The NDP candidate for Windsor West has promised to revive efforts to create a National Urban Park on the west end.
Windsor West candidate Brian Masse announced on Friday that if re-elected in the April 28 federal vote, his first order of business will be to re-introduce a Private Member's Bill to create the Ojibway National Urban Park (NUP).
The bill had passed third reading in the House of Commons before Parliament was prorogued, thus killing it in the Senate. Masse hopes to move a motion for unanimous consent so the bill can go directly to the Senate.
Masse told WindsorNewsToday.ca that the NDP included a program in its platform to protect the NUP project from proposed Parks Canada cuts.
"What we're proposing is the opportunity for people to save their money, invest and make interest, and invest in Ojibway National Urban Park with a Victory Bond," said Masse. "A Victory Bond is similar to a Canada Savings Bond, where actually you get a guaranteed return, a rate that's above the interest rate, so it's better than your bank."
Masse criticized the federal Liberals for perceived inaction on getting the bill through, along with a plan to cut $450-million from the Parks Canada budget.
"They really don't have an ability to even articulate what their plan is," said Masse. "It's a policy that hasn't been approved. It's something that's been in the works for many, many years at the same time they've been supporting my bill. What's important is that nobody supports that other than themselves."
Masse is running in Windsor West against Richard Pollock of the Liberals, Harbinder Gill of the Conservatives, Louay Ahmad of the Green Party, Jacob Bezaire of the People's Party of Canada, Joseph Markham of the Communist Party, and Margaret Villamizar of the Marxist-Leninist Party.