CanadaVOTES: Liberal David Remington running in Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox & Addington

September 19, 2008

On October 14, 2008, Canadians will be heading to the polls for the federal election. Liberal candidate David Remington is standing for election in the riding of Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington.

Wikinews contacted David Remington, to talk about the issues facing Canadians, and what they and their party would do to address them. Wikinews is in the process of contacting every candidate, in every riding across the country, no matter their political stripe. All interviews are conducted over e-mail, and interviews are published unedited, allowing candidates to impart their full message to our readers, uninterrupted.

Interview
Why are you running for political office, why at the federal level, why this party, and why in this riding?
 * I want to give people a chance. For 20 years I have been working in the community, serving on numerous volunteer boards, and municipal council.  I believe the Federal Government needs to be more involved in the everyday lives of Canadians.  I think the Federal Government has been too far removed and we must work together with municipal, provincial and federal levels of government to find solutions to the issues we have in communities across the country.  I believe the Liberal party of Canada is the party that supports everyday Canadians who are trying to make ends meet.  We are the party with that believes in the role of government.  I truly believe we are judged by how well we treat the least fortunate among us and Liberal party is committed to helping all Canadians reach their full potential.

'''Previous to this campaign, have you been politically involved? How will you apply your previous work/volunteer/life experience to serving your constituents?'''
 * I have been in business for 20 years and have served as a municipal councilor, deputy mayor and Mayor of the Town of Greater Napanee. I have served on numerous boards for 20 years and have a diploma in Restorative Justice from Queen's Theological College.  I have a proven track record of working with others in the community to make things happen and get things done.  I have worked to attract new business, spearheaded a new community centre, and have been involved in many social programs to help low income Canadians.  I will be a community based politician who believes that if we work together we can find innovative solutions to create jobs, invest in health care, tackle child poverty and seriously address the major environmental threats facing us.

'''As you campaign around your riding, it's likely that some issues are mentioned more often by voters, than other issues. What would you say are the three hottest topics this election, in your riding? What would you and your party do to address these issues?'''


 * The four issues that keep coming up at the door on a regular basis are: Environment, Economy, Child Poverty, Health Care


 * The average family household earning is $40,000 in my riding. A family of four will receive a net benefit of $1,600.00 per year through a personal income tax cut under the Liberal Green Shift.  The 700 largest polluters will pay the bulk of the new price on carbon which will then be returned to Canadians through Personal Income Tax Cuts.


 * I will work with community partners to create jobs in our local community. There are several Federal Programs we can bring to the local level such as the Community Futures Development Corporation which is federally funded, and run by a local board of directors who lend money to small and mid sized businesses. I will work to bring High Speed internet to the entire riding so folks can work from home and businesses will locate in our rural communities.  We need to have equal access for all Canadians to work from home.


 * The Liberal Green Shift will provide families with children an additional $350.00 per child, helping many low income families. We will also continue with the 1,200.00 families receive for each child $100.00 per month under the current governments child benefit.  I will work with low income folks and agencies that serve low income people to ask what they need and support them with available federal government programs.  I will support funding for housing for low income Canadians.


 * A new Liberal government has committed $900 million dollars for medical drugs that sick people require and that are currently not covered by drug plans. I support preventative health care measures in the community such as Community Health Care Centres and the use of nurse practitioners to ease up the load on doctors.

Is there any misconceptions about you, your leader, or your party and platform?
 * The Liberal Green Shift provides significant income tax cuts for everyday Canadians. Many people only think there is a price on carbon and do not understand that they will receive personal income tax cuts which will more than offset the price of carbon.  The average family will pay an additional $250.00 in direct costs to heat their home with oil or natural gas and the average family earning $40,000 per year will receive a Personal Income Tax Cut of $1,850.00 leaving them a net benefit of $1,600.00

'''There are more ways than ever to get your message out, from the traditional campaign fliers and lawn signs, to new media like websites, Facebook, and YouTube. The tried-and-true routes get the message out to the masses much easier, but digital alternatives are much more measurable in how many are seeing or interacting with your campaign. What seems to be the most effective, from your experience?'''
 * I have used a variety of methods to get our message out from door to door canvass, phoning people, web site, facebook and a blog. I believe a successful campaign should include all aspects to reach the variety of voters we are trying to engage.