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Economy - Valley residents and businesses are feeling the pinch of the global economic uncertainty. What economic planks are in your election platform?

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Our government will invest in line with our program called "Advantage Canada". In detail we will invest in:

* Tax Relief - We will pursue additional tax relief as the surplus allows. We did get ahead of this recent downturn with over $20 billion in tax breaks to people and businesses in the fall 2007 Economic Statement. We have also committed to $150 million annually for a new Children's Art Tax Credit; a tax credit for up to $5,000 of the closing costs on the purchase of a new home by first-time homebuyers; and we will allow income splitting between spouses who care for family members with disabilities. We have also extended the tax breaks for investment in capital equipment.

* Entrepreneurship - Assisting entrepreneurs by decreasing taxes to small business and through targeted loans to small business through ACOA. In addition, we will undertake to reduce the bureaucratic red-tape, including government remittances, by 20% by the end of 2008.

* Knowledge - While the commodity sector will be a base for us in New Brunswick, we need to innovate our way to a new place. That will include investing in research and development, such as bio-fuels, innovation in the potato sector, targeted investment in processing, such as the beef processing facility on PEI, in partnership with the provinces, and continued investment in the forest sector.

* Fiscal - The recent events in the U.S. teach us the lessons of debt and what too much debt can mean to the economy. We have paid down $37 billion on the national debt over the last two-plus years and will be very careful to ensure we remain in a surplus position through careful money management, targeted spending and tax breaks, and continuous program review.

* Infrastructure - Many of the communities have benefited and will benefit from key infrastructure investments such as highways like Route 8, water and wastewater projects and community infrastructure projects like the Tobique-Plex and Grand Falls Civic Center. We have made the gas tax rebate to municipalities permanent. In addition, our Building Canada Infrastructure program will provide over $37 billion for infrastructure projects in large and small communities in the riding.

Environment - Canadians agree that the devastating effects of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions must be curtailed. Detail your approach to achieving meaningful reductions in greenhouse gases.

The basis for the Conservative Plan to achieve meaningful reductions on greenhouse gas emissions is the Turning the Corner Plan that will lead to a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, and cut air pollution in half by 2015. This will result in real benefits to the general health of Canadians. The major initiatives to achieve these goals are:

* $2 billion for the production of renewable fuels;

* $2 billion under the eco-Energy Initiative to promote smarter energy use, greater use of clean energy resources and cleaner uses of traditional energy resources; and

* $1.5 billion trust for clean air and climate change to support strategic investments like research and development in carbon sequestration technologies.

Our region stands to benefit from these programs through energy conservation programs, the potential for wind energy as a domestic and export product, and working with the Province of New Brunswick and the municipalities on community energy projects that leverage renewable energy sources.

Agriculture - Soaring production costs, global market forces and stagnant commodity prices are strangling valley farmers. What policies do you propose to restore agriculture to a vibrant industry?

Since taking office, we have taken action with over $4.5 billion in new programming support for agriculture including the implementation of the new Growing Forward plan that replaces the previous CAIS program. This new program is made up of four major planks including a margin component, savings component, disaster component and a crop insurance component. In addition, we have proposed a reduction of the excise tax on diesel by 2 cents per litre. We have committed to a $500 million additional investment in agriculture over the next four years to provide farm families with economic certainty, as well as a $50 million investment for strong slaughter capacity in various regions to support our beef and dairy industries, and other livestock sectors. In addition, we will continue to invest in R&D programs, such as the development of new varieties of potatoes for export markets, ensure that "Product of Canada" labeling really means product of Canada, and pursue trade agreements with countries that will provide market opportunities for our commodities.

Forestry - New Brunswick's lumber and pulp export markets have almost disappeared. What can your party do to help the forestry industry thrive again?

I will work with an advisory group in the riding to evaluate and implement recommendations from the June 2008 Natural Resources Committee Report which I helped to author. Our party has already taken some important actions to address this sector and the employment fall-out. We have recently extended the Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance to encourage companies to invest in technology and have also transferred $30 million to the province to invest in projects to assist the communities impacted. A key competitive issue for the industry is energy rates. While power rates are a provincial matter, the federal government is supporting initiatives to generate power from other sources such as biomass.

What other issues do you feel are important to Tobique-Mactaquac voters?

Certainly a common interest among the voters is fuel prices. Following up on a recent collusion case in Quebec where the companies were fined over $1 million for collusion on gas prices, we will raise the penalties for firms and individuals who get involved in bid-rigging and cartel behaviour, such as price-fixing, and introduce fines for companies that abuse a position of dominance in the market - up to $10 million for a first offence and $15 million for repeat offences. Other issues people have brought up are

* The access to qualified labour resources. We have made changes to the immigration system to allow us to bring in the required resources, and we are in the process of implementing those changes. In addition, we need to continue our investment in programs that encourage our young people to enter the trades professions, and programs that allow our at-risk youth to integrate into the workforce.

* The potential to diversify our economy. We have opportunity in the energy and mining sectors and the key will be development of natural resources in an environmentally sustainable way. The key will be to allow projects the ability to get approvals in a timely fashion as opposed to the drawn-out regulatory processes that can occur.

* The long-gun registry. In the absence of opposition support to scrap the long-gun registry, we have implemented an amnesty from prosecution under the current law and extended that amnesty twice. We will continue with plans to scrap the long-gun registry.