Meet the candidates in March 4 by-election, HST, loss of jobs two main issues in election, says Steve Armstrong
Posted Feb 25, 2010 By Roy Lewis
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Tweet ThisEditor's Note: As part of this week's issue, The EMC has profiled four candidates in the March 4 provincial by-election for the riding of Leeds-Grenville. The profiles appear alphabetically on pgs. 10 & 11.
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EMC News - The planned Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) and the loss of jobs in Leeds and Grenville are two main issues identified by Steve Armstrong who is running for the New Democratic Party in the March 4 by-election.
Armstrong has also spoken out against the proposed closure of the Brockville Mental Health Centre (formerly Brockville Psychiatric Hospital) and has called on increased provincial government funding for Brockville General Hospital.
The HST will never be supported by the NDP, according to Armstrong who is making his second bid to be elected an MPP (member of the provincial parliament). To be implemented on July 1, the HST will blend the goods and services tax and provincial sales tax into one 13 per cent tax. But under the harmonization formula, the eight per cent provincial sales tax will be added to many other goods and services.
"People will pay eight per cent more on home heating bills, gasoline for cars, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products and funeral costs," said Armstrong.
He was critical of Progressive Conservative members at Queen's Park who "would have you believe they are against the HST." Former Progressive Conservative Premier Mike Harris started the movement towards the HST, charged Armstrong, who added that Prime Minister Stephen Harper "got Ontario on board for the tax and the provincial Liberals continue the effort to impose the HST." "The Conservatives have never pledged to get rid of the HST - the NDP will," stated Armstrong.
The loss of jobs in Leeds and Grenville also came under fire from Armstrong who is among the ranks of the unemployed. Having worked as a chemical controller and manufacturing controller at Du Pont (later Invista), he lost his job after 20 years. A labour activist for many years, Armstrong is currently president of the Brockville and District Labour Council.
Noting the region has been decimated by the layoffs, Armstrong said, "in the 1980s, we had 10,000 members in the labour council. Now we are down to 1,500 members and many are employed in service jobs not manufacturing jobs."
Armstrong, 44, was born and raised in Brockville. He holds an honours Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in history from Carleton University. Because of his history background, Armstrong referred to the policies of Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, noting that the "original Progressive Conservatives put Canadian interests first."
Macdonald lifted trade tariffs if U.S. companies would build factories here to utilize Canada's natural resources, said Armstrong. That policy gave the country stability for the first 120 years, he said. But with the implementation of Free Trade by the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney in 1983, the country's manufacturing base was destroyed. "Could you believe in your lifetime that Ontario would become a have-not province."
he said.
"Since I entered politics, I have found the Conservatives and Liberals, both federally and provincially, have lost touch with the citizens of Canada," said Armstrong.
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