As part of our election package, each week for the next four, The News will pose a question to the candidates in the riding of Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough, Westdale. This week's question is: What will you do as a Member of Parliament to bring new jobs to this riding? Here are the candidates' responses.

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Gordon Guyatt, NDP:

The most certain way a New Democrat government will bring jobs to ADFW is through links between our green and industrial strategies. The NDP will facilitate retrofitting community, commercial and institutional infrastructure through a loan and tax incentive program that will help existing businesses, hospitals, churches and schools to reduce their energy consumption. Nationally, we will install 100,000 solar thermal building systems (rooftops or walls) with federal grants for 50 per cent of the material costs and loans for the remainder.

Additional funds will support the development of community groups and nonprofit organizations to promote activities that promote greener use of energy and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Nationally, these programs will produce over 300,000 jobs. Support for home retrofitting and installation of energy efficient heat pumps will produce further jobs, as will allocation of funds for enhanced public transit.

Another initiative that will bring jobs to ADFW is support for campaigns for selective consumer purchase of Canadian, and particularly local products. A national housing program of $2 billion will provide funds for affordable housing. ADFW may also benefit from the activist role the NDP sees for government in protecting industrial jobs, and investing in worker training and transition programs.

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Arlene MacFarlane-VanderBeek:

Liberals know our cities are the engine of our economy. We understand that to function properly, this community needs well-maintained infrastructure.

Without it, not only will existing businesses and industries be unable to compete effectively to ensure their viability, we'll also drive away new investment and the jobs that come with it.

I've been a local business owner for many years. I know the challenges faced by small- and medium-sized businesses, and the frustration they face when trying to compete in an ever-changing economic climate. In my role as a municipal employee, I also have been acutely aware of the lost opportunities because of inefficient or crumbling infrastructure.

The Liberal Party has developed policies to address the need for new and upgraded roads, bridges, public transit systems and water facilities -- which, taken together, will vastly improve this community's attractiveness to new economic development.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government has squandered the $12-billion surplus they inherited from the previous Liberal government.

A Liberal government will clean up the mess created by the Tories, allowing us to provide the funds so desperately needed by our cities. Job creation depends on sound fiscal policies - Liberal policies.

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Peter Ormond:

With gasoline prices skyrocketing, airlines collapsing and hybrid vehicle sales skyrocketing, it's time to review the Green Party policy document, Vision Green. This comprehensive platform proposes refreshing incentives to shift today's economy, which is highly vulnerable to globalization and escalating energy prices, to a fair and efficient economic system. Our resources will be invested locally as our prosperous and socially-progressive community continues to develop toward self-sufficiency. These jobs within ADFW are key ingredients of this recipe.

Green-collar jobs will be created as a result of a massive private and public sector investment in public transit, railways, alternative energy (wind, geothermal, solar, etc), conservation measures (housing retrofits, energy, water) and local agriculture.

Hamilton's steel industry and close proximity to railway, water and highway systems will be a key beneficiary of Canada's industrial revitalization as we retool to join the new global economy by producing sustainable technologies.

Our important agricultural sector will benefit from incentives that will strengthen a model based around local family farms and businesses that provide for adjacent villages, towns and cities. Additional measures outlined in the Green Party's Vision Green document include several key tax measures to assist municipalities in this transformation. Visit greenpartyhamilton.ca

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David Sweet:

There is a clear choice in this election on the economy and jobs.

The certain and strong leadership of Stephen Harper at a time of global economic uncertainly...or the risky and uncertain path proposed by the Stephane Dion Liberals.

On jobs and the economy, I'm proud to be part of the Stephen Harper team.

Locally, I've worked hard to bring high quality new jobs to the area. I championed the move of the federal CANMET research lab to McMaster's Innovation Park - turning years of talk into reality. That's over 100 new jobs, but as important, its research focus on metals supports innovation in Hamilton's steel industry.

I was also pleased to have Prime Minister Harper here this summer to announce federal funds for the Braley cardio-vascular research institute at the Hamilton General Hospital. This boosts our global reputation as a leader in medical advancement and creates 230 new jobs.

If re-elected, I look forward to continuing to advocate for projects that will bring high quality jobs to this area. One such project is the St. Joseph's Healthcare's respiratory health and the environment research centre initiative -- on which I have already begun work to advocate as your representative in Ottawa.