Economic recovery is top of mind for Perth–Wellington incumbent John Nater as he hopes to secure a third term representing the riding.
Nater, a former municipal councillor for West Perth and political science lecturer at King's University College, was first elected to federal office in 2015.
"My biggest motivating factor right now is to see our economy come back roaring," Nater said. "Because there's a lot of hard working people who've faced so many challenges and I want to see those people get back on top of things."
Nater referenced the Conservatives "job surge plan" and "main street tax credit program" as two aspects of the party's platform he's particularly excited about. The former is a wage subsidy for employers that would pay up to 50 per cent of the salaries of new hires. The latter would provide a 25 per cent tax credit on amounts of up to $100,000 that Canadians personally invest in a small business over the next two years.
"So that we can see investments in small businesses that can revitalize our community, revitalize our local economy and diversify the economy as well," Nater said.
He also wants to continue to work on improving high-speed Internet access in Perth–Wellington, something he said has been a priority for him during his time as MP.
"Especially in recent times, due to the pandemic, we've been focusing on trying to get investment in rural broadband," he said.
Along with a focus on Internet access, Nater said he's proud of his work pushing for improvements to more traditional infrastructure in the riding as well, like roads, bridges, and water and wastewater facilities.
Reflecting on his six-year term he said he's also proud of his service to the community, helping individual people with concerns ranging from tax issues to immigration problems.
"Being able to assist people one-on-one and try to get their issues resolved with the government, that's one of the things I'm proudest of," he said.
Voters will head to the polls for the federal election on Sept. 20.
