Each candidate was asked to submit a biography and answer three questions. Below is the response from the Ontario NDP's candidate for Kitchener-Waterloo, Catherine Fife.
Biography
Catherine Fife has spent the last 9 years serving families in Kitchener-Waterloo as a trustee and Chair of the School Board. She has experience balancing the a $645 million budget, and developing new and innovative solutions like providing new childcare spaces in schools without wait times or cost to taxpayers. Catherine has a track record of delivering for families in the community.
Catherine is ready to join Andrea Horwath and New Democrats at Queen’s Park who are showing that politics can be done differently. New Democrats have shown they will reach across party lines to deliver real results for families. During the last budget, Andrea Horwath was able to deliver support for home-care, new childcare spaces, a pause on corporate giveaways and a new fairness tax that will help Ontario get its fiscal house in order.
Catherine is ready to join Andrea to focus on creating new jobs, with a Job Creator Tax Credit that rewards the companies creating job, strengthening our healthcare system and making life more affordable for families in Kitchener-Waterloo.
Kitchener-Waterloo deserves a MPP with experience in the community and experience serving the community. Catherine Fife has spent 9 years working for families in Kitchener-Waterloo and is ready to do more.
Why should the constituents of Kitchener-Waterloo vote for you?
Voters in Kitchener-Waterloo are ready for leadership that can deliver for everyday families just like them. They are looking for someone who can reach across party lines to deliver results. I want to work with Andrea Horwath to focus on job creation, improving healthcare, making life more affordable and having a balanced plan to balance the budget.
New Democrats have shown that in a minority we can deliver real results. In an unaccountable majority, Dalton McGuinty will go right back to taking Ontarians for granted. Just like he did when he cancelled a gas plant just to win a few seats, and left us with the $190 million bill.
If you are elected as an MPP, what will your top two priorities be?
My top priorities will be to get action on a job creation plan, and making sure healthcare is there when families in Kitchener-Waterloo need it.
During the budget negotiations New Democrats put a Job Creator Tax Credit on the table. It’s a simple, targeted plan: create a job, get a tax credit. It rewards companies that create new jobs, and invest in their workers and equipment. We’ve heard this will help local entrepreneurs grow their businesses. And because the money is already there it won’t add to the deficit. We know that Dalton McGuinty’s no-strings attached giveaways haven’t produced jobs. It’s time for a plan that delivers.
There are 20,000 families in Kitchener-Waterloo without a doctor. There are practical solutions. We can improve primary care by investing in Nurse Practitioners. We can shorten wait times in ERs and improve efficiency by ensuring that seniors have access to home-care or long-term and aren’t stuck using hospital ERs. And we can improve access to doctors by assuming the student debt of new family doctors willing to locate in under-serviced communities like Kitchener-Waterloo.
By reaching across party lines and working together, New Democrats can deliver real results. In an unaccountable Dalton McGuinty majority, the Liberals will be able to go right back to taking voters for granted.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing Ontarians?
The economy.
New Democrats have a balanced approach to balancing the budget that centres around a plan to create jobs, invest in healthcare, and make life more affordable for everyday families. We know that when household budget are in good shape, the provincial budget will follow. New Democrats are focussed on delivering results for everyday families.
The fact there are a lot of people concerned about their jobs.
Dalton McGuinty has shown that he is more interested in helping out his well-connected friends, than in everyday families. He’s shown it at Ornge, eHealth, and in Mississauga where his private power deal is going to cost everyday families $190 million. His no-string attached corporate giveaways have left over a million ontarians looking for work, and created what Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of Canada called “dead money.” His reckless education wage scheme could cost Ontarians more than $700 million.
