FORWARD, FOR YOU

Strong Leadership and a Prosperous Future

Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives care about you and this riding about as much as Justin Trudeau’s Liberals. These career politicians are motivated by their egos and their desire to stay in power.

We are forced to watch helplessly as they throw our money at the lost causes of special interest groups while Renfrew County gets left behind. They are governments for some of the people, and that ‘some’ does not include you. They do not care about you.

There is no difference between Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives and Trudeau’s Liberals. They both think people in places like Renfrew County have values that come from a past age. They believe we are too unsophisticated to bother with. They do not respect you. Our political representatives have never bothered to tell them otherwise.

I believe in the potential of Renfrew County and I am optimistic about our future. I believe our values are those of the future, not the past, and I will let everybody in Ottawa know it.

I will make sure our tax dollars are spent responsibly where we want them spent. I will work to reduce the tax burden on ordinary people, especially for seniors and those with lower incomes. I will invest in this riding so that you and your family can build a bright and positive path for your future.

The government should be there for the people. They are not, but I will be. I will make your voice heard.

As an Independent MP I will:

EFFECTIVELY REPRESENT YOU

No matter who forms the government, as an Independent MP I will make my voice heard and I will make sure the concerns of Renfrew County are taken seriously. As an Independent, I have only one responsibility, and that is to you and your family - the people of this riding.

FIGHT SO THAT YOU KEEP MORE OF YOUR OWN MONEY

Too many of our tax dollars are spent on government programs we do not want or need. I will use these savings to ease the burden, especially for seniors and lower and middle income families.

WORK TO BRING JOBS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO RENFREW COUNTY

I will use my influence in parliament to let the country know that Renfrew County is an ideal place to do business. Economic development in Renfrew County is an investment in Canada.

ENSURE A RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT

Billions are lost to waste and mismanagement every year, not to mention programs designed to promote an agenda nobody voted for. Deficits should be for hard economic times and investments, not to buy votes from special interest groups. I believe in balanced budgets. Money from surpluses should be used to pay down the debt, reduce taxes and invest in Canada. I will make sure the government responds to the needs of you and your family.

EFFECTIVE REPRESENTATION

There is no difference between parties

The Liberals and Conservatives want you to think they aren’t the same, but where it matters they are as different as Visa and Mastercard. They are both taking us down a path that heads in the wrong direction. Their partisanship results in poor decision-making that only benefits the special interest groups they pander to, but never you.

My vision of Renfrew County

I have a clear vision for Canada and of Renfrew County. One in which rural and smaller communities play a significant and vital role. Where our values are respected and our local economic development is seen as integral to the political and social well-being of Canada. Where Family and Community mean something again.

Let’s face it, things will not change if the Conservatives win this election. As soon as they are elected they will ignore us, as they have always done. They will not even pay lip-service to conservative values because their moneyed friends in business and the media are the ones who call the shots. If you are not part of that elite, you do not matter to them and you will never have a say in how your country is run.

Only an Independent MP can effectively represent you.

When you elect an MP from a political party, the Party and their financial backers are in charge, not you. They don’t represent you to the parliament because that is not how the game is played or how the system works. And that is the way they like it and the way they want to keep it.

I have the skills and knowledge to work collaboratively with people from diverse backgrounds to bring about positive change for you and your family. I am focused on our community, not on what any party tells me to care about. I know how to get things done.

What is my plan?

If there is a minority government in October, and it looks like there will be, then that is when it is most important to have an Independent MP and when he is most powerful.

If the Liberals win a minority, then they will work with anyone other than the Conservatives, so no Conservative MP will have a voice in government. The situation would be worse for Renfrew County than it is today, if such a thing were possible; the Liberals will have to try to collaborate with the NDP in order to govern, and if you think what the Liberals are doing now is bad, wait until they team up with the NDP. A Conservative MP in this riding will have even less influence than she has right now (i.e. none).

If the Conservatives win a minority, they too will need allies to govern. And besides allies, they will need all of their MPs to follow their leader unconditionally. Even less MP dissent will be allowed than is presently allowed (again, none). A minority Conservative government will find allies on the left in order to govern because that is who their allies truly are. It would be a Conservative government led by the Liberal Party.

So that is why we need an Independent MP in this riding. Regardless of who wins the minority, I would work with them because they will need my support to govern, and recognising this, I will only give them my support if I get something in return. And what I would want in return is whatever is good for Canada and good for Renfrew County. I would never support any legislation that did not benefit the people of Renfrew County in one way or another; the government, Liberal or Conservative, would have to include provisions that benefit the people of this riding in any legislation they want passed. Would a Liberal or Conservative MP do this for you? No they would not. They never have before, so why would they start now?

When I send out a flyer to my constituents, it won’t be filled with partisan hits on other parties or my excuses for failure. It will be a list of my accomplishments and how I am making things better for you and your family.

After 40 years in business, I know how to get things done and make deals. Politics is no different. Politics is the art of compromise, and I am an artist.

I am the only credible alternative to both the Liberals and Conservatives. Can you afford not to vote for me? What do you have to lose?

FIGHT SO THAT YOU KEEP MORE OF YOUR OWN MONEY

Too many of our tax dollars are spent on government programs we do not want or need. I will work to eliminate these programs and use the savings to ease the burden, especially for seniors and lower and middle income families.

Taxes are too high, the price of fuel is too high, the deficit is too high, the rent is too high. It’s time something was done about this.

All savings should go to reducing taxes, increasing pensions and reducing the debt. Deficits should not be permanent and should only be used for investments that increase the value of Canada, monetary or otherwise.

WORK TO BRING JOBS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO RENFREW COUNTY

I will use my influence in parliament to let the country know that Renfrew County is an ideal place to do business. Economic development in Renfrew County is an investment in Canada.

Our proximity to Ottawa means Renfrew County should be the destination of choice for business and industry. There are tens of thousands of well-paid government jobs the next riding over, and almost none here.

If the federal government is serious about rural economic development, they should put their money where their mouth is, set the example for businesses and decentralise some government departments to bring well paying jobs to places like Renfrew County.

How can they expect businesses to set up shop out here, if they will not do it themselves?

Corporate welfare is short-term thinking that benefits international businessmen and bankers more than the local workforce and always leaves a mess for the taxpayer to clean up. I will work with all levels of government in support of competitive tax rates, an entrepreneurial workforce, and full use of rural economic development funds.

There is no reason we cannot be a showcase of Canadian prosperity and culture.

When elected I will make it a priority to bring well paying jobs to Renfrew County.

ENSURE A RESPONSIBLE AND ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT

Canada’s first priority should be Canada.

I will make sure the government’s spending priorities are in line with how the people of Renfrew County want our tax dollars spent. I will put an end to the bizarre and dangerous social engineering programs concocted by unelected “advisors”.

Waste and mismanagement

Each year hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars are lost to government waste and mismanagement. Some recent examples:

• The federal government’s new and never-functional Phoenix Pay System boondoggle is estimated to cost $3 billion; and it is so bad it has to be replaced before it even starts.
• $500 thousand for social media “influencers” to promote this election. They turned out to be Liberal partisans so the project was scrapped - after paying them. People who make money as Youtube “influencers” should be taxed at a higher rate, not given free money.
• An $8 million temporary hockey rink in Ottawa.

The list goes on and on and on. The unelected civil servants and their elected bosses both need to be held accountable for this, but they are not. I will make fiscal and moral responsibility a priority.

Deficits

We have a $20 billion deficit this year and no credible or believable end in sight for further deficits. If our creditors have their way, we will be paying off our debt for generations to come. But both the Liberals and the Conservatives need this money, not to invest in Canada, but to buy votes from every special interest group they can find. The draw of Money and Power is too strong for morally corrupt politicians to avoid. I will work towards a balanced budget by putting Canada and Canadians first.

Illegal immigration

The people of Renfrew County are welcoming and law-abiding people. This is part of our culture. Immigrants should come into this country legally and by the front door. Illegal immigration into Canada is an issue of legislation and bureaucracy, not of manpower at the border. What kind of country is it that does not enforce its own laws? Why is it they can break the law and get rewarded with room service in a comfortable hotel, while you have to worry about whether you can afford to turn the heat up another degree in winter? People here have to wait years for a family doctor but they get immediate access to free health care. Our laws must be respected by everyone. No criminal should be better off than the law-abiding.