The New Democratic Party (NDP) has a clear plan to create new jobs and the determination to build a better St. Vincent and the Grenadines for our future.
\nFor too long a lack of economic opportunities has seen many of our people leave for opportunities in Canada, USA, UK and other countries. Many leave our islands and never return. Here in St Vincent and Grenadines our cost of living is rising, and it is hard to make ends meet. We need jobs and incomes to look after our families.
\nIn the NDP, we are passionate about building a country that works for everyone and where everyone who wants to work can. Our Plan will create better conditions which mean Vincentians are happy to stay. We will set ambitious targets to deliver the investment, resources and production we need. A strong economy and good infrastructure will bring foreign investment and increased wages for all Vincentians. Without a strong economy, we cannot afford to pay for housing, schools or hospitals.
\nWe will outline specific, deliverable measures for all these sectors, and we will get St Vincent and Grenadines working again. For too long we have neglected our most precious resource \u2013 our people. It\u2019s time to change that and to ensure more of our young people can build careers and raise their families here in St Vincent and Grenadines. Let\u2019s work together to ensure a brighter future for all of us.
\nTen reasons to vote for the NDP
\nWe have a long-term plan to create new, sustainable jobs and reduce unemployment.
\nWe will create opportunities so our young people can succeed here, build a home and raise a family.
\nWe will immediately reduce VAT from 16 percent to 13 percent and remove it entirely from essential foods and medicines and review import duties and procedures.
\nWe have a funded plan to build a new National Hospital and fix local clinics across the country to improve health care.
\nWe have a plan to make it easier to do business in SVG and to support local businesses so they can grow and hire local people.
\nWe have a plan to transform our infrastructure with new roads, ports, and manufacturing facilities. This will unlock our economy and create new jobs.
\nWe will fund technical skills and education in local areas, reinvigorate and boost the YES program and reduce interest on student loans by half, down to 4.5 percent.
\nWe will back our fisherfolk with new equipment and boats; and farmers with access to land, credit and markets to revive these crucial sectors.
\nWe have a plan to develop our tourism sector, making SVG a leading destination in the Caribbean while backing establishments, in addition to international hotels.
\nWe will bring in new investments to fund our plans for jobs and growth.<\/p>\n
Job Creation
\nAfter 19 long years of the ULP, unemployment has increased from 20% to 26% (even before COVID). Dr Friday and the NDP will attract new investment to stimulate construction, marine, agriculture, and manufacturing jobs here at home. We will create jobs by reducing the costs, fees and bureaucratic delays for businesses. They can then expand faster, and hire more.
\nWe will use finance from our new Development Bank to help businesses start, or expand here in SVG. We will invest in new equipment, financing, lands, and reforms for our farmers and fisherfolk. We will assist our young people into work by expanding and increasing the YES Program and deliver a national skills training program. We want our young people to earn and learn and to create jobs for all who want to work.
\nHealth
\nThe ULP have promised to deliver a new national hospital since 2001. They have failed. The NDP has a fully funded plan to build a new hospital in St Vincent and the Grenadines. We will ensure it is certified as a training school as well. We will drive foreign investors to investor not just in hotels, but a new hospital; a hospital that will save lives.
\nDr Friday will also oversee the roll-out of a National Insurance Scheme. We will also introduce a Patient Travel Subsidy to help patients get to important appointments. We will upgrade or construct new community health clinics from North Windward down to Kingstown \u2013 and villages in between.
\nFarming and Fishing
\nOur fisherfolk and farmers have been neglected and have not been able to make a good living. We will completely reinvigorate our fishing sector \u2013 creating a separate Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Conservation \u2013 to give this vial industry the attention it deserves. We will help finance new boats and equipment for our fisherfolk through our National Development Bank. We won\u2019t dictate to fisherfolk what they need; instead we\u2019ll work with them to get them the right equipment to succeed.
\nOur plan also includes fixing and building new feeder roads so our farmers can be more productive. We will also finance new equipment to make their job easier, and to make them more productive so that farming is more appealing to younger people. We will ensure that there are real markets in place for their produce. So that when you put in a crop and wait months for it to bear, you will have somewhere to sell it into at a fair price. We want our farmers to be farmers \u2013 focusing on what they do best \u2013 and earning a decent living so they can build a home, send their children to school and save for retirement. It\u2019s time for Dr. Friday and the NDP to get St. Vincent and the Grenadines working.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The New Democratic Party (NDP) has a clear plan to create new jobs and the determination to build a better St. Vincent and the Grenadines for our future. For too long a lack of economic opportunities has seen many of our people leave for opportunities in Canada, USA, UK and other countries. Many leave our<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":17004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\n