Economy and jobs the focus at Nanaimo provincial candidate forum

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BC Conservative candidate for Nanaimo-Gabriola Island Mark MacDonald. (Image Credit: Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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Economy and jobs the focus at Nanaimo provincial candidate forum

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Speaking about local economic drivers, NDP incumbent for Nanaimo-Gabriola Island Sheila Malcolmson said the NDP government has added several new local worker resources.

“With VIU at the centre of our economic driver, for us to have doubled trades training and added specifically for VIU, a number of trades training seats this summer, in addition to the trade centre that we built in 2018, I can so imagine the potential with federal commitments around ship-building, the great opportunities at the Port of Nanaimo. There’s very little unused industrial land in coastal B.C., but there we are at the Port. We’ve got huge opportunities to harness that federal, VIU worker partnership.”

She added an NDP government would focus public dollars on hiring B.C. workers and suppliers.

NDP Incumbent for Nanaimo-Gabriola Island Sheila Malcolmson. (Image Credit: Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Candidate for the BC Communist Party for Nanaimo-Lantzville Pepper Saltman said there is a gap between what’s good for business and what’s good for the people, with her party prioritizing the people.

“What a workers’ government can do to address business uncertainty is to act as a reliable, major buyer for made-in-B.C. products and services. One example is our promise to build a massive amount of new social housing. This will make us a major buyer for B.C. trades and lumber that will keep mills open, and provide a real alternative to the export of raw logs.”

She also said if elected, her party would build all new BC Ferries in the province.

Candidate for the BC Communist Party in the Nanaimo-Lantzville riding Pepper Saltman. (Image Credit: Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

BC Conservative candidate for Nanaimo-Lantzville Kelsey Pringle said small businesses need more support, with huge economic consequences for the province when those businesses fail.

“We need to look at why our workforce is unemployed. We need to look at small businesses and how we help them. I’m a small business owner myself, my husband and I, and we work with small businesses across British Columbia, and taxes have been raised, it was something like 40 times since 2017, plus PST. This is unsustainable. This idea of taxing ourselves to prosperity is not working for small businesses.”

Candidate for the BC Conservative Party for Nanaimo-Lantzville Kelsey Pringle. (Image Credit: Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

BC Green Party candidate for Nanaimo-Gabriola Island Anna Mary McKenzie said she thinks we need to turn away from “divisive tactics” and work together locally and province-wide.

More support for young people, local farmers, and groceries, while turning towards each other and away from divisive tactics.

“We are in a trade war with the south, and to our east we have a province that’s deciding in the next couple of weeks that’s deciding within the next couple of weeks if we’ll be separating, so now is the time as British Columbians to really come together, once again to be supporting small business owners, to be supporting people here where we are at in this community, spending our dollars here.”

Nanaimo-Gabriola Island candidate for the BC Green Party Anna Mary McKenzie (Image Credit: Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

NDP incumbent candidate in Nanaimo-Lantzville George Anderson said he’s heard how businesses are feeling the impact of tough economic times, and his government is focused on providing more opportunities to train B.C. workers.

“That’s where we need to be looking at our B.C. procurement program to make sure that B.C. businesses are put first, rather than saying, ‘Let’s look to the United States,’ like Conservatives are saying, we should line up with Donald Trump. We need to look at creating the best British Columbia possible by ensuring we’re uplifting every single business in British Columbia.”

Anderson said government should stand up and protect every citizen, and the BC Conservatives have brought “divisiveness” to the province.

NDP incumbent candidate for Nanaimo-Lantzville George Anderson. (Image Credit: Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

BC Green Party candidate for Nanaimo-Lantzville Sharleen Weatherley was the only candidate not in attendance.

Election day for the provincial vote is Oct. 24, with advance voting available between Oct. 16-21.

More details on local candidates can be found in our Provincial Election section.

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