Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Chad Klassen

2021 FEDERAL ELECTION

DECISION 2021: COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Sep 14, 2021 | 9:16 AM

KAMLOOPS — The federal election is exactly one week away with voters going to the polls on Monday, Sept. 20. There are many issues that could impact this election, but none bigger than the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has put a lot of stress on individuals and businesses, both from a health and financial standpoint. In the first part of our election coverage, we dive into the COVID-19 response that each party is proposing moving ahead.

Canada has entered the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic — with restrictions like mask mandates being re-implemented after an another surge of cases across the country.

Over the last year and a half, the Liberal government provided supports to individuals with initiatives like the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), offering $2,000 per month for those forced out of work. It has since been cancelled. There was also assistance offered to businesses, such as the wage subsidy and rent relief programs.

The Liberals are willing to restart many of the programs if COVID-19 worsens and also support a national proof-of-vaccination program.

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“The Liberal Party has been very clear that we will take action to fight the pandemic, including supporting proof-of-vaccine mandates by providing the necessary funding to collaborate with those provinces that would like to implement them,” said Liberal candidate for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Jesse McCormick. “We’ll also implement measures to support businesses that want to re-hire workers and re-open in a safe way by ensure the supports there are available.”

RAW VIDEO: Candidates comment on pandemic response and recovery.

NDP candidate for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Bill Sundhu says the pandemic has exposed a lot of gaps in the system, making women and seniors especially more vulnerable. Sundhu says the measures proposed by the NDP and accepted by the Liberals at the beginning of the pandemic will continue.

“When Justin Trudeau proposed the EI, we proposed the CERB up to $2,000 and that’s helped a lot of families keep their head above water,” said Sundhu. “We fought for a 75 per cent wage subsidy, which saved thousands of businesses and millions of jobs. We’re committed to keeping the programs going including rent relief to help our businesses through the end of the pandemic.”

Conservative candidate in Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Frank Caputo says in spite of billions spent to keep the economy going, Canada is the only G7 nation where GDP dropped. In their platform, the Conservative Party is promising to pay half the salaries of new hires once wage subsidy wraps up at the end of October. It’s all part of a multi-billion dollar plan to keep the economy going through the pandemic.

“We have a plan to ‘Rebuild Main Street.’ That Rebuild Main Street plan gives small businesses loans and injections of funds in order for them to grow and prosper,” said Caputo. “And we’ve also allocated up to $10,000 for re-training for people who want to move into a different industry.”

The People’s Party of Canada is strongly against vaccine cards, both provincially and federally, and the lockdown of healthy people, saying it’s greatly impacted businesses. Not acknowledging the vaccine, PPC wants to develop immediate bedside treatment for people dealing with COVID-19. However, its biggest proposal is getting the world back to normal.

“Promote everybody to get back to work, so promoting people to run their businesses without the mandates and the lockdown, and pushing the provinces to let up on all of the lockdowns because it is harming our economy,” said PPC candidate for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo Corally Delwo.

The People’s Party of Canada is the only party against a federal proof-of-vaccination program. Every other local candidate believes there should be a more universal system to determine who is vaccinated and who is not.