My name is Whitney Dykeman, and I am your Liberal candidate for Fundy Royal in this Federal Election.
I am a proud New Brunswicker who has lived in Fundy Royal for almost 40 years. I am a graduate of JMA Armstrong High School in Salisbury, a graduate of Tourism Management from LaSalle College in Montreal and have earned a Master’s degree in Information Management from Dalhousie University. I lived in Hillsborough, Albert County, for over 25 years where I raised my family. My involvement in Fundy Royal communities started with countless basketball tournaments, bake sales and other community events just like countless other Fundy Royal families.
I spent many years travelling the world as a senior manager in the Tourism industry and, in 1997, I began my consulting career with the startup of my own business as a training, consulting and placement firm for the Hospitality and Tourism industry. In 2005 I was hired by the Government of Canada Pension Centre, in Shediac, as part of a transformation project that overhauled business systems and subsequently, started my second business, Dykeman Consulting Inc., an Information Management/Information Technology company.
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My commitments to Fundy Royal If I am elected will include:
A Strong supporter of Tourism in Fund Royal: The tourism industry is one of the keys to success for Fundy Royal. The Fundy Trail is the catalyst for growth in the Tourism sector and I believe my experience in senior management with the Tourism industry will be a great asset to the Riding. A Liberal Government will invest $1 billion for the tourism industry, as well as establish a $15/hour Federal minimum wage.
Moving forward to ensure the people of Fundy Royal have access to reliable, high-speed internet – COVID-19 has shown us that working from home, students studying remotely, and having small businesses reach customers around the world, is possible with reliable high-speed internet. Now more than ever families need to stay in touch making high-speed internet a necessity, not a luxury.
Moving forward to fund early learning and child-care – ending the “she-cession” by working with the Provincial Government to implement a strategy that will reduce fees for parents to $10 per day childcare by 2026. This will help drive economic growth making it possible for women to return to work.
Moving forward to protect our environment by having a robust plan to deal with climate change and protection of our natural resources - helping Fundy Royal preserve our lands and oceans by creating a green recovery strategy that will produce good middle-class jobs.
Moving forward to improve long-term care and support Canada’s seniors - by raising wages for personal support workers, including a guaranteed minimum wage of at least $25/hr and training up to 50,000 new personal support workers.
Moving forward on housing – a re-elected Liberal Government will provide three solutions to support owning a home: a tax free home owners saving account of up to $30,000; building, preserving, or repairing 1.4 million homes, and introducing a Home Buyers’ Bill or Rights to make the process of buying a home fairer, more open and transparent.
Alaina Lockhart was the first women elected in Fundy Royal since Confederation and, as I go door to door, I am hearing that she did a great job representing the people of Fundy Royal – here are some of her accomplishments under a Liberal Government:
Completed Phase II of the Fundy Trail Connector Roads In 2018
Improved the Visitors’ Experience at Fundy 12 National Park, in 2019, invested $4.8 million for much needed infrastructure for the park.
Cut the Small Business Taxes 11% in 2015 to 9% as of January 1st, 2019.
Supported Agriculture Industry by investing in the New Brunswick’s dairy farmers programs like the Dairy Farmers Investment Program (DFIP).
Invested in Rural Roads and Infrastructure by modifying the Highways and Roads category under the Provincial Territorial Infrastructure Component to allow communities to benefit from federal funding for rural roads with lower ridership numbers.
I believe it’s time to send another Liberal to Ottawa to represent Fundy Royal and I am asking for your vote.
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Highlights of Budget 2021 for New Brunswick if a Liberal Government in re-elected:
● Supporting seniors by proposing to provide a one-time $500 payment and increase OAS payments for seniors age 75 and older
● Providing $500 million over 2 years to the RDAs for a Canada Community Revitalization Fund to support main street revitalization
● Establishing a Natural Infrastructure Fund to support conservation and biodiversity, while mitigating the impacts of climate change
● Providing $300 million to repair, renew, and replace small craft harbours
● Providing over $380 million to support bilingualism programs for students and promote official languages
● Making available a $1 billion package of tourism supports for local tourism businesses and festivals