Home News Local News Meet Your York-Simcoe Candidates: Jessa McLean, NDP

Meet Your York-Simcoe Candidates: Jessa McLean, NDP

September 25, 2019

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What can you do to lessen the financial burden on middle-class families?

Our policies are aimed at making life affordable for everyone, not just the middle-class. Our head-to-toe healthcare, our plan to lower cellphone fees, provide free public transit, and our affordable housing plan will all work towards putting more money in people’s pockets, money that can stimulate our local economy. It’s time that we start taking care of low-income families and stop giving money to wealthy corporations.

What will you do to make homeownership more affordable?

Shelter is unachievable or unaffordable for far too many. We’ll help homeowners by reintroducing better terms to CMHC loans for first-time buyers, help with closing costs, and facilitate co-housing. We’ll also help those struggling to find affordable rentals by creating half-a-million, quality, affordable housing units, and introduce tax incentives for developers to build new rental units. We will make housing a human right in Canada.

What will you do to ensure more rural residents have access to high-speed internet?

The NDP has consistently been committed to ensuring all have access to high-speed internet service. We aim to help municipalities financially in order to get the infrastructure needed. We will also lower costs by ensuring that basic unlimited plans are available and putting a cap on fees.

What other infrastructure projects will you push for York- Simcoe?

We will partner with municipalities and provinces using community benefit agreements to ensure any projects undertaken guarantee good jobs, support local businesses, and don’t end up lining the pockets of investment firms. At the forefront of all projects will be accessibility, meaning no tolls or user fees, and that they are environmentally sustainable.

What will you do to ensure rapid urban growth does not impact the health of Lake Simcoe?

Our approach to Lake Simcoe will mirror our commitment to the environment across Canada. We will implement a national freshwater strategy, fully restore waterway protections that were removed by previous Conservative governments and ensure enforcement of these protections. We will also introduce a federal environmental bill of rights that would have stopped harmful projects like the Upper York Sewage Solutions in its tracks.

What is the best way to combat climate change?

By transitioning away from fossil fuels immediately, lowering our emissions, and becoming a world leader in green energy technology. This would bring unique industry possibilities to York-Simcoe in the form of green jobs. We also have a plan to retrofit homes, put more zero-emission vehicles on the road, including our public transit fleets. We will end all subsidies on fossil fuels.

What is your stance on Canada’s current immigration levels?

What I’m not happy about is the scapegoating of immigrants we’re hearing from other parties, when the majority of us come from families who immigrated here for the very same reasons people come today. The truth is our labour force relies on migration, we take in far too few refugees, and all of these people contribute to our economy and our community.

Why do you think you should represent York-Simcoe? What can you bring to the table?

I thrive as a community organizer and an activist, which is exactly what we need in Ottawa. Average Canadians have been consistently ignored in favour of big business, it’s time they had a voice on their side. I know what it means to struggle to make ends meet, and I have tirelessly advocated for the most marginalized amongst us, and I will continue to do so.