP

  Jean-Paul Lapointe: The power of pooling our resources is huge. The government may give you back $50 a check, but in order to give you that $50 they must either reduce services by $150 or borrow money. When those services are reduced, the $50 you saved in taxes isn't going to be enough to buy the services you've lost.

  LIB

  Terry Duguid: This is not an either / or question. The answer depends on where the tax cuts are targeted. Conservative governments give tax breaks that mostly benefit the wealthy, then cut services for everybody else to make up for that lost revenue. How do people in Ontario feel about Premier Doug Ford’s tax cuts for the wealthy, and resulting cuts to vital government services? Cuts to services often mean money out of pocket for the average family. Small tax breaks for low and middle income brackets don’t make up for that. Our Liberal government, on the other hand, cut taxes in a meaningful way for the middle class and raised them for the wealthiest 1%. By asking millionaires to pay a little more, the Liberals are able to maintain support for vital public services for everybody.
  • Did not respond:
  • PPC Mirwais Nasiri

• In 2018, about 320,000 immigrants came to Canada. Is that the right number?

  Way too many

  Too many

  About right

  Too few

  Way too few

  GRN

  Paul Bettess: Canada needs to have immigration to help the economy as well as to continue to make Canada a diverse country

  CON

  Melanie Maher: A Conservative government will work immediately to restore fairness, order and compassion to our immigration system. We will safeguard and emphasize economic immigration, stand up for families and ensure spouses and children can be reunited. We will improve language training to ensure greater proficiency in English and French to newcomers’ ability to succeed economically and socially. We will improve credential recognition and make it easier for new Canadians who have existing skills that meet our standards to work here. We all lose out when doctors and engineers are not able to practice their profession.

  NDP

  Jean-Paul Lapointe: Immigration continues to be a strong source of growth for Canada, and always has been. Canada is stronger when we keep families together and help newcomers contribute to our communities.

  LIB

  Terry Duguid: With the exception of Indigenous peoples who have been here for millennia, Canada is a country of immigrants. Our immigration process is working well. Immigration is very good for our economy, supplying skilled workers, new businesses, customers and cultural richness. Evidence shows that as immigration levels have gone up, unemployment levels have gone down. Through the very successful Provincial Nominee Program (partnership between the governments of Manitoba and Canada), Winnipeg’s population has grown over the past 20 years, and our unemployment rate has indeed dropped. In order to expand our tax base and make life more affordable for everyone, Winnipeg is striving to reach a population of one million people. Immigration can help contribute to that.
  • Did not respond:
  • PPC Mirwais Nasiri

• In 2018, about 28,000 refugees came to Canada. Is that the right number?

  Way too many

  Too many

  About right

  Too few

  Way too few

  GRN

  Paul Bettess: We are going to have large numbers of people who are not just fleeing a tyrannical government, but who are escaping countries that no longer have livable space for them as the Oceans swallow up the most densely populated parts of the world along coast lines that are only meters above the current Sea level.

  CON

  Melanie Maher: No Comment

  NDP

  Jean-Paul Lapointe: Canada has a commitment, morally, to help those in crisis. We have the resources to help and we should help.

  LIB

  Terry Duguid: The Canada we know today acts with compassion towards people fleeing danger and persecution, and honours international agreements regarding refugees seeking asylum. Canada has welcomed successive waves of refugees throughout its history and has seen them become productive and valued citizens. All refugees arriving at our border undergo rigorous assessment and not all asylum claimants become permanent residents of Canada
  • Did not respond:
  • PPC Mirwais Nasiri

• How important is it for Canada to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions?

  Essential

  High priority

  Neutral

  Low priority

  Not important

  GRN

  Paul Bettess: We are in a climate emergency, you can't breathe money. And we need to start acting now before it is to late

  CON

  Melanie Maher: 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. As an environmental policy, the carbon tax is a failure of epic proportions. It makes virtually no contribution to the global fight against climate change. The carbon tax only makes life more expensive for Canadian families and small businesses. We should all be concerned about the kind of planet we leave behind for future generations. The Conservative party has a real plan to protect our environment that is built on three guiding principles: green technology, not taxes; a cleaner and greener natural environment; and taking the climate change fight global.

  NDP

  Jean-Paul Lapointe: Climate change is the most serious existential threat of our time, possibly ever. All other problems and solutions aside, if we don't have a planet to live on, how much our tax bill ends up being is somewhat irrelevant.

  LIB

  Terry Duguid: We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions quickly. A re-elected Liberal government will work toward a net-zero emissions Canada by the year 2050, with legislated targets at five-year intervals. I have been working on a local project that shows how innovation will help us achieve our ambitious targets. The Brady Road Landfill, in Winnipeg South, produces an enormous amount of methane gas. Methane fuels climate change, and the garbage dumped at Brady Road releases the same amount of pollution every year as 70,000 cars. The federal Liberal government invested $1.3 million to help the City of Winnipeg boost the efficiency of the Brady Road Landfill gas capture system from 48% to 75%. I want to work toward 100% methane capture, and support building the infrastructure needed to use this gas to power the University of Manitoba.
  • Did not respond:
  • PPC Mirwais Nasiri

• Should Canada approve the construction of new fossil-fuel pipelines?

  Definitely

  A few

  Maybe

  No

  Get Canada off oil

  GRN

  Paul Bettess: No more oil!

  CON

  Melanie Maher: Trudeau wants to get rid of an industry that puts food on the tables and hundreds of thousands of Canadian families, generates untold growth and wealth across the country and pumps billions of dollars into government coffers for programs and services. To do it, he has launched an all-out legislative attack. Andrew Scheer has a six-point plan to get projects built: cancel the carbon tax; repeal Bill C-69, the no-more pipelines bill; end the ban on shipping traffic in British Columbia; establish clear timelines and get Indigenous consultations right upfront; and ban foreign-funded advocacy groups from disrupting approvals.

  NDP

  Jean-Paul Lapointe: Fossil fuels and carbon based energy are a key part of the climate issue. The government should not be directly or even indirectly supporting continuing growth of fossil fuel industry.

  LIB

  Terry Duguid: We need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and move to a green economy as quickly as possible. This change needs to be managed in a way that gives Canadians time to transition to renewable energy and that helps those who work in the fossil fuel industry time and support to transition to new jobs in a changing economy. Oil and gas will need to be transported while this shift is taking place. Any pipeline approval must be based on the most rigorous environmental assessment and consultation with Indigenous people.
  • Did not respond:
  • PPC Mirwais Nasiri

• Handguns should be banned in Canada.

  Strongly agree

  Somewhat agree

  Neutral

  Somewhat disagree

  Strongly disagree

  GRN

  Paul Bettess: Why do you need to have a hand gun. Are rifles and shotguns not enough.

  CON

  Melanie Maher: A Conservative Government will put criminals who use guns behind bars for a long time. Justin Trudeau’s approach to this issue fails to address the real problem – criminals who use guns to commit violence. Blanket bans and new rules on those who already obey the law do nothing to keep our street safer. We will ensure that anyone who has a smuggled gun goes to prison. We will tackle so-called “straw purchases”. In addition, we will beef up our border enforcement to stop guns from being smuggled into Canada.

  NDP

  Jean-Paul Lapointe: Handguns should continue to be a tightly regulated privilege in Canada.

  LIB

  Terry Duguid: I am very concerned about community safety. A re-elected Liberal government will ban all military-style assault rifles and will allow cities to restrict or ban handguns.
  • Did not respond:
  • PPC Mirwais Nasiri

• To what extent do you feel there is a need for reconciliation between Canada and Indigenous peoples?

  Great need

  Some need

  Neutral

  Low need

  No need

  GRN

  Paul Bettess: It is time to mend the relationship that Canada has with the Indigenous people of Canada. Indigenous people need to be treated with the same respect that we would treat any other Canadians

  CON

  Melanie Maher: The Conservative party supports the reconciliation process with Indigenous peoples. We are focused on bringing forward policies that make real and measurable improvements in the lives of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. Conservatives support effective investments in important areas, such as access to housing, health services, and good quality drinking water. It is critical that government spending translates into meaningful results on the ground.

  NDP

  Jean-Paul Lapointe: The lack of federal government support for first nations communities and people is appalling. We need to have a solid plan to provide safe housing, clean drinking water, and access to to health care. People living in indigenous communities in Canada are living in conditions that we would expect in 3rd world countries, not Canada. This needs to be address in the first 120 days of government.

  LIB

  Terry Duguid: I believe that reconciliation with Indigenous and Métis people is of the utmost importance for Canada. Our Liberal government has made progress, such as ensuring that Freedom Road was completed to Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, and eliminating 87 long-term drinking water advisories in First Nations communities on the way to lifting all of them by 2021. The future of Canada's relationship with Indigenous Peoples, and our ongoing journey of reconciliation, transcends any one government. We need to continue to move forward, to a place where Indigenous Peoples in Canada are in control of their own destiny, making their own decisions about their future. Together, we have made progress, but more work needs to be done to keep moving this most important relationship - and our country - forward.
  • Did not respond:
  • PPC Mirwais Nasiri

• Some of Canada’s big cities want the federal government channel funding directly to them for things like transit, rather than sending funding to the provinces to distribute to cities. Is that a good idea?

  Great idea

  Good idea

  Neutral

  Bad idea

  Terrible idea

  GRN

  Paul Bettess: This way the cities are sure to get the funding. It will not depend on the Provincial government of the day and their policies.

  CON

  Melanie Maher: The Trudeau Liberal record when it comes to infrastructure is one of failure. They have failed to work with our municipal and provincial partners to get shovels in the ground and deliver projects on-time and on-budget. It was our previous Conservative government that understood the importance of the Gas Tax Fund and extended it, doubled it from $1 billion to $2 billion annually, and legislated it as a permanent source of federal infrastructure funding for municipalities and communities. Andrew Scheer and Canada’s Conservatives have a plan to work with municipalities and to get much-needed projects built so Canadian families can get ahead.

  NDP

  Jean-Paul Lapointe: Especially in provinces where Conservative governments are acting uncooperatively with the federal government, the federal government should seek to bypass those premiers and deal directly with communities.

  LIB

  Terry Duguid: In some cases, this can be a good idea. The federal government already does send some funding directly to cities for roads and public transit.
  • Did not respond:
  • PPC Mirwais Nasiri

• The Canadian government should implement a pharmacare program to cover the cost of prescription drugs.

  Strongly agree

  Somewhat agree

  Neutral

  Somewhat disagree

  Strongly disagree

  GRN

  Paul Bettess: Canada is one of the few Developed Nations that has universal health care, but not universal Pharmacare. It is time for us to catch up. Canadians should not have to decide if they want to buy food / pay for utilities or buy the sometimes live saving medicines that have been prescribed by their health Care professional.

  CON

  Melanie Maher: The Liberals have been promising a pharmacare plan for decades and have done absolutely nothing about it. It was in their 1997 election platform and was again promised in 2004. There is no reason to believe this time will be any different. We believe that every Canadian should have reasonable access to the healthcare they need. Conservatives know that some Canadians legitimately struggle to pay for prescription medications. However, the evidence shows that this is not a problem for the vast majority of Canadians. According to the Conference Board of Canada, 98% of Canadians currently have or qualify for a prescription drug plan. Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives are focused on bringing forward solutions that address the priorities of Canadians, and policies that put people before government.

  NDP

  Jean-Paul Lapointe: A national pharmacare program is a logical extension of the current medical system. People should not be forced to choose between paying rent and buying necessary medication.

  LIB

  Terry Duguid: No Canadian should go without the medicine they need. A re-elected Liberal government will implement Universal Pharmacare to make prescription drugs more affordable and accessible
  • Did not respond:
  • PPC Mirwais Nasiri

Reset your answers