Federal candidates talk array of topics in Lloydminster forum

Protecting gun owners was top of mind for Falk, who pitched a tough on crime approach. She said the current government has introduced legislation that targets legal gun owners. A Scheer government, she said, would better equipment officers and enhance background checks for gun purchases, make prison time more meaningful and work to prevent youth from joining gangs.

Through making life more affordable, MacInnis said a People’s Party government would work to fight crime by addressing poverty, respecting legal gun owners’ rights and enhancing personal defence legislation.

The NDP’s Pedersen said her party would address the root causes of crime – poverty, drug addiction, intergenerational abuse – to make the streets safer. She said unemployment and racism fuel crime and gang activity rurally and on city streets.

Oil and gas

The topic of oil and gas spurred minor jabs among some of the candidates and mumbling from the audience on a handful of responses.

Pedersen received a mixed reaction to her proposal of quickly transitioning off oil and gas to green energy sooner rather than later. She said the NDP will allow pipelines if they go through a strengthened review process and touted the bounty of jobs a new green economy and home and business retrofits would bring.

Both MacInnis and Falk were stern defenders of the oil and gas sector, pledging to scrap the carbon tax and get pipelines built.

Falk said a Tory government would scrap Bill C-69 and C-48. She said too much oil is being produced and purchased from places like Saudi Arabia and should instead come from Canada, adding the sector must champion what they are doing and export their technology to other nations.

MacInnis said a PPC government would impose pipelines on the nation as the sector is a key driver of the nation’s economy. He said pipelines are safer than trains, highlighting the incident in Lac-Mégantic in 2013.

Ingram defended the Liberal’s decision to purchase the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion and said he is “as pro pipelines as anyone else is.” He said carbon capture and sequestration and other green investments would be a priority.

Western Alienation

The question of Western alienation drew a multitude of answers from the candidates, with Falk acknowledging the growing sentiment in Alberta and Saskatchewan and blamed the ballooning resentment for Ottawa solely on Trudeau.

“The current Liberal government has done nothing to unite Canada,” she said, adding a Conservative government would work to unite the nation.

MacInnis said the East has long used the West “as a wallet to finance everything.” He said the PPC would rework equalization so only provinces who deserve it receive it. He went on to say the PPC was a modern version of the Reform Party and has a platform based around Western values.

Ingram lambasted the notion of separation and said Canada is the greatest country in the world. He said a landlocked state would struggle to export goods and support itself and said the country is to intertwined break part.

Pedersen said a government needs to represent everyone in Canada and made note of how Saskatchewan is the birthplace of the NDP through the CCF (Co-operative Commonwealth Federation). A New Democratic Party holding the balance of power in a minority government would hold the government to account to put people before profits, she said.

Drug Epidemic

Ingram said a Liberal government would work to ensure children start off on the right foot when asked how to address the growing drug epidemic on the Prairies.

“If you are raised in a good family you have a better chance of … not becoming a criminal, a better chance of not getting addicted to drugs and that is where we have to start,” he said.

Pedersen echoed Ingram’s comments and said the next generation is fearful of what life they will have due to climate change and growing debt. She reiterated her party’s plan for massive spending from head to toe on healthcare and the importance of giving people hope.

Falk noted her background in social work and said people with frontline experience need to be at the table to help to shape public policy. She said a Conservative government would maintain health transfers to provinces, which would give them stable funding to best deliver the programs they need.

MacInnis said the issue falls under provincial jurisdiction and the feds can’t promise very much. He said addiction is a learned behaviour, people need to take more personal responsibility and greater prosecution needs to be taken against dealers.

Climate

Falk said a Scheer government would adhere to three pillars on the environment file: invest in green technology, work towards a cleaner and greener natural environment and assist in the global fight for the environment like selling green ideas made in Canada abroad.

Pedersen spoke about the 300,000 good jobs that would come from green initiatives and said bold investment and actions are needed.

“I have been living in a passive solar-heated house and I am not suffering. I still have all my fingers,” she said, adding how the oil and gas sector is not paying their fair share for the pollution they create.

Ingram towed the Liberal party line and defended the price on carbon and the current government’s record. He held up the notion of embracing solar energy and said people need to open their minds to change.

MacInnis said the climate is changing and will always change and said carbon is not a cause of climate change. He spoke to the need to quell growing alarmism on the subject and said the free market will decide what the future of energy generation and consumption looks like.

Individual Questions

Each candidate was asked one question tailored to the candidate. Ingram was quizzed on if he would stand up to the Liberal party if a decision they made was against the interest of a majority of the people he represents.

During his time on council in Mervin, Ingram said he was told he was the best councillor they ever had as he stood up for the betterment of the municipality in several situations.

People’s Party candidate MacInnis was asked to differentiate his party from the Conservatives. He said the PPC is more right of the Tories and a party committed to balancing the budget within two years, not five, and represents all Canadians, not just niche groups or big corporations.

Pedersen was asked how the NDP would pay for their healthcare and other spending promises. She said the party will put a one per cent tax on everyone who has a net worth of over $20 million, which would generate $70 billion. This covers the $25 billion healthcare bill, she said. Closing tax loopholes and collecting taxes from evaders would net another $25 billion each year.

Falk was pressed on how she would improve the lives of Indigenous people in the riding. She said by making life more affordable — removing the carbon tax and taking GST off home heating — would help put more money in people’s pockets and lower the bill for basic needs. Grassroots Indigenous people, she said, want their leaders held to fiscal accountability and said a Scheer government would enforce the First Nation Financial Transparency Act.

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tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr

by Tyler Marr

Federal candidates talk array of topics in Lloydminster forum

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