SDG – For Libertarian Party of Canada candidate Karl Ivan MacKinnon, this election is about reform. How the government spends money, how Members of Parliament behave, and how government needs to be more responsible to taxpayers.
MacKinnon, 56, is a first time political candidate. Originally from Vankleek Hill, he is an instrument mechanic and lives in North Glengarry. He spoke with The Leader as part of the paper’s series of interviews with candidates running in Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry in federal election.
“There are a lot of places where the government has dropped the ball,” MacKinnon said. “Look at some of the big projects announced. Liberals announced building infrastructure with corporate interests for projects we didn’t need, and in many cases didn’t receive.”
MacKinnon did not cite any specific projects that were not delivered, but offered a solution to adding accountability to government projects.
“My promise is to introduce legislation that restricts the government from spending money in excess of $40 million on public infrastructure projects without some form of approval by the public.”
He explained that could be by referendum and address the needs of constituents, adding that recall legislation should be introduced to improve accountability by an MP to their constituents.
The candidate said that the tax burden for residents in SDG was “very high,” leading to some of the economic issues households are facing.
“We haven’t seen any investment in SDG but we are forced to hand over a large portion of our money,” he said. “The level of poverty has increased.”
To help with housing affordability, MacKinnon said that the federal government does not have a responsibility to provide housing.
“It can be done at a municipal level, to streamline the process,” he explained. “There may be things that municipalities can do to work with builders to allow projects to continue. There is a burdens on municipalities, but there are other ways to solve that problem.”
He suggested the use of Home Owners Associations which allow for property owners to pay for a neighbourhood over a longer period of time.
“It doesn’t have to fall to the government to pay for that,” he added.
Continuing on housing, he said what is happening is a case for less government.
“The prices and availability crunch we see is due to unchecked immigration and money laundering,” he claimed. “As difficult as it is to put the genie back in the bottle, it would be a greater mistake to ask the government to correct it with state-sponsored housing.”
MacKinnon is one of 17 candidates across Canada running for the Libertarians this election. As a party, Libertarians call for an extensive reduction in both the size and powers of the federal government – limiting its role to that of protecting individual rights to “life, liberty, and property.”
Unable to form a government, MacKinnon said if elected, he can still play a valuable role in representing the riding in Ottawa.
“Like most Canadians, I recognize that this is an important election. A Libertarian candidate can help reform things,” he said, adding that he considers himself a centrist-Libertarian. “There are always other ideas and I am not an advocate for withdrawing supports or minimizing government cutting everything. But we have to be practical because we are in very difficult economic times.”
He said he wants to advocate for government to be practical in what is spent and accountable.
“The other parties have not given voters an option for reform, and the Libertarian Party can do that,” MacKinnon concluded. “It doesn’t have to be the way it has been.”
MacKinnon is the fifth confirmed candidate for the SDG riding. Voters go to the polls on April 28.
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