10 Key Island issues in the federal election
Times Colonist
While many of the issues during a federal election are national in scope, the 2011 campaign has seen a number of local topics dominate discussions at candidate debates and on the doorsteps in the six Vancouver Island ridings.
Here are 10 hot Island issues, and where the four main parties stand on them.
1 HST REPAYMENT
If B.C. voters reject the province's 12 per cent harmonized sales tax in the upcoming referendum, B.C. faces a penalty from the federal government. That's because the province got a $1.6-billion incentive to adopt the tax by merging the Provincial Sales Tax with the federal Goods and Services Tax. (B.C. has received $1 billion already with the remaining $580 million due on July 4.)
However, NDP leader Jack Layton says his party will fight for B.C. to keep the incentive.
The NDP and the Greens say B.C. residents shouldn't have to pay a punishment fee for rejecting a tax they never wanted.
Conservatives and Liberal leaders won't touch the "hypothetical" referendum outcome. The Liberals suggest they'd consider the national and provincial fiscal climate and negotiate a fair and flexible repayment. In February, Prime Minister Stephen Harper sidestepped the Times Colonist's question on repayment: "It is up to the provincial government to decide what form of sales tax they want, whether they want to harmonize their sales tax with the federal sales tax or not. Our position as a federal party which has distinguished us clearly from our opposition is that we have lowered the federal sales tax and we believe it should stay low."
2 OIL TANKER TRAFFIC
Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. has proposed a $5.5-billion plan to build two pipelines that would carry oil from northern Alberta to a port in Kitimat, where it would be put on tankers to travel to Asia. The company's application is still being assessed by a federal regulatory process. If it's built, 225 oil tankers a year could traverse the waters along B.C.'s north and central coast, taking the oil to China.
In December, a non-binding motion passed 143-138 in the House of Commons to formalize a moratorium on tanker traffic through the Dixon Entrance, Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound.
However, the Conservatives did not support the bill and aren't required to act on it as it is not legislation. Last week, leader Stephen Harper said the Tories will not impose a legally binding ban on oil tanker traffic off the west coast. The Conservatives say an existing voluntary moratorium between the Canadian and U.S. coast guards, in place since 1972, already creates an "exclusion zone" that stops tankers from coming down the Inside Passage.
On the other hand, the Liberal, NDP and Green parties all say they would formalize a ban on oil tanker traffic off B.C.'s west coast.
3 MCKENZIE OVERPASS
It's hard to be more pro-overpass than Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca Conservative candidate Troy DeSouza who has dubbed himself "the McKenzie overpass guy," even introducing himself to voters that way and brandishing the slogan on his campaign vehicles.
Somehow, over the course of two elections now, DeSouza has made highways -which is a provincial issue -a hot-button federal issue. He argues that the congestion of commuter traffic at the intersection of McKenzie Avenue and the Trans-Canada Highway is a transportation nightmare that negatively affects quality of life for West Shore families. He proposes that, as an MP in a minority or majority Conservative government, he will deliver federal funds for the overpass, estimated to cost about $35 million.
The other candidates are less enthusiastic.
Liberal candidate Lillian Szpak argues it's possible an overpass is needed but it should be part of an integrated transportation system that includes dedicated transit and cycling lanes, and the "gold standard" of light rail. NDP candidate Randall Garrison suggests a new interchange is a "showy" election promise that will only move congestion along to another intersection. The key, he says, is to improve alternate transportation systems to get people out of their cars. Green party leader Elizabeth May says putting money into the E&N corridor is a better option.
4 HALIBUT FISHERY
The halibut fishery opening this spring has been marked by a debate over quotas set by the federal government. Fisheries Minister Gail Shea announced that the commercial fleet will keep an 88 per cent share of the catch this year, and the sports fishery the remainder under a formula set in 2003. Recreational anglers want a bigger piece of the pie. Shea has said the matter will be studied before the 2012 season.
This issue has loomed large on the Island, particularly in the three ridings north of Greater Victoria. Vancouver Island North Liberal candidate Mike Holland favours first allocating a set number of B.C. halibut to recreational fishermen before the commercial quota is set. He also suggests slowly transferring quota from holders who are not on the water.
The Green party's Sue Moen suggests transferring commercial fishing quotas from corporations to individual fishermen or fishing communities.
NDP candidate Ronna-Rae Leonard likened the current quota system to privatizing the fishery, which sees many fishermen leasing quotas from the holders. These fees hurt both sectors, she says.
Conservative candidate, and the incumbent MP, John Duncan said he will work with the fisheries minister to find a solution in the interests of all sectors prior to the next season.
5 HARM REDUCTION
In 2003, InSite, Vancouver's supervised injection site, opened as a way to guide drug users toward detox and treatment, reduce needle sharing and public disorder, and reduce overdose deaths. The controversial facility has been closely watched by politicians and health-care workers on Vancouver Island, particularly in Victoria, who have debated whether this type of harm reduction should be employed here as well.
The centre has operated under a special exemption of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, granted by the former federal Liberal government. However, the Conservatives refused to continue the exemption in 2008, and the issue has landed in the courts. On May 12, the federal government will try to prove to the Supreme Court that it is justified in shutting down InSite.
The Conservatives say their focus is to put more money toward detox and treatment services and crack down on drug-related crime. The Liberals, NDP and Greens say drug addiction is a health issue, not a criminal issue and that scientific research is solid that supervised injection sites are a compassionate and effective way of managing addictions, reducing overdose deaths and the spread of disease.
6 E&N RAILWAY
The future of the E&N rail service appears in doubt after the Island Corridor Foundation, which owns the rail line, suspended Dayliner service last month because the tracks are in such poor shape that it was unsafe for passengers.
All four of the major parties have pledged their support for the E&N service, which runs up and down the Island. But the Conservatives remain vulnerable on the issue, having failed to back up their talk with cash.
The foundation asked for $15 million from the provincial and federal governments last year to do repairs -they have yet to get an answer. The other parties have made much of the fact the Conservative government neglected the tracks, while still finding money for the elaborate McTavish interchange near Victoria International Airport. The Liberals, Greens and NDP all promise to do a better job than the Tories of protecting and upgrading a valuable transportation link.
7 FISH FARMS
Both coasts of Vancouver Island are dotted with fish farms. Opponents claim opennet pens are a threat to wild salmon and the environment, while supporters point to jobs in remote communities, and say economically viable, closed pens remain experimental.
Vancouver Island North Conservative candidate John Duncan said the government has invested more than $70 million in improving environmental monitoring and science and supports strictly regulated aquaculture operating transparently.
Liberal candidate Mike Holland wants more scientific studies on farm placement, fallowing and closed containment.
"We don't want to rush out and ruin the industry and the science has to be done first. Hopefully we can find a balance between jobs and the environment."
The NDP wants the industry to move to closed containment systems to protect wild salmon and ensure long-term, sustainable jobs.
The Greens oppose open pens and want aquaculture moved out of the Fisheries and Oceans mandate so the DFO can concentrate on protecting wild fish.
8 CFB ESQUIMALT
Keeping control of the navy's ships on the West Coast seems to be one issue all four parties seem to agree on -and that's no easy feat in the hotly contested riding of Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca where most of the base's employees live.
This month, news reports indicated the navy had been discussing moving the command and control of the Pacific fleet from CFB Esquimalt to CFB Halifax in an effort to find efficiencies and save money. That would see some top command and operational jobs at CFB Esquimalt go to Halifax.
However, all the parties and their candidates in Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca came out strongly against having any part of the base moved out of the riding.
RAVEN COAL MINE
A proposal to build a 3,100hectare underground coal mine near Fanny Bay has been a contentious issue in the Comox Valley, particularly regarding the type of assessments needed before a decision is made on the project. Currently, the Raven Underground Coal Project is undergoing a provincial environmental assessment simultaneously to a federal review under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
The NDP says an "utterly rigorous" environmental assessment is needed and wants the project reviewed by an independent panel of experts with full public consultation.
The Conservatives support "environmentally responsible resource development," stringent assessment and a balance between jobs and the environment.
Liberals say proponents must come to the table with the best environmental protection proposals, the necessary science must be done and the assessment must be of the highest standard.
The Greens want to see a federal/provincial panel, a process for funding intervenors and sufficient time allowed to look at all environmental impacts.
10 COAST GUARD SHIPS
The future of the Coast Guard's 70-foot cutter Point Race remains a hot issue in Vancouver Island North. While in Opposition, Conservative MP John Duncan criticized plans to replace the vessel with a 47-foot lifeboat. The Point Race was designed to deal with highspeed tidal currents in Discovery Passage, while its replacement lacked those capabilities, he said.
But Duncan changed his tune in government. Last month, he said it becomes harder to argue against fleet renewal as years pass. The aging Point Race will be replaced with a smaller search and rescue lifeboat being built in Victoria.
Opponents accuse Duncan of flip-flopping and putting lives at risk. Liberal Mike Holland says the Point Race has plenty of life left in it and should be kept in service. The NDP's Ronna-Rae Leonard says the cutter should be replaced with a vessel of equal size and capability. The Green party has yet to take a position.
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