BarrieToday is running profiles, in alphabetical order, on each of the five candidates in the Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte riding. For more campaign coverage, visit our election page.
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Dr. Brian Kalliecharan was one of the last candidates to be announced for the fall election, but the Liberal representative says he hasn’t stopped hitting the pavement to hear the concerns of residents in Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte.
“This is one of the most important elections in our country’s history," Kalliecharan said. “The issues I am hearing door to door are plentiful and people are engaging.”
Kalliecharan told BarrieToday he has two areas of concern when talking to the voters in the riding. He says the first hits home to every person in the country.
“People are concerned about the affordability to live comfortably,” he said. “You can’t have $53 billion cut to vital services and not be a nervous citizen. The Liberal Party of Canada has lifted 900,000 people out of poverty and will continue to do so, and people I have spoken to on the campaign trail believe that.
“Young families need to comfortably raise their children and we will be putting in a child-care benefit package to assist with that,” Kalliecharan added. “Going to people’s doors on the campaign, I have heard from many young families who are thankful for this initiative, but we feel it is just the right thing to do.”
The second biggest thing he says he's heard from voters is the topical issue of climate change.
“Climate change is real and it is one of the most talked about issues in this election year,” said Kalliecharan. “People are really concerned about the environment, maybe more than ever before and they are looking for a responsible government to help lead change.
“In our area in particular, the preservation of Lake Simcoe is a huge conversation and we have promised $40 million over four years to help clean up and maintain our lake," he added.
Kalliecharan says a Liberal government would ban single-use plastics and is working toward a net-zero gas emissions target by 2050.
“One of the best ways to cut the emissions is planting trees,” he said. “Trees are actually the best way to deal with the amount of carbon we are emitting. We do have an action plan. We are certainly moving forward with it and, so far, the reception to it is very positive.”
Kalliecharan also spoke to the criticism around the Liberals' carbon tax. He says it's working and is a good plan.
“We have taxed carbon as a tool in our fight against pollution,” he said. “Putting a price on pollution is going to make people and businesses think twice about their carbon footprint.”
Kalliecharan’s campaign office is located at 181 Livingstone St. E., Suite 3. For more information, click here.
The federal election is Oct. 21.
