Laila Goodridge - Conservative Party of Canada

1. What bill(s) would you support being amended or repealed with the intention of benefitting our region? Briefly explain your reasoning.

Eliminate the unfairness of Bill C-69 - the no more pipelines Bill.

A Conservative Government will fix the Impact Assessment process created by Bill C-69. We will base our changes on the bipartisan recommendations made by the Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment, and Natural Resources. We need an assessment process that upholds best-in-class environmental standards and sets clear expectations and timelines for environmental reviews so that investors have the confidence and certainty they need.

End the Ban on Shipping Traffic on the North Coast of British Columbia created in Bill C-48.

Justin Trudeau’s Liberals arbitrarily banned the export of Canadian oil from British Columbia’s coast against the expressed wishes of many local communities and Indigenous groups. The insane part of this legislation is that the ban applies only to Canadian oil, hurting Canadian industry, all the while allowing Alaskan crude to be shipped through those same Canadian waters.

2. What are the top 5 initiatives, if proposed by any Member of Parliament, that you would be supportive of for the benefit of your constituents?

Energy Workers

I will always stand up for our energy sector and more specifically support our oil and gas sector. As a nation, we need to ensure that we are supporting our world-class energy sector and the tens of thousands of workers that keep Canada’s economy going.

Mental health & addictions

The pandemic has deepened Canada’s mental health crisis, especially for our youth. It’s estimated that one in five Canadians have suffered from depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Canada’s Conservatives will address the mental health crisis by recognizing that mental health is health and making historic investments to help those in need.

Reigning in Government spending

The Trudeau government is spending $424 million a day more than we can afford and neither the Liberals nor the NDP have a plan to prevent endless deficits. We will adopt a responsible and measured approach to balance the budget over the next decade. Only Canada’s Conservatives have a detailed plan to put Canada’s fiscal house in order and protect social services

Affordability

The cost of everything is going up - grocery bills are up five per cent and gas prices have skyrocketed. With inflation at the highest level in 20 years and rising, families are struggling to make ends meet. Canada’s Conservatives have a detailed plan to get inflation under control, lower prices, and make life more affordable for families.

Accountability

Canada’s Conservatives will pass an Anti-Corruption Act to clean up Liberal corruption and greatly strengthen federal legislation on ethics, lobbying, and transparency. 

3. Is balancing the Federal Budget within the next 10 years a priority? If “yes,” how would it be achieved. If “no,” briefly explain your reasoning.

Through Canada’s Recovery Plan, a Conservative government will get spending under control and balance the budget over the next decade.

We will do this through a thoughtful, responsible and measured plan that will:

• Adopt a responsible and measured approach to balance the budget over the next decade.
• Rein in deficits to address inflation and the rising cost of necessities.
• Wind down emergency pandemic supports in a responsible and compassionate way as recovery gets underway.
• Invest in targeted stimulus measures, such as infrastructure, to create jobs and improve the quality of life of Canadians.
• Get back to robust economic growth of three per cent or more, so people have access to good jobs and opportunities to grow their business, which in turn provides more tax revenue to invest in core public services.

4. On October 18th, Albertans will be asked “Should section 36(2) of the Constitution Act, 1982 – Parliament and the government of Canada’s commitment to the principle of making equalization payments – be removed from the constitution?” If the majority answers “yes”, would this be a benefit or detriment to our region?

Albertans have contributed more than $600 billion to the rest of the country since 1967 and an average of more than $20 billion a year over the last decade.

It is only fair the rest of Canada be there for Alberta, just as Alberta has always been there for them. We will add fairness to Equalization by adopting the Equalization and Transfers Fairness Act as a government bill. This will add transparency to Equalization.

In 2019, Canada’s premiers unanimously endorsed a proposal to reform the Fiscal Stabilization Program. Canada’s Conservatives will implement these changes and ensure provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan receive retroactive compensation.

Canada works best when Ottawa stops talking down to the provinces and, instead, sits down with them and listens to what they have to say. On October 18th - have your say on equalization!

5. Rank these priorities based upon their impact and importance to your constituency:

During these challenging times between the economic recession and the pandemic, we cannot look at any issue in a silo. I strongly believe that we need to look more holistically and make sure that every decision being made by every level of government is moving in the right direction to help our region get back on track.

The top issues I’ve been hearing from constituents are their concerns around our economy, their fear over what another 4 years of Justin Trudeau’s Liberals would mean for our community - and more specifically our oil and gas sector, and ensuring that we are working in a spirit to reconciliation.

6. What is your position on the effectiveness of lockdowns and future lockdowns impacting business?

The best way to get the economy back on track and end restrictions is to end the pandemic. Vaccines are the most important tool in the fight against COVID-19. We encourage every Canadian who is able to get one.

What is your position on mandatory vaccinations, vaccine passports, and interprovincial travel being impacted currently and through 2022?

Canadians have the right to make their own health choices. Rapid testing is a tool that can be used to help protect our most vulnerable Canadians.

Vaccines are a safe and effective tool to stop the spread of COVID-19. If you have any questions regarding vaccine safety and efficacy, I would encourage you to reach out to your healthcare provider for further information.

Many countries around the world are requiring proof of vaccination for visitors to be able to enter their country. Conservatives support having a streamlined system that helps Canadians verify their vaccine status when travelling abroad.

8. Canadian Parents including those in Fort McMurray have long struggled to find affordable high quality childcare spaces. A contributing factor to this is cost as well as the lack of qualified Early Childhood Educators working in the childcare sector. What is your party's plan for developing a strong ECE workforce that can provide affordable, quality care?

As a new mom, this is something that is very top of mind. Due to the pandemic, women’s full and equal participation in the workforce has been seriously set back. Canada’s Conservative will support working families with children through Canada’s Recovery Plan by converting the Child Care Expense deduction into a refundable tax credit. Lower income families will receive the most support with up to 75 per cent of child care expenses covered. Whether it’s home care, after-school programs, or paying a family member or close friend to babysit, the Conservative plan will put parents back in the driver’s seat when it comes to choosing the kind of options that work best for their kids. This program will increase the support lower income families receive by thousands of dollars per year and provide more assistance to almost all families.

Overwhelmingly what I’ve heard is that families want flexible child care options. Unlike Justin Trudeau’s paternalistic plan, the Conservative plan recognizes that not all women work 9-5. Our plan supports flexible child care options for women in every career path, including those who work shifts or unpredictable hours.

9. If elected to represent our region, will you vote based on the needs of your constituents, or to align yourself with your party’s policy expectations? For example, if your party told you to vote in favor of a carbon pricing initiative which would directly impact the residents of Fort McMurray - Cold Lake, would you vote in favour or against?

An elected official’s role is to represent the will of their constituents in the House of Commons. I will always proudly stand up for the best interests of those that call Northeastern Alberta home.

10. Please briefly outline your strategy for ongoing reconciliation efforts with indigenous communities.

To me reconciliation means listening and learning. When we know better, we can do better. We need to work directly with Indigenous communities, leaders, partners and individuals to find the best path to move forward. We need to work to be partners in prosperity with Indigenous partners towards economic reconciliation. Our region has led the country in economic reconciliation and we need to continue to build upon these successes.

As MLA, I was proud to sit on the Alberta Joint Working Group on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. It was some of the most difficult work I’ve ever done, but it was so meaningful and it is helping put reconciliation into action.