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Clinton News Record, 2015-09-02, Page 22 News Record • Wednesday, September 2, 2015 Liberals looking to restore integrity: Thompson Dave Flaherty Postmedia Network Huron -Bruce Liberal candi- date Allan Thompson says his partywants to bring "integrity" back to Canadian politics. Thompson, a formerjoumal- ist with the Toronto Star, Kincar- dine Independent and Teeswa- ter News and a journalism professor at Carleton Univer- sity, said he has spent a lot of time on Parliament Hill and he has never seen an administra- tion as antagonistic as Stephen Harper's Conservatives. "It's striking how much things have changed," Thomp- son said. He said this opinion is one that many voters have shared with him while on the cam- paign trail. "The single most common thing I've heard is that it's time for a change. People are out- right hostile to the Harper gov- ernment," overnment, he said. "They feel very strongly about the issue of integrity:' Thompson said the role of an MP is to represent the voice of their constituents. "You can do that much more effectively if the (party) leader is willing to hear you;" Thompson said. "My intention is to be the voice of Huron -Bruce in Ottawa, not the other way around:' Thompson said the Liberals want to bring a voice back to Canada's middle class. "There is a sense of frustra- tion as people feel they cannot save (money)," he added. He said Conservative pro- grams such as income -splitting would only help a "small minority of Canadians' Speaking on the economy, Thompson said Stephen Harp- er's reputation as a "good eco- nomic manager" is a "bit of a myth. "He inherited a good econ- omy, Canada had its best econ- omy under Jean Chretien and Paul Martin," he said. Thompson said health care is the single biggest issue to voters. While provincial govern- ments oversee health care spending, Thompson said the federal government's role is to set national standards and make sure the "best practices" are being used. He said health care has been negatively affected because "Harper simply doesn't talk to the premiers" and bases rela- tionships with the provinces "purely based on the ideology of his brand of conservatism:' He was also critical of Harp- er's decision to call an early election. "People are quite annoyed. It's just too early" Thompson said. He feels Harper needs to explain his reasoning for his decision to put in motion Cana- da's longest election ever. Thompson said he has an incredible amount of respect for Justin Trudeau, as he believes Trudeau revitalized a party that was "essentially road kill" through "solid campaign organization': "I think he deserves credit for that. It's been a really significant rebound; Thompson said. He also credited Trudeau for remaining positive after what he called "reallyvicious Ameri- can-style attack ads:' "He is very genuine and knows we need to restore some kind of positive bal- ance," Thompson said. In regards to the "attack ads", Thompson said he understands parties will have harsh criticism for each other during an election but said he feels that kind of advertising has no part in Canadian politics. Lobb believes Conservatives' track record speaks for itself Dave Flaherty Postmedia Network Incumbent MP and Con- servative candidate Ben Lobb believes Huron -Bruce residents should look at his party's track record when casting their vote in this fall's election. "We've had 10 years of experience and a proven resume," Lobb said. "We were able to manage the economy out of one of the worst recessions on record while increasing health care transfers:' Lobb said the Conserva- tives were able to accom- plish "100%" of their plat- form from the 2011 election. With candidates currently partaking in the longest ATTENTION Youth Ages 7-19 BLYTH JUNIOR BROOMBALL REGISTRATION For 2015/2016 Season Wednesday, September 9, 7-9 pm Blyth Legion New players require COPY of birth certificate Players younger than 7 welcome, Atom team based on numbers EVERYONE WELCOME! Call Vicky 519-523-4870 www.blythjuniorbroomball.shutterfly.com JYNDALL'S 4 "SPECIAL" CLASSES: Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday Night from 6:00-7:OOpm Children Ages 5-7 • Ages 8-12, Teens & Adults Starts: Monday, Sept. 14, 2015 All classes hold at the Hui mesvil le Community Centre 482-3634 .1`r }lister call before September 12, 2015 Sensei Non Ty'n .II ak election campaign of all time, Lobb defended the timing of Prime Minister Ste- phen Harper's decision to dissolve Parliament. "If you recall back to June and July, all the four major party leaders were in 'cam- paign mode' already," Lobb said. "We haven't received any complains about it" Lobb said the major focus of his campaign platform would be "jobs and the economy': "A strong economy and environment in the country where businesses can grow is what makes our commu- nities strong and allows the country to provide strong health care, social programs and transfers to the prov- inces," Lobb said. Lobb said the Huron -Bruce nwmo riding has been able to bounce back from the recession. "We are actually quite a vibrant region," he said, not- ing that the unemployment rate in Huron -Bruce has been consistently lower than the national average. He said he has been told by many local voters about their dislike for Kathleen Wynne and the Liberal pro- vincial government, claim- ing their leadership has turned Ontario into a "disas- ter" and rising electricity costs are the main reason for businesses leaving the province. "People in our area can see the difference between a 10 -year Conservative gov- ernment and a 10 -year Lib- eral government," he said. NUCLEAR WASTE SOCIETE DE GESTION MANAGEMENT DES DECHETS ORGANIZATION NUCLEAIRES "In spite of the province, Huron -Bruce is rolling along." Lobb said some local busi- ness owners have told him that they are having trouble finding qualified workers. He said the Conserva- tives' Canada Jobs grant helped with issues like that but more should be done by the provincial govern- ment and the Ministry of Education to ensure work- ers have the skills they need. According to Lobb, other issues voters are interested in include the universal child care program and income -splitting. He disagreed with the notion that the income - splitting program will mostly benefit Canadians NWMO Learn More Centre The Municipality of Central Huron is one of several communities in the early stages of learning about Adaptive Phased Management (APM), Canada's plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization is working collaboratively with the community to advance preliminary assessment studies. If you would like to learn about APM, meet NWMO staff, ask questions or offer your thoughts, please drop in to the NWMO community office and Learn More Centre in Clinton. Everyone is welcome. with higher incomes. Opposing parties have charged that the Harper gov- ernment has been scandal - ridden in its decade of leadership. However, Lobb said, "If you are talking about Mike Duffy, people are sick of hearing about it." "The NDP owe nearly $3 million to taxpayers and the Liberals have had their own controversies," Lobb said. "At the doors I've knocked on, people are sick of hearing about all of this. People want to hear about positive topics" Lobb said every party is going for a majority, but he believes the Conservatives have proved they can "get Canada's business done with a minority government" NWMO Learn More Centre (Central Huron) 38 Albert Street, Clinton ON 519.386.6711 Tuesday Thursday 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.