In less than two weeks time, Yellowhead voters will pick a replacement for the riding’s recently departed, long-time representative, Rob Merrifield.
There are five candidates vying for the position. To help our readers make an informed decision at the polls Nov. 17, the Fitzhugh posed six questions to the candidates. Three are printed here, with only minor edits for grammar and spelling.
The remaining answers will be printed in our Nov. 13 issue.
Conservative candidate: Jim Eglinski
1. What is your stance on the recent changes to the temporary foreign worker program?
Employers should only be using the temporary foreign worker program as a last and limited resort when Canadians are not available. The program was to have been a short-term last resort for employers when there are no qualified Canadians to fill available jobs.
The overhaul of the program will significantly reduce the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada, improve labour market information, and correct labour market distortions caused by the previous program, while strengthening enforcement and penalties for employers who break the rules.
Canadians must have the first chance at available jobs!
2. Jasper National Park has seen some major commercial developments both proposed and completed over the past few years. How much commercial development would you like to see in Canada's national parks?
Our Government is committed to conserving and protecting Canada's natural heritage and ensuring that Canadians get to enjoy it. Our parks were made to conserve nature so that Canadians could enjoy it. This means stringent protections to protect nature but also providing opportunities for Canadian families to visit and enjoy our beautiful parks.
To achieve this objective, developments in our National Parks are subject to thorough environmental assessments and consultations and consideration of the proposals' contributions to visitor experience, ecological integrity, public education, and the goals of Canada's National Conservation Plan.
In short, development must, and can be done in an environmentally responsible way that will encourage Canadians to get off their couches and experience their national parks and cultural places. Going forward we need to continue to support beautiful Jasper National Park so that it remains for future generations, while facilitating ways for people to meaningfully connect with and learn about nature.
3. In the wake of the Oct. 22 shooting at Parliament Hill, the federal government tabled a bill loosening restrictions on the Canadian Service Intelligence Agency, and has already signaled it's looking at lowering the threshold for preventive arrests. Do you agree with the legislative approach the government has taken?
These are despicable terrorist attacks on Corporal Nathan Cirillo in Ottawa, and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent in Quebec, and my thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends at this time.
These attacks are a reminder that ISIS is a very real threat to Canadians. That is why it is important that we take part in the coalition that is currently conducting air strikes against ISIS, and supporting the security forces in Iraq in their fight against this terrorist scourge. It is also the reason that we are working very determinedly to strengthen the tools available to the police and intelligence community in the areas of surveillance, detention and arrest.
The Protection of Canada from Terrorists Act is just the first step of our efforts to do that. We will not overreact in response to these terrorist attacks, but it is also time that we stop under-reacting to the threats against Canadians.
NDP candidate: Eric Rosendahl
1. What is your stance on the recent changes to the temporary foreign worker program?
More Harper mismanagement.
I have fought for the rights of working people for my whole life. I’m doing that now as President of the Yellowhead Labour Council. And like most of you, I was shocked to learn about the rampant abuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The Harper Conservatives allowed it to grow to outrageous proportions, push down wages, and result in Canadians being fired and replaced with foreign workers who were open to abuse.
It is thanks to Tom Mulcair’s New Democrats, fighting in the House of Commons and across the country that the Harper Conservatives were forced to start scaling back the program. The problem is, the changes haven’t gone far enough.
They’ve adopted half-measures in response to media stories, but they showed a total unwillingness to enforce them.
As your MP, I will work to get the job done by pushing for an independent review of the program by Canada’s Auditor General.
2. Jasper National Park has seen some major commercial developments both proposed and completed over the past few years. How much commercial development would you like to see in Canada's national parks?
The number one job for the Federal government through Parks Canada is to protect our national parks. Of course that means making them as enjoyable as possible for everyone who wants to come see what they have to offer, but it also means that they will still be around for our grandchildren to explore too.
That’s the lens we need to be using when we look at corporate development like the Skywalk or adding more ski trails. We need to study what the impact will be. The problem is that the Harper Conservatives scrapped the Environmental Assessment Act and gutted environmental protections so now it’s almost impossible to know if a project is safe to go ahead.
3. In the wake of the Oct. 22 shooting at Parliament Hill, the federal government tabled a bill loosening restrictions on the Canadian Service Intelligence Agency, and has already signaled it’s looking at lowering the threshold for preventive arrests. Do you agree with the legislative approach the government has taken?
Public safety is a primary responsibility of any government and protecting the public includes defending all of our rights of freedoms. We cannot govern out of fear and we can't let fear govern us.
As we have done after other tragic incidents, we must carefully review laws and security procedures to make sure we get them right—while ensuring that our civil liberties are protected.
We are urging the Conservatives to look into the resources available to security agencies like CSIS after three consecutive years of budget cuts and, after eight years of ignoring recommendations from a 2006 inquiry to strengthen national security oversight, we are calling on the Conservatives to finally recognize that civilian oversight of our intelligence agencies is critical, especially as we consider increasing their powers.
Liberal candidate: Ryan Maguhn
1. What is your stance on the recent changes to the temporary foreign worker program?
The current state of the TFW issue is an embarrassment to the Conservative Party. Concerns were raised loudly around the issue of worker shortages, and in turn these concerns were brought to our former Conservative MP. Businesses had clearly explained the need for an immediate workforce to take care of our employment issues.
What was the response to these issues? Minister Jason Kenney championing the fact that applications to the TFW program were down by 75 per cent. Did that deal with the issues being faced by our local economy? Absolutely not. What needs to happen is a two pronged approach to this issue.
First we need to encourage a serious and comprehensive tax credit program to encourage Canadians from parts of the country where there are unemployment issues to move to areas (such as the Yellowhead) to fill shortages.
Secondly, the government needs to create a collaborative program with immigration policy to allow people who come to fill roles in our basic economy the opportunity to become Canadians faster. This will encourage people to keep their earnings in Canada's local economies, while showing appreciating for the key role they play in promoting our economy.
2. Jasper National Park has seen some major commercial developments both proposed and completed over the past few years. How much commercial development would you like to see in Canada's national parks?
In speaking with people on the doorsteps in Jasper I believe that there is a more important sub-question to address here; what should the relationship be like between the Community of Jasper and the National Park Service/Federal Government?
I think the key here is to establish an open collaborative process. There is no magic formula/percentage of development that makes sense for the park... what makes common sense is to work collaboratively with our stakeholders to ensure the needs of local tourism development is met in conjunction with sustainable environmental focus. It is important to note that I mean a collaborative approach with all stakeholders, not a top down method of passing on decisions.
Decision making in this field should be inclusive, meaningful and constructive; facilitated by the Federal Government in an unbiased way.
3. In the wake of the Oct. 22 shooting at Parliament Hill, the federal government tabled a bill loosening restrictions on the Canadian Service Intelligence Agency, and has already signaled it's looking at lowering the threshold for preventive arrests. Do you agree with the legislative approach the government has taken?
I do not fully agree with current legislation such as Bill C-13. Although it is necessary to provide CSIS and RCMP with the ability to protect our society we must not do so at the expense of the freedoms we love and cherish. Fear should never be allowed to overshadow the rights and freedoms that so many Canadians have given their lives to protect.
The Canadian Bar association and the Canadian Privacy Commissioner both have issues with Bill C-13 and the pervasive powers that it grants. The key here is to give CSIS and the RCMP the right tools for the right job.
What we've heard plainly from CSIS is that there needs to be a separation for them between foreign and domestic intelligence gathering. They have too large a job to do, with not enough support. The first step in guaranteeing security for all Canadians, while balancing our freedoms, is to ensure that our security offices have the necessary assets and organization that they have clearly requested from the Government.
Libertarian candidate: Cory Lystang
1. What is your stance on the recent changes to the temporary foreign worker program?
The TFW program is both positive and negative. The Canadian economy needs immigrants, especially given our aging population. In order to meet the labour shortages we have in certain sectors, we need new labour to fill the void.
That being said, the TFW program is a poorly run program aimed at solving a real problem. The current system brings in foreign labour in a way that undercuts local wages. Not only that, there have been many instances of abuse for these workers. Rather than having the TFW program undercut wages and promote poor workplace practices, we propose a streamlined residency program. This means that immigrants are more than welcome to come here to seek new jobs, but that they are given the same legal rights as Canadian workers. By giving these workers the same legal rights we can fill the labour void without undercutting wages and having workplace abuse.
2. Jasper National Park has seen some major commercial developments both proposed and completed over the past few years. How much commercial development would you like to see in Canada's national parks?
Our national parks are very important and should be kept as pristine as possible. However, we need to realize that our parks need to become self-sufficient and commercial development is one way to accomplish that goal. If done responsibly and with the input of the community it will not only benefit the parks but everyone who visits.
Under a Libertarian government, local input, involvement and ideas would be not only supported but preferred over multinational companies.
3. In the wake of the Oct. 22 shooting at Parliament Hill, the federal government tabled a bill loosening restrictions on the Canadian Service Intelligence Agency, and has already signaled it's looking at lowering the threshold for preventive arrests. Do you agree with the legislative approach the government has taken?
It is important to realize that everyone wants to live in a safer society, however, expanding the powers of Canadian intelligence agencies is not the appropriate response. Warrantless arrests and infringing on Canadian civil liberties is un-Canadian. We have seen the negative consequences of policies like this in the USA and there is no reason to repeat them here.
There are easier ways of dealing with criminal activity and potential terrorists that do not involve sacrificing personal liberty.
This tragic event is being used as a political football to advance different political ideas. The conservatives want to expand mass surveillance and warrantless arrests, while the Liberals and NDP have talked about taking away the rights of responsible gun owners. Both of these responses are misguided.
Independent candidate: Dean Williams
1. What is your stance on the recent changes to the temporary foreign worker program?
Well, it's a hard argument, but what I do recognize is that this is one of those cases where a previous Government enacts temporary legislation, and a new Government comes to power and abuses those policies or allows them to be abused in this case... and then when public opinion shifts focus to that issue and its abuses, they blame the guys before them...
I call this pathetic politicking...
Anyway, on to the issue... this program was created to alleviate employee resource tension in our industries... when and where we need them... it's a good program that has assisted us much in our economic gains of recent years. That's truth, and what you have now is a government who has had a knee jerk reaction to polls, and pulled the rug out from under many businesses and employers who may not have the necessary resources or time to shift with such a wild policy maneuver.
It hurts our economy, and Harper gets to look good.
2. Jasper National Park has seen some major commercial developments both proposed and completed over the past few years. How much commercial development would you like to see in Canada's national parks?
I understand the desire to incur more and more into such beautiful habitat, to open it up more and show it off domestically and internationally, that being said... as Canadians and as Albertans, and as constituents of Yellowhead that is our treasure to steward, to show off and share, but to keep watch and stand on guard for preservation of its natural beauty...
Without that, we all lose. So, I think a balance needs be struck here as well, because both sides do have so much to gain from a coherent and co-operative vision for said developments.
3. In the wake of the Oct. 22 shooting at Parliament Hill, the federal government tabled a bill loosening restrictions on the Canadian Service Intelligence Agency, and has already signaled it’s looking at lowering the threshold for preventive arrests. Do you agree with the legislative approach the government has taken so far?
Absolutely not.
We are fighting an ideological war with organizations like ISIS, and against a domestic, Stand Alone Complex. Where outcast and unfit, can strike anywhere with anything... you can't fight that with video cameras and email spying... you have to start in the heart... with pride of national unity.
Harper is secretive and divisive, and yet he wants to spy on us...
I call this, as did our forefathers and those who have sacrificed much for our current freedoms... Dangerous.
Check back with the Fitzhugh next week to read each candidate’s thoughts on some of the most pressing issues in the Yellowhead riding, and Jasper in particular.
