Brad Vis, Conservative Party of Canada candidate for Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon
1) What will you do specifically for rural communities? My personal commitment to the rural regions of Mission–Matsqui–Fraser Canyon remains unchanged: I will be present in your communities, assist with federal matters, and I will continue to be a strong advocate for you in Ottawa.
I’ve had the privilege of being your representative for less than two years, but my advocacy has aided in the receipt of significant federal support, including upgrades to:
• Ashcroft fire hall ($550,000)
• Harrison fire hall ($600,000)
• Lillooet ice rink ($1.2 million)
• Lytton Food Hub ($1.04 million)
Conservatives understand the importance of rural Canada. We will:
• Appoint a Minister of Rural Affairs;
• Connect all of Canada to high-speed internet by 2025;
• Support rural tourism; and
• Tackle rural crime.
2) How do you plan to prepare our rural communities for future wildfires, flooding, and other natural disasters? While Emergency Preparedness is a provincial responsibility, whenever disasters occur, I will be there to help. I lobbied the federal government and secured their commitment to match Red Cross donations for the Lytton Wildfire and established a special Service Canada line for displaced residents.
The Lytton disaster showcased many breakdowns, especially provincial and federal governments’ communications with First Nations. Before Justin Trudeau selfishly called this election, I was working to address these shortcomings, and I’ll continue to do so if re-elected.
3) How will you address issues surrounding childcare in rural areas? Big, institutionalized day cares don’t meet the needs of rural Canada. Conservatives will convert the Childcare Expense deduction into a refundable tax credit and cover up to 75 per cent of the cost of childcare for lower income families, increasing the support they receive by thousands.
4) How will you ensure affordable/sufficient housing — including rental housing — in rural communities, especially for seniors and those on fixed incomes? I will continue to advocate for the rural regions of our riding that need more housing supports. This starts with increasing supply: we need more housing stock.
The Liberal platform includes a new tax on the sale of homes. The Conservatives will never tax capital gains on the sale of Canadians’ principal residence: a key source of equity in their golden years.
5) What do you intend to do to get people back to work during and after COVID-19? Conservatives got us out of the last recession—we’ll get us out of this one too. Our top priority is getting people back to work as quickly as possible. See our platform for details.
6) What commitments will you make when it comes to addressing climate change, both locally and nation-wide? I am committed to increasing funding for environmental restoration, and was proud to aid the Fraser Valley Conservancy in securing over $600,000 for habitat restoration.
Our riding experienced the hottest temperatures recorded in Canada this summer. Conservatives knew we had to do more to protect the environment and address climate change, which is why we had our plan independently analyzed by Navius Research, who said it will achieve similar emissions reductions as the government’s plan, while boosting jobs and the economy.
7) How will you address Truth and Reconciliation with First Nations? Our riding overlaps with the traditional territory of 31 bands and is home to many urban Indigenous people. I will continue to build relationships with everyone.
Conservatives are committed to reconciliation and will implement TRC Calls to Action 71-76. We will enact the “For Indigenous, By Indigenous” Housing Strategy. We will fund investigations at all former residential schools where unmarked graves may exist.
8) Rural communities looking for badly-needed infrastructure funding are often left out in the cold, while billions of dollars of federal funding go to “big ticket” items in urban centres. How will you redress this imbalance? Conservatives will dedicate portions of federal infrastructure funds for rural areas; p. 145 of our platform and commitment for a fair deal for rural Canada.
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