Jasper hosted an all candidates forum Oct. 6, attracting more 60 community members to the Jasper Activity Centre to hear from the candidates vying for the position of Yellowhead MP. Posted here are the candidates closing remarks transcribed verbatim by the Fitzhugh's Paul Clarke.
Cory Lystang
“We hear lots of promises about the billions of dollars the rest of the big parties are going to spend. What we don't hear about is the billions of dollars in waste.
That is what the Libertarian Party wants to avoid completely.
We want to leave the money in your pockets, in the province's pockets, so that the money can get to the programs and the people that deserve it.
I'd like to remind Mr. Maguhn here that all of our votes are free in the Libertarian Party. No larger government, no higher tax and no more government control over the people: this is what we stand for.”
Sandra Wolf Lange
“The Green Party is the only party that has a fully developed platform and that is backed by a completely matched budget for a government that works towards the needs of people.
We have a national sustainable jobs plan based on developing and implementing clean energy programs that preserves the environment while creating jobs and strengthening the economy.
We will eliminate poverty and challenge inequality through a guaranteed livable income for all Canadians. We will abolish tuition fees for college, university and skills training.
We have a national seniors pension strategy. We will work to ensure the sustainability of our universal care system and extend those services to dental care and pharmacare. On Oct. 19, vote for the Green Party with confidence for the well being of our people and for the preservation of our magnificent nature here in Yellowhead.”
Ken Kuzminski
“Those pesky taxes eh? What have they ever got anybody besides schools, hospitals, healthcare, running water, sewage systems, roads, police, even national parks?
Building infrastructure is important, but we must spend the money wisely. We have to make sure we have the right infrastructure. Canada is more than bricks and mortar. Canada is its people.
We all want good jobs, prosperous businesses, access to healthcare, top-notch educational opportunities and a clean, healthy environment to live, work and play in. We're all in this together.
We have to take a balanced approach to governing. We can have prosperous industries, but we can also have prosperous people who work in those industries. We need to strengthen our communities by investing in them, providing opportunities across this riding.
We will believe in science and take the muzzles off of our scientists. We will make sure Canada lives up to the challenges of climate change, not by taxing individuals, but through laws that force polluters to pay and clean up the mess that they made.
We will invest in solutions that create thousands of sustainable jobs and make environmental choices affordable for you and your family. We don't have to choose between the economy and the environment. We'll invest in training and innovation that strengthens our economy and we'll work with businesses to ensure that they have their labour needs met.
We will invest in affordable housing and affordable education. We'll strengthen our healthcare system, we'll provide for seniors and reverse the retirement age back to 65. We'll protect pensions and ensure that they are adequate and sustainable. We'll invest in infrastructure for our communities.
These are not expenses, they are investments. We can build a Canada that is moving forward without leaving anybody behind.”
Jim Eglinski
“It's easy to make promises. In this election you have two things to consider, the candidate and the party. I am the right candidate. My 35 years in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police gave me experience in dealing with people, the ability to investigate complex matters and to develop my leadership skills.
After my retirement I became a councillor and then a mayor of one of the fastest growing small cities in Canada. This gave me the tools needed to be an effective politician to deal with small and large issues, how to work and negotiate with provincial and federal governments, how to deal with foreign governments and over the last year being in Ottawa, as your representative, I learned how our government works.
My enthusiasm increased every day as I served as your member of parliament. I love the job, I have and will continue to commit my time to you, the Yellowhead constituents.
I'm lucky to have a partner like my wife Nancy who is also well experienced in both provincial and federal politics. She travels with me throughout the riding as a valued assistant, driver and sounding board.
In government you have a choice. You must vote with one factor in mind: what is best for the long-term prosperity of Canada and who has done what it said it would do?
The Conservatives are a government that made Canada one of the best countries in the world to live, a government who cut the GST, cut taxes for small businesses, created tax free savings accounts, pension income-splitting, etcetera. We are a government that lowered the federal tax burden to its lowest level in 50 years and a government that has relieved taxes by $6,600 for a typical family of four, a government that promised a balanced budget and produced a balanced budget.
Both the Liberals and the NDP propose high taxes and high debit. This is not the time for change, there's a downturn in the world economy. It's time to stay the course.”
Ryan Maguhn
“Unfortunately the NDP are promising left wing promises on the follow up of a right wing budget and that's just not possible.
The Conservative government would have all of us invest in the economics of just scraping by without endeavouring to be more, guided by and rooted in their politics of fear and their insecurities.
Now none of us in this room would allow our families to be guided in such a way and we're all part of a greater Canadian family, a nation strong and a nation proud. We will be guided by the optimism of investing in our future, investing in our communities and working to bring all of us closer together because ultimately as Canadians we believe that hope is stronger than fear.
Our parents, grandparents and great grandparents believed rightfully that by working hard and believing in themselves they could walk away stronger and better for the effort. The Liberal Party will take that same course and cement hope and reality.
Our plan lays the foundation to put people to work, to grow the economy in a number of different fields. We will reduce taxes for 90 per cent of Canadians and small businesses and we will work to develop nationwide programs that we can be proud of and rely on, and together as Canadians we will stand firm in the belief that actions and faith in what we're capable of are far superior to a decade of hopelessness and fear.
For the past 35 years I've been a resident in our riding. We've been neighbours, I've been trusted to take care of our children, our future, and you've honoured me with the responsibility of bettering communities like Hinton. Now I'm asking you to let me fight for you in Ottawa to build a stronger Yellowhead and a better Canada.”
