We asked all the candidates the same 11 questions on a wide range of issues plus one specific to their party. Over the six weeks leading up to Election Day, October 19, we present their answers unedited and in their entirety.
This week’s questions:
5. Given the Canadian economy is now in recession, does that change how you will treat economic issues?
6. First Nations issues are particularly relevant in Saskatchewan and locally; how important is this to your campaign?
Elaine Hughes
5. No, every day somebody’s got a new angle and putting a spin on it and I’m not into that. I’m focusing on what’s good for the people of Canada. Yesterday we could have started upgrading houses and buildings, yesterday we could have started working on affordable housing for homeless, everybody in Canada should have a home and the federal government needs to get back involved in providing that. The economy is failing because we’re a one-horse show and everybody is panicking because we’re only getting 40 dollars for oil when the solar panel and renewable energy industry is light years ahead of Canada in many places in the world even where you wouldn’t expect it where they’ve gone to 80 to 100 per cent renewable energy already, so what is our problem? And destroying 400,000 manufacturing jobs over the last 10 years certainly isn’t helping us now, is it?
6. Absolutely, that’s another number one. We immediately need that inquiry into the missing and murdered women, that is a global disgrace that we have not dealt with that. The fact that these reservations and First Nations people have to drink dirty water or pay to have water brought in in bottles, which certainly keeps the plastic industry happy, is another disgrace. The United Nations have even stepped in and was not kind to Canada’s actions when dealing with the First Nations so I would follow up on all of their recommendations, it’s just a disgrace. And mandatory minimum sentences is another nightmare and it’s not solving the problem and we’ve got to deal with the cause of the problems, whether it’s poverty or housing or health or, I don’t know, it’s a huge complex problem and it’s not going to be solved tomorrow, but we have to get started. These people are people; they can’t be dealt with in this terrible, disgraceful manner that they are.
Brooke Malinoski
5. Yes it will. It’s kind of like what I talked to you about how we are investing in infrastructure. I think if you look at what the Liberal Party is planning on doing is we’re really planning on growing the economy by investing in it. When you look at things like that, that’s why I’m really proud to be part of the party. We want to invest in infrastructure plans and develop the Canadian economy. By the government investing and giving money to the provinces and municipalities to create bridges and create hospitals and schools and things the community needs that will also create jobs, so the government will help to create jobs, not only create jobs for blue collar workers, but it will create jobs for engineers and it will create jobs for university students who are just leaving school. If you look at youth unemployment right now that is a huge issue and I think that it’s important for the government to really kickstart jobs and growth. We’re also planning on creating more jobs for youth and summer jobs and summer programs and I think it’s important for the government to do things like that because then people will be getting experience. So, I think our Liberal Party is really planning on helping kickstart the Canadian economy and that’s really important right now when you consider we are in a recession.
6. I think they’re extremely important, especially if you look at our riding, they’re very very important and I think that’s one of my main issues with the Conservative Party and one of the reasons I think it’s important for indigenous members of the community to get involved. They’ve been treated absolutely horribly by this government and I’m very proud of the Liberal Party in how many indigenous candidates we’ve put forward. We have the highest number of indigenous candidates up for election and also, if you look at the plans for how we’re going to invest in education, in 2016 over 45 per cent of the students that will be in our Saskatchewan schools will be indigenous students and I think it’s important to acknowledge that that’s a large portion of our population here in Saskatchewan and we need to take care of them, we need to listen to their needs and we need to work alongside them nation to nation to create a better Canada.
Cathay Wagantall
5. Actually, it reaffirms how we’ll treat economic issues because it’s actually a technical recession and they’ve since determined that actually the Canadian economy is picking up and doing well. There are a lot of areas, I was listening on the radio even this morning that yes, oil is facing a lot of difficulties at this point in time, but a lot of other industries are actually doing quite well. The retail is doing well, so people are feeling very confident. I think their confidence comes from the fact they’ve seen that through what was really truly a deep recession we handled the economy really well. Worldwide Prime Minister Harper is praised and our country is praised for how we’ve come through that recession, so this circumstance, even from hearing the reports on TV the economists don’t see it as something significant and it’s a blip and it’s in the past and actually things looking forward are very good. What they’re doing is encouraging people not to panic because I know there’s been a lot of hype around this and the concern that it technically was called a recession, but you’re talking about 0.8 per cent of the GDP compared to 8 per cent earlier on when it was significant and we handled that circumstance really really well and Prime Minister Harper has said all along, we are not out of the woods yet, we’re in a worldwide situation that is very tenuous and that’s why we have to keep doing what we’re doing and that doesn’t mean doing nothing as one particular individual has said, but carrying on with sound economic policies and he’s an economist, and it’s important to him, and to me, that’s why I’m running as a Conservative because my basis is we have to have a strong economy, people working, and a basis on which we can offer a lot of the programs that are being suggested by the other parties aren’t sustainable if we don’t have a strong economy so that’s why we’re doing it the way we are.
6. They’re really important to me and I’m excited about what I’m hearing. I’ve been out to Keeseekoose on one occasion to meet some folks out there and I’ve had conversations. I enjoy listening to the CBC radio show New Fire, it’s excellent, and hearing what the younger generation is doing to mobilize. It’s a complicated situation, [host Lisa Charleyboy] had on [former national chief] Shawn Atleo. I loved a number of the things that he said about the importance of being involved and engaged. They have the added complication, as he said, of not only, you’ve got federal, provincial and municipal governments, but they have their own government system as well they need to function within and make it strong and healthy. Of course, when you’re talking about First Nations it’s a plural, there are so many and different dynamics even going on within their own government and so I look forward to the opportunity to have a couple of roundtables especially to talk with that younger generation as well bands to talk about their issues and they’re serious. You know, our prime minister is the one who offered the apology, the official apology to them for what happened with the schools and with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and you can see where, you know what, there’s potential, wonderful potential for healing and for a sense of belonging and I value a lot of how they process things. You know they process from a very personal, grassroots, spiritual perspective, so I value what they have to offer, how they want to see their lives improve and be part of Canada as well.
Doug Ottenbreit
5. No, it doesn’t. Tom [Mulcair] has been very clear about that. We understand obviously better than the Conservatives, who have been saying that we’re not in recession, 80 per cent of the economy is growing. That’s simply not the case. We are in a recession; it is not just a technical recession. All you have to do is look around Yorkton-Melville, you can see that families are struggling to survive, so no, it’s not going to change our spending priorities, it’s not going to change the style of government that we intend to bring to Canada.
6. As you’re probably aware, Tom the other day [August 31] announced that within a very short period of becoming government we’re going to do an inquiry on murdered and missing aboriginal women. It’s an issue that’s been ignored by the Conservatives. The aboriginal community is a vital part, or could be a vital part, of our economy. We have to deal with outstanding issues between the government and the aboriginal community. We’re not going to spend a billion dollars in court arguing with the aboriginal community. We’re going to sit down with them. I’m not going to tell the aboriginal community what their issues should be; they can tell me because that’s my job.
