Jobs at centre of Cardigan's election campaign, but in a new way

The economy is a big subject of conversation in the eastern P.E.I. riding of Cardigan, but the candidates have different views of what the issues are with it.

Both Liberal candidate Lawrence MacAulay and Conservative candidate Wayne Phelan say they are hearing a lot from business owners about the trouble they are having finding workers. MacAulay said over his decades in politics jobs have always been an issue.

"It was always jobs and now it's people looking for employees. It's changed in the last few years. Most of the elections that I ran people were looking for jobs," said MacAulay.

"It just means the economy is booming. Tourism is booming, agriculture is booming. It's just great, but it does create some problems.… Are we going to make sure we have less economy so we need less workers? Not very likely. I'm going to make sure we have as much action as possible."

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But Phelan is concerned too many Islanders are heading for a hard landing. CRB will end next month just as many of P.E.I.'s seasonal businesses are closing.

The CERB and the CRB weren't perfect but were necessary, said Phelan. It is understandable, he said, given how quickly they had to be rolled out that they weren't perfect, but it's time now to make sure money is going to the people who really need it.

"Companies don't have enough workers. A lot of people don't want to work," he said.

"There's work out there now. There's companies looking for people, so get out and get back to work. There's restaurants that aren't opening for breakfast because they can't get cooks."

MacAulay argues the labour shortage and pandemic support programs are separate issues, saying he was hearing the same complaints in the 2019 election.

Taxing the wealthy

For NDP candidate Lynne Thiele, the major economic issue is fairness, and she is touting her party's plan to fund new government programs with a new tax on the wealthy.

The NDP proposal would impose a one per cent tax on wealth over $10 million.

"We can tax the wealthy. We're not going to raise deficits. We never have," said Thiele.

"NDP aren't that kind of party. They find the money from big corporations, they find it from the wealthy."

Green candidate Michael MacLean has a different issue with the CERB and CRB. For MacLean, the generosity of the programs, compared to what is typically offered to Canadians living on disability payments, underlines that Canada needs to do better.

"I really think they need to be treated the same as we treated any other worker during the pandemic," he said.

Fred MacLeod is running for the Christian Heritage Party for the second time — in 2019 he ran in the Charlottetown riding.

"I think the platform of Christian Heritage Party of life, family and freedom is very appealing to people," said MacLeod.

He said he's lived in Cardigan area all his life and understands the riding and its issues.

Kevin Hardy is the People's Party candidate in Cardigan. CBC was not able to reach him before this story was published to include his platform.

Doctor shortage

While the economy and the environment are important issues for MacLean, he has also been hearing about health care, and in particular the doctor shortage.

It has been a problem for years, he said.

"We need long-term solutions by training more," said MacLean.

"Only a small portion of what you'd consider qualified candidates actually get accepted into medical school. That needs to change. There's a need for doctors and people want to become doctors."

The federal government should support the infrastructure, medical schools and teaching hospitals, to expand their capacity, he said.

MacLeod also believes the shortage of health-care workers is a key issue for voters.

"We have to get the doctor-patient ratio at a level where the doctors feel comfortable," he said. 

Why they're running

This is Thiele's second run for the NDP federally in Cardigan, and she is hopeful that she can increase the party's votes in this election, and show the growing support for the party's ideas nationally.

"We can do so much better, and it can be done," she said.

MacLean said conversations with his young daughter prompted him to run.

"She asks why certain things are done certain ways," he said.

"It really highlighted that a few things need to change."

Phelan said he was not political in the early part of his life, but has entered politics out of frustration.

"Just watching the debt amass and seeing that there's absolutely no plan. There's no way to stop it, or no plan to resolve it or get out of debt," he said.

"The debt's going to end up on our children's backs."

MacLeod also considers the large debt being accumulated by Canadians as a major issue in this campaign.

MacAulay said he is running again because he feels he has more work to do.

"I feel great and think I can add more to the Cardigan riding," he said.

"The big thing is to work with the people and feel good and want to do more."