Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 20, 1968, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free fress thursday june 20, 1968 questions for candidates the free press asked each candidate running in Manitoba in the Federal election to answer seven Basic questions. Following Are some re plies received to Date from candidates in Ridings embracing greater Winnipeg. L. R. Sherman progressive conservative Winnipeg South question 1 Are you in favor of a medicare program As Laid Down by the Federal government if so Are you in favor of it starting on july 1st? i am in favor of a plan to ensure that All canadians receive proper medical care but i am not in favor of the plan As Laid Down by the liberals nor Are 8 out of 1 0 provinces. It is essential that any plan fit within the taxing and spending limitations of the provinces. Question 2 do you support the recommendations of the Carter commission on Taxa Tion particularly the imposition of a Capi Tal gains tax All the Carter recommendations As a pack age no. A capital gains tax As Carter proposed should be modified to exclude such things As gains on the Sale of a private Home deductions of capital losses and should be abandoned altogether if the Cost of administration is calculated to be excessive against the Revenue produced by the tax. Question 3 Are you in favor of a guaranteed an Nual income for All canadians question 4 do you favor an end of deficit budgeting in Ottawa if so How would you achieve it i am in favor of a guaranteed income for All canadians who through circumstances beyond their control Are unable to provide for their Basic needs. The conditions however must be that it replace not be added to other forms of social assist Ance and be introduced As an item of High priority when the country can afford it. At this time yes. The inflationary pressure of huge Ottawa deficits is against the Best interests of the people and the nation. Deficit budgeting May be desirable under some circumstances but definitely not now. Deficits should be eliminated quickly by cutting govern ment spending and getting on with the class co recommendations to reduce waste. There must be no tax increases at this critical Point. Question 5 do you favor unlimited foreign investment in can Ada if not Are you afraid of the eventual political takeover of Canada by the United states we want and Welcome for eign investment but not unlimited in that there should be no restrictions of any kind imposed on it. The objective should be to attract foreign investment on terms to ensure that it serves to strengthen Canada. The Rule of Good citizenship should apply. Question 6 do you favor constitutional change in Canada to strengthen the Federal sys tem without Confer ring special status on any one group or province or should Quebec have special status question 7 what in your opinion Are the three major issues facing Canada today in order of priority i favor a Strong Cen trial government and we Don t need Constitution Al change to get it. A new progressive conservative administration after june 25 will return strength to the National capital. All provinces have special status now but equal special Sta Tus. Cultural differences can and should be recognized but no one pro Vince should have a Spe Cial constitutional status against All others. 1 the High Cost of living and a creeping inflation allowed to continue by the Liberal government 2 the extremely heavy and inequitable Burden of taxes imposed by All Levels of government. An effective fed eral government should be giving leadership in coordinating and the establishment of priorities. This is Long overdue 3 vital to Manitoba is the need for regional economic parity. A National policy that recognizes the needs of parts of Canada out Side Ontario and Quebec is urgent. As an example of the affect of this Lack of policy is the removal of the air Canada base in Winnipeg. L b. Liberal Winnipeg South Centre whether or not 1 Arn in favor of a medicare program As Laid Down by the present Federal government is an academic question. At this Point in time and space medicare is a fact to begin operation on july 1. When it begins in Manitoba is something for the provincial government to decide. I have no doctrinaire feelings about a capital gains tax. However i feel that at this partic ular moment when Canada is suffering from a Lack of capital and capital accumulation and investment is of great concern it would be a foolish thing to impose. As for the Carter report i reject it if it has to be taken All or but there Are some interesting things in it that War rant consideration. There May come a time when a guaranteed annual income is a Good thing for All canadians assuming that Auto mation proceeds to develop along the paths already indicated and continues to change the everyday life of us All. But the time is not now. There Are serious pockets of unemployment in Canada and serious pockets of underemployment but the guaranteed annual income is not the Way to eliminate them. I m not an economist but it seems to me that deficit budgeting is the same As borrowing against future productivity. If this is so there May be sound reasons to indulge in it occasionally in order to achieve specific Rev Enue generating objectives. However Lack of self discipline Here can be disastrous ultimately and ruinous for the coun try As a whole. Fiscal and monetary integrity is a "must11 right now. I Arn thoroughly in agreement with or. Trudeau s efforts to hold the line on non productive expenditures. I have nothing against for eign investment in Canada. We need All the investment we can get. But special efforts should be made to encourage canadians to participate in this in vestment to the greatest pos Sibie extent. Economic nationalism is ridiculous in this Day and age even political Independence in an absolute sense is As redundant As the Square rigged sailing ship. Having said this however i do not fear an eventual political takeover by the United states. If we Don t want it to happen it won t happen Here. And i Don t believe we want it to happen. I favor Constitution Al change in Canada to achieve a stronger fed eral system and a re definition and clarification of the various provincial and regional responsibilities vis a vis the whole. Regionalism which has been in so Many ways a curse must be harnessed in such a Way that it becomes a virtue. Though i gladly acknowledge the right of French speaking canadians everywhere to have linguistic Equality Quebec As a province should have no More special status than any other Region. This is not to say that it has not the right to be Dif 1 Unity 2 fiscal and financial integrity 3 Justice in the sense of Opportunity to fulfil oneself for All. Social credit Selkirk i am not in favor of medi care. I believe we should have a medical plan As Fol lows a provide medical care services at no charge for those who Are unable to provide for themselves due to age illness or unemployment b participants to the plan will be provided vouch ers to choose any plan offered by any insurance company which will be suitable to himself or his family needs c those not wanting to participate should not be forced to do so. I am not in favor of any compulsory plan starting july 1, 1968 or any other Date. I do not support the recommendations of the. Carter commission on taxation or the imposition of a capital gains tax. The Carter report is planning to redistribute poverty instead of destroying it. The car Ter report is a gimmick and not a solution unreliable and very untrustworthy As a fiscal measure for the Cana Dian Economy at this time. I feel that the implementation of this measure at this time could be a danger and threat of the giant monopoly or the creation of a dictatorship on the whole of our natural re sources of this nation. There Are a few Points which should be explained. Who is to Supply the goods and what would happen if every Able Man and woman decided to opt out and sit Back and collect their income without working the stupidity of the proposal is Glar ing the contradictions Are too obvious. Social credit will put an end to deficit budget ing in Ottawa. We would implement the progressive Transfer to the Bank of Canada and the nation Al debt and its orderly and ultimate liquidation. We would extend the function of the Bank of Canada to include a making available to the provinces and their municipalities capital for Public facilities necessary to provide essential ser vices. The government should use the Bank of Canada As a source of credit and capital. It is our Hope that canadians will some Day by their own individual efforts come to own and control a greater share of their own Economy. But we also realize that the Canadian Economy cannot support alone the investment necessary to explore find develop and bring into production the resources which Are ours which the whole world needs and which will Supply the employment and win the International Exchange our Economy requires. We have to be careful of any domination either by a foreign controlled group of companies or by a state system both to the detriment of the development of our resources. Social credit would Stop the centralization of Federal government and return to the orig Inal concept of our con federation providing genuine free Enterprise alternative that recognizes the individual and reverse a headlong Rush into socialism. Except where joint projects Are approved by Mutual agreement social credit government would re store to provincial governments the maximum measure of Independence within their constitutional jurisdiction. 1 Lack of purchasing Power Money 2 High interest and taxes 3 too much government control civil servants id Schreyer nip Selkirk yes and in the Light of recent developments in medi Cal fees and the requests by private groups for income disclosure by citizens the sooner the better. Yes although one recommendation regard ing method of farm in come calculation must be modified. I refer to the proposal that calculation be based on value of inventory. Cap ital gains tax is a sine qua non of a fair tax system. Theoretically Al though before this could be effected we would have to have a measured pause in order to straighten out certain existing economic prob lems in this country. If you mean for All time of course not. At certain stages in the Cycle if there were no deficit budgeting there would be depression As in the past. Conversely at times there should be balance or near balances in the budget. Certain extravagances and a necessaries in the department of defence should be Cut. I favor nothing that is unlimited be it capital gains tax exemptions socialism or foreign ownership. Foreign ownership becomes pervasive in its impingement on our poli tical sovereignty when it controls two thirds of our Indus trial strength. Yes i favor constitutional change because the allocation of Powers was made 100 years ago and therefore is unrelated to the changes in technology Industry and distribution. Our Constitution is some what out of Date. I do not favor special status for Quebec but neither do i want our present arrangement by which Quebec has been Able to hold other provinces Back from accepting Federal government programming in Fields now under Sec. 92 and in particular 5.92 1 the need for removal of existing abuses loopholes privileges and biases in our present taxation system 2 the need for economic stability and containment of inflation. This involves in the interim prices review and systematic publicizing thereof interest rates investigation to determine the cause of the current rate differentials which exceed the average of the past 20 years by a ratio of 4 to 1. This in turn affects construction farm operations and business activity generally 3 the need for More understanding and tolerance regarding the practical application of language rights in can Ada and thereby reducing the causes of discontent that have Given Rise to problems of National Unity from time to time throughout the history of can Ada. Liberal Selkirk a medicare program de serves the support of All canadians who Are concerned with providing Protection and help in a Field of service of the highest priority. Ill Ness and misfortune particularly among the aged and those less fortunate economically make medicare an absolute must. The present medicare program Asp to posed May not be perfect in the opinion of some but it is the Law. If changes Are required to make the program More effective they should be made As required. As each province is afforded the Opportunity of utilizing the existing legislation to Best serve their people the financial assistance now available should be taken advantage of. The whole Field of taxation effecting the individual and the Busi Ness Field is in need of review and up dating. This is an extremely important Field of legis lation and the study and Reform of our tax Struc Ture cannot be dealt with in a few words. There is no doubt in my mind that the present taxation Structure is outdated. Specifically dealing with the capital gains Section of the car Ter report whatever decision is taken Here must Bear in mind the inhibiting Impact on growth development and expansion. If this Section was to become a deterrent to Canada s continued Forward movement there would be no capital gain for Canada. The term Guaran teed income seems to have a variety of interpretations for canadians inasmuch As we now have in effect in certain areas of our society a degree of guaranteed annual income. There is perhaps a need to review the to Tal spectrum of assist Ance and effectively co ordinate All of these to More economically get the Best return for each tax Dollar. Where gaps exist in the areas of support required to assist in protecting the finances and health of the family and the can Adian nation these areas should be carefully considered and proposals put before the people of Canada to meet the definable need. A balanced budget is the aim of the individual and hopefully of the government As Well. I under stand that at this time the Federal budget is from one to two per cent of in balance. There May arise occasions where thu need for deficit financing might be required to Stim ulate the Economy. I am More concerned with poli cies which would develop greater National production and Progress and in this Way increase the tax base. There is also a need to constantly review in de Tail present expenditures to guarantee the taxpayer that full value for the Dol Lar is being received. I am not afraid of foreign investment in Canada because of. The benefits to the develop ment and growth of Canadian Economy that it makes possible. Opportunities for investment to be productive and successful must be retained to attract out Side investment having regard for recognizing that the option and influence of this invest ment is strictly within Legisla Tive directives of Canada. I do not think that there is any real basis for concern of a political takeover of Canada by the United states. There can be no doubt As to the need for Constitution Al change in strength ening the Canadian nation based on a Feder Al system that does not now allocate special Sta Tus to any one province. The question of Unity and a Strong Federal sys tem is of highest importance at this time in Canadian affairs. Words and Laws Are not enough. There has to be the fullest recognition of the importance and value of being a Canadian by All citizens of this country. Each province still have the responsibility of seeking recognition of its own particular prob lems within a Strong Federal system that serves the entire nation. 1 a Strong Canada throughout a recognition of the need for Unity 2 continued economic growth and the Impact of taxation on the individual 3 overdue recognition of the problems of Urban living and growth leaving a Burden on the level of Munici pal government which it is really not equipped to meet. In the Field of Urban problems we place a High priority on the need of adequate housing with in the reach of those who need it most ;