The federal government should open the Canadian Constitution to provide more funding for municipal governments, says Carleton-Mississippi Mills NDP candidate Paul Arbour.

“We’ve heard about the Constitution, and it needs to be fixed,” said Arbour during a debate at the Holiday Inn Select on Oct. 2.

During question period, Kanata South Coun. Peggy Feltmate asked all the candidates whether they would support making cities stakeholders in the next round of constitutional talks.

Cities face a $123 billion infrastructure deficit, according to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Every year, the City of Ottawa struggles to balance the budget and pay for provincially-mandated social programs downloaded by the Ontario government in the 1990s, said Feltmate.

The NDP promises to give cities another cent from the gas tax for infrastructure funding to spend as they see fit.

Arbour said he would like to see cities receive more money directly from the federal government and address the fiscal inequities of downloading.

Gordon O’Connor said municipal funding is the responsibility of the provincial government.

“You should be going to Dalton McGuinty,” he said. “We have no plan whatsoever to open up the Constitution; we have no plan whatsoever to change the status of cities.”

The Conservatives are promising to cut excise taxes on diesel fuels in half and to continue its current level of infrastructure funding, $33 billion from 2007-11, including the gas tax transfer.

“The answer Mr. O’Connor gives is, ‘Tough,’” said Green party candidate Jake Cole, who said the federal government should consider opening up the Constitution.

The Greens are promising to raise the GST by one percentage point and direct the revenue to cities for infrastructure projects.

Liberal candidate Justin MacKinnon said the federal government needs to work with municipalities instead of putting up barriers.

“If you put up walls, you’re not going to get anywhere.”

The Liberals are promising cities $70 billion over the next decade for infrastructure improvements in Canada.

ECONOMY

O’Connor accused his opponents of running on “job-killing” economic policies.

“Others have great taxing plans, which is going to hurt the economy,” he said, comparing his party’s $15 billion election platform to the Liberals promises of $58 billion in spending over four years and the NDP’s $52-billion election platform.

Since it took power, the Conservative government has reduced the federal debt by $37 billion, said O’Connor, and has maintained a balanced budget.

The next federal government must continue this legacy of fiscal prudence, said O’Connor, following the recent economic crisis in the U.S. and predictions of a possible recession next year.

“We are living in a time of global financial uncertainty.”

The New Democrats are promising to eliminate $50 billion in corporate tax cuts and put the money into child care, infrastructure funding and health care.

The NDP wants to raise the 19.5 per cent corporate income tax rate to 22.12 per cent, the level it was at last year before it was cut by the Harper government, which plans to reduce it to 15 per cent by 2012.

MacKinnon said the federal government could help the riding’s failing high-tech sector by providing tax incentives for Green companies to invest in research and development.

Cole agreed, saying “E-tech, not just high tech – we think that’s the future of Canada and the world.”

HIGH TECH

MacKinnon called Carleton-Mississippi ‘a forgotten riding,’ pointing to long wait times for child care and 9,000 jobs lost in the high-tech sector.

“These jobs were lost right here in our riding,” MacKinnon said. “Our high-tech sector is going down in flames.”

O’Connor said his government gave $721 million in funding to the Ontario government for labour training, money that could be used by the Ottawa Talent Initiative, an organization that helps out of work high tech workers in Kanata.

Cole, MacKinnon and Arbour all support encouraging E-tech businesses to set up shop in the high-tech sector.

ENVIRONMENT

The Liberals Green Shift plan will tax polluters and put the money in the hands of people earning below $60,000 per year, said MacKinnon.

“The Liberals Green Shift is not a plan,” said O’Connor. “There’s no objectives and no timings.”

O’Connor said it will take over 16 months for tax payers to receive anything back from the government, while they face daily increases to fuel their cars and other price hikes caused by the carbon tax.

Cole said the Liberals borrowed the idea of the Green Shift from the Green Party.

He said taxing polluters is similar to alcohol and tobacco taxes.

“The things that are not good for us,” he said.

Arbour said an NDP government would provide tax incentives for companies to green their businesses.

“It’s all about making sure businesses who can’t afford to change that they have the funds available to do that,” Arbour said.

The Economy may be the biggest issue in the minds of voters right now, said Cole, but it will pale in comparison to the importance of the environment over time.

Canadians are willing to pay a little more to protect the planet, Cole said.

CHILD CARE

The NDP want to boost the federal baby bonus from $100 a month to $400 per child per month(non-taxable) for households earning less than $38,000 a year and $250 per child per month for households earning less than $188,000 a year.

“Your child will be supported to 18 years of age,” Arbour said. “We want it. Let’s get it.”

The NDP also promise to create 220,000 new day-care places in Canada over four years.

The Greens also want to create a federally-funded universal child care program and provide a $1,500 tax credit per child per year.

The Liberals will spend $1.5 billion over four years on child care.

“Our government has no interest in instituting a national day care program,” O’Connor said.

The Conservatives will continue to offer $100 a month for children under six.

LIGHT RAIL

Every candidate supports the city’s light rail project, and they all agree the project should start with an east-west route.

“We have to fight for east-west light rail,” said MacKinnon.

O’Connor said it should be up to the city to map its transit plan, adding that he doesn’t understand why it looks like council will choose a east-south route first.

“As an MP I don’t understand how the city could arrive at such a plan,” he said. “The west is left out for 10 years.”

INCOME TRUSTS

The Conservatives broke their word not to tax income trusts, accused MacKinnon during a debate at the Kanata Seniors Centre on Oct. 2.

He said the Tories plan to allow income splitting doesn’t help over 200,000 seniors.

In 2006, the Conservatives reneged on a campaign promise to stop taxing income trusts, over fears the government would lose billions to corporations preparing to take advantage of the new tax loophole.

“Eventually all of corporate Canada would have become income trusts,” O’Connor said.

Companies that declare themselves as income trusts don’t have to pay corporate taxes, and can then pass on savings to shareholders, offering an attractive investment opportunity for seniors.

The Liberals have promised to roll back to 10 per cent the Tories plan to introduce a 31.7 per cent levy on income trusts beginning in 2011.

HEALTH CARE

Canada should focus its efforts on preventing health care problems, said Cole, adding that Canada spends 10 per cent of its gross domestic product on health care.

Cole said the government should offer incentives and deterrents for individuals to make healthier lifestyle choices, by, for instance, taxing junk food and offering tax breaks on sports and exercise equipment.

Arbour said his party is promising to open up 100,000 more home care spaces and hire more doctors and nurses.

The Liberals will spend $1.3 billion to hire more doctors and nurses.

The Conservatives promise a six per cent annual increase to health care.

“Health care is delivered by the provinces,” O’Connor said. “We top up requirements.”