Five MP candidates are competing for your vote in Surrey Newton on federal election day Monday, Sept. 20.
In Surrey-Newton, Liberal incumbent Sukh Dhaliwal is seeking re-election, challenged by Conservative Syed Mohsin, New Democrat Avneet Johal, Pamela Singh of the People’s Party of Canada and Independent Parveer Hundal.
All candidates are newcomers in this race, with the exception of Dhaliwal. Election Canada’s district profile for this 30 km-squared riding indicates a population of 114,605 with 65,340 electors on the list.
Surrey-Newton is shaped more or less like a rectangle. Its boundaries are Highway 10 at the south, Scott Road at the west, 88 Avenue at the north and 144 Street at the east.
We asked each candidate the following question: What is your first priority if you are elected on Sept. 20?
See their responses below, presented in alphabetical order:
Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal:
Surrey-Newton is full of young families and I believe strongly in doing everything in my power to assist residents in becoming homeowners.
Our party’s new Rent-to-Own program will make it easier for renters to get onto a clear path towards ownership while renting. We are committing $1 billion in loans and grants to develop and scale up rent-to-own projects.
We are also creating a new tax-free home savings account that allows Canadians under 40 to save up to $40,000 towards their first home and withdraw it tax-free for the purchase (with no requirement to repay it).
Finally, we are introducing a more flexible first-time home buyers’ incentive which will allow you to choose between the current shared-equity approach or a
loan that is repayable when you sell your house. This allows for more money from any price increase to be kept while still reducing monthly mortgage costs.
Parveer Hundal, Independent:
Our public safety is at risk. As crime rates increase and we continue to lose young lives to gang violence we have a very important decision to make. We need to elect a member who is proactive in providing measures and prevention tactics that are efficient and bring change. There are many demographics left out of the political spheres in our riding since their issues and concerns are not being heard. It’s time we elect new representation that has a passion for bringing change and takes accountability in actually following through with promises.
Avneet Johal, NDP:
My first priority will be to assemble a strong, diverse, and skilled team that is ready to serve the people of Surrey-Newton. We have a diverse and growing community – we need a team that reflects this, a team that understands our concerns, and a team that will fight for our local needs.
The core of my professional experience and community service is supporting the growth and development of young people. Our team’s first priority will be to connect with local schools, sports clubs, and other organizations to listen to the stories, experiences, and ideas of our students. There are many local leaders who are engaged in this work and we will collaborate with others so that we can continue to build on each other’s efforts. Community is built and sustained together.
Teamwork, collaboration, and community will always guide us in addressing the many needs of Surrey-Newton. Thank-you for your support!
Syed Mohsin, Conservative Party of Canada:
Canadians deserve an economic recovery plan that will help us take care of everyone in our community. A Conservative government will adopt a responsible and measured approach to balance the budget over the next decade. We need to rein in deficits to address inflation and the rising cost of necessities like groceries and gas. By tackling our economic priorities, we can ensure we can continue to invest in things like childcare, mental health services and social programs.
Pamela Singh, People’s Party of Canada:
We are fighting for Canadian freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of conscious, and freedom of choice. Currently, with the other parties, you will no longer have these freedoms which are continuously being eroded away. Like freedom of speech, which due to heavy censorship, is lacking in providing the public an accurate picture of what is occurring globally and locally, and this is becoming very dangerous. Therefore, citizens are no longer making better informed decisions due to this one sided narrative. The PPC is the only party, that will repeal vaccine mandates and vaccine passports which should be based on informed consent. We must work together as Canadians so that we can openly discuss topics that are important to us: affordable housing, economic growth, and putting money back into the pockets of Canadians. We make common sense policies for all Canadians.
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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