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Candidates respond: Cindy Derkaz

North Okanagan-Shuswap candidates answers the Observer's questions in the run-up to October 19's federal election.
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Cindy Derkaz

1) Do you support a public health-care system and how do you think it could be improved?

The Liberal Party is committed to publicly-funded universal health care. We need to make a shift from physician/hospital-based care to an integrated, primary care system which is multidisciplinary, patient-centred, and committed to managing chronic disease within community, home, and long-term care settings.

We will negotiate a new Health Accord with the provinces and provide long-term stable funding, starting with $3 billion over four years for additional and improved home-care services.

We will create new centres of excellence that will specialize in mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder, and related issues for both veterans and first responders.

2) How would you plan to address the need for affordable housing in the North Okanagan-Shuswap?

We will prioritize new investment in affordable housing and seniors’ facilities as part of our 10-year investment of nearly $20 billion in social infrastructure, including $125 million annually in tax incentives to increase and renovate the supply of rental housing.

This is an opportunity for North Okanagan-Shuswap where some people have no housing and others lack affordable housing. Affordable housing is a government issue. Liberals will take action and work collaboratively with all levels of government to provide sustained funding.

Many Canadians are priced out of home ownership, putting pressure on crowded rental markets and on affordable housing units.