Introduction
I have lived in Lakeland most of my life, and I currently live on a farm near Two Hills with my husband. I grew up on a farm near Chipman where our family ran a small business, so the importance of family, neighbours, community, commitment, and hard work was instilled in me. I have both federal and provincial political and government experience, and a professional background focused on Alberta's heavy oil and oil sands sectors, and skilled trades education. Now more than ever, I believe Albertans need people in government who understand the challenges and opportunities of the sector, how important it is to most aspects of our economy, and who will actively promote Lakeland's best interests and contributions to Canada.
1 - What would you do to address the problems such as labour shortages caused by the changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program?
Alberta's economy is different from other provinces and securing adequate labour is one of the challenges of our robust economic activity that contributes so much to the whole country. I know Lakeland has unique labour market needs, so I will be a strong advocate for our specific circumstances and for our small business community. The federal Conservative government will also accelerate the service standards for foreign credential assessment decisions for target, high-demand occupations - like nurses, welders, carpenters, electricians and physicians - from one year to 60 days. We have committed to making it faster, fairer and more affordable for new Canadians and Canadians trained abroad to get their foreign credentials recognized in Canada.
2 - What would be your party's direction to create increased economic and job stability?
Lakeland is experiencing job losses in the energy sector because of low oil prices. The last thing our communities need is hiked taxes, increased red tape, parties that oppose pipelines and elected representatives who "want to leave oil in the ground" because that would cause permanent damage to our economy, jobs and livelihoods.
Our Conservative government's economic plan to lower taxes on individuals, families, seniors and businesses, to balance budgets and to generate favourable trade agreements will create 1.3 million jobs by 2020. Canada has the strongest job creation record in the G7, and our plan to reduce the EI premium rate, cut payroll taxes, lower the small business tax rate from 11 percent to 9 percent, reduce red tape by 20 per cent and establish the Canada Job Grant and increasing the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit will keep our economy growing and moving forward. We recognize businesses are job creators and I believe that governments should keep finding ways to allow businesses to keep more of their resources so they can invest, hire and expand, and employees should be able to keep more of their pay to save and invest in their priorities.
3 - What is your stance on Canada's role in the Syrian refugee crisis?
The crisis must be addressed at all three levels: confronting ISIS militarily, providing humanitarian aid, and through refugee resettlement. Canada has rightly joined with our allies in the fight against ISIS, which has threatened Canadians directly, and is committing horrific atrocities against innocent men, women and children. Our federal Conservative government is taking a balanced and multi-pronged approach while safeguarding Canadians' security, contributing humanitarian aid in the region and announcing early in the campaign our commitment to welcome additional persecuted religious and ethnic minorities while ensuring security along with adequate resources to provide refuge here.
4 - What do you feel the federal government should be doing to support agriculture, especially in years of drought or other environmental disaster?
Our federal Conservative government has focussed on opening up new markets for our agricultural products and continues to support the agriculture sector by investing in innovation, competitiveness and market development. Over 5 years, $406 million will be invested in Alberta alone to help the agriculture sector meet future opportunities and challenges as well as strengthen its productive and competitive position in the Canadian economy. Agriculture and energy are the key economic drivers in Lakeland and the federal Conservative government's low tax and red tape reduction plan and increase in the Lifetime Capital Gains Exemption to $1 million for agricultural businesses will benefit farmers directly and keep more money in their pockets and their communities. All three levels of government need to work together to support producers and agricultural businesses during times of drought, infestations or other environmental disasters.
