As we continue our federal candidate profiles, here’s Kelly Block, Conservative candidate for Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek.
We asked each candidate to respond to four questions. The following article represents the candidate's responses, edited for space.
Agriculture is dependent on numerous factors including weather patterns, market conditions, and input costs, among others. If elected, what does your party intend to pursue in terms of programming to protect and support the agriculture industry in the province?
Conservatives have always stood with our farmers. We have been clear that we are going to eliminate the legislation which allows the federal government to impose a carbon tax.
The cost of the carbon tax to farmers, the entire ag industry and supporting industries like transportation and fertilizer has been astronomical.
Mark Carney has been a supporter of the carbon tax from the beginning, and the Liberals continue to support imposing it on industries. Conservatives will eliminate the carbon tax for real, for good for everyone.
Saskatchewan is resource rich, but it also has a well-established core of manufacturing, particularly in rural centres in or bordering on your riding. What would your party/government ensure to undertake to help small to mid-sized manufacturing and value-added ventures to prosper?
I have appreciated learning about and getting to know the many manufacturers in the iron triangle. Conservatives know that small to medium sized businesses are the backbone of our economy.
Earlier in the campaign, the Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre announced a platform commitment, and that was the Canada First reinvestment tax cut.
Any person or business selling an asset will pay no capital gains tax when they reinvest the proceeds in Canada and companies that reinvest in active Canadian businesses will also defer any capital gains tax.
Pierre (Poilievre) also announced that a Conservative government will introduce a two for one law mandating that two regulations be repealed for every new one imposed. This will ease the administrative burden on taxpayers and small businesses significantly.
A Conservative government will cut red tape, unleash our workers and unleash our businesses. And of course, it was the Conservatives that committed to acting the carbon tax everywhere for good, which will also lower the lots for small and medium sized businesses.
Affordability and housing are of heightened concern, not only in large urban centres, but also in rural communities, some of which are poised to see expansion. How would your government help support consumers in the face of rising costs and foster an environment that promotes affordable housing?
This is something that our leader and the Conservative Party have been talking about for quite some time, a Conservative government will incentivize municipalities to cut building taxes by reimbursing those municipalities 50% of every dollar of relief that they offer on development charges up to a maximum of $50,000 in savings for new home buyers.
This is on top of the commitment made to eliminate the sales tax on new homes under $1.3 million, which will save home buyers up to $65,000. So, when you combine the two policies, this will lower the cost of a new home by up to $115,000. This is a simple, non-bureaucratic way of making new homes more affordable. This common-sense conservative idea keeps it fair and simple, and it applies across the entire country.
What do you see as a key critical issue that you and your party, if elected, would need to step up to address in your riding?
I think what we've seen most recently is the need for export diversification, whether it is for oil and gas, lumber, canola, grains etcetera, we need to develop diverse markets for the resources that our province produces.
As well, we need to create the transportation infrastructure that includes pipelines needed to supply new markets around the world. That is why a Conservative government will create the Canada First National Energy corridor and create the rapid Resource Project Office and eliminate 25% of red tape.
And finally, we have committed to working with the provinces to remove interprovincial trade barriers.