Leading up to the October 19 federal election, the Peak will be asking party candidates for the North Island-Powell Riving riding a series of four questions and printing their responses to one question each issue.
Brenda Sayers – Green Party
My name is Brenda Sayers and I am from the Hupacasath First Nation, one of the 14 First Nation tribes that extend across North Vancouver Island.
For the last two and half years I have fought the ratification of the Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement on behalf of the Hupacasath First Nation and all people of Canada.
We need to see a change in Ottawa; a change that is people-driven. I will stand for the people and ensure your voices are heard in Parliament. Together we will establish the building blocks for future generations to create positive change.
What role do you see for the federal government in improving health care?
Greens understand that health is about more than “health care.” The government of Canada must play a larger role in health care. Unfortunately, the Conservatives let the national Health Accord lapse and are now tying federal transfer payments to the economic growth of provinces, resulting in an $11 billion loss in funding over the next five years.
I will work with other Green Party MPs to extend the national Health Accord and oppose any steps that open the way to further two-tier health care in Canada.
The Green Party recently unveiled a national Pharmacare plan to make affordable medicine a reality for all Canadians. This expands the drug coverage to 22 million Canadians and ensures that two million Canadians would have access to prescriptive medications that they otherwise could not afford. Not only will it improve the health of Canadians, it will save up to $11 billion annually.
What is the most critical issue facing aquaculture and fisheries in this riding?
During my multiple recent visits to Powell River, I have heard many concerns about aquaculture, specifically open-pen salmon farms. Canada’s most conspicuous environmental and economic tragedy has been the collapse of our wild fisheries.
As a member of the Hupacasath First Nation on Vancouver Island, salmon has always been an important part of my culture. I identify with Powell Riverites’ concerns about fish farms on a deeply personal level.
As a Green MP, I would work to implement measures to quickly phase out open-ocean, net-cage fish farms.
As a Green MP, I will work to strengthen the Fisheries Act to require evaluation of threats to fish stocks and include provisions to protect them and the marine environment, make protection of critical stocks and habitat mandatory and require that the management and conservation of wild fisheries take precedence over aquaculture.
What are the hurdles faced in implementing the signed treaty Tla'amin (Sliammon) First Nation?
The Tla'amin First Nation is a sovereign nation and has negotiated with the federal government in good faith on behalf of their people.
The Green Party recognizes indigenous rights and title, and will negotiate in good faith to settle land claims, establish treaties and self-government arrangements, and move to repeal the Indian Act, should that be the consensus of first nations. We will respect the rights of first nations to take leadership of development projects on their traditional territories.
The Green Party will also develop a council of Canadian governments (federal, provincial/territorial, municipal/local, and first nations, Metis and Inuit), which would facilitate discussions with the nation to ensure they are receiving adequate support to build governance and other capacity in the community to implement all aspects of the negotiated treaty: self-governance, lands, forest, and fisheries management.
What is the message that you will be bringing to Ottawa from this riding?
The health of our democracy depends on electing Members of Parliament who are accountable to their constituents.
While travelling across Canada on the Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement tour, it was blatantly visible that MPs were not speaking for their constituents. I want to listen to the constituents of the North Island-Powell River riding and bring their voice to Parliament.
Following Elizabeth May’s example, as a Green MP I will work tirelessly on behalf of our communities and never abuse the public trust placed in me.
As your MP, I will conduct myself with integrity and civility, treat others with respect and never heckle in the House of Commons. I will keep the interests of Canada paramount and never be told to vote against the interests and well-being of my constituents.
I will seek constructive solutions to issues in our local communities, striving to create dialogue and solve problems when they arise.
Peter Schwarzhoff – Liberal Party
My name is Peter Schwarzhoff and I was raised in Campbell River in a pulp-mill family, so I know the region, but I spent my career in public service. As a former Air Force captain, I understand our duty to our veterans.
As a retired Environment Canada scientist, I understand the need for evidence-based decision-making and the need for an open, transparent government. I know we can have development without destroying the environment. I believe Canada deserves a government that treats all Canadians with trust and respect. I am part of a team that will restore these values to government service on behalf of all Canadians.
What role do you see for the federal government in improving health care?
Publicly funded universal health care was adopted in Canada by the Liberal government. All legal residents receive insured hospital and physician services.
In his 2014 budget, Stephen Harper struck a blow to universality by eliminating the equalization portion of the health transfer and replacing it with a per capita transfer. The outcome means less populous provinces with more rural residents cannot maintain the same standard as Toronto or Vancouver, creating two classes of citizens when it comes to health care. Equal per capita transfers assure that the gap between have and have-not provinces gets even larger.
Justin Trudeau has said that he will negotiate a long-term health-care funding agreement with the provinces and territories as a first step to undoing the harm caused by the Harper government and restoring universal standards of health care so all Canadians, regardless of where they live, receive equal health services.
What is the most critical issue facing aquaculture and fisheries in this riding?
Trust is the greatest issue, but I am a scientist, so I rely on evidence. Conflicting evidence regarding potential impacts of open-net salmon aquaculture was presented to the Cohen Commission. Among his recommendations, Justice Cohen stated that if the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) could not scientifically ascertain by 2020 that salmon farms posed minimal risk to wild salmon, they should be removed from the ocean. The Liberal Party will accept the Cohen recommendations.
Due to cutbacks, DFO has not able to conduct the science itself. Instead, it relies on contractors working with the aquaculture industry. The science conducted may be excellent, but because it appears to have been conducted by industry, the findings are not trusted by the public.
A Liberal government will restore DFO science capacity, as well as enforcement and habitat capacity, and will ensure the process is transparent so that it can be trusted.
What are the hurdles faced in implementing the signed treaty Tla'amin (Sliammon) First Nation?
The return to self-government raises hopes for a bright future. Finally the Tla'amin will have certainty with respect to their aboriginal rights, including title, and will see economic benefits.
There is a first nations story of the perfect canoe. Once in the past, the perfect canoe could be built from one perfect tree, but there is no one perfect tree any longer. Now we need to build the perfect canoe from two perfect trees and paddle it together. The future success of the aboriginal and non-aboriginal people is entwined.
Also, a Liberal government will immediately call an inquiry into the missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls. We will work with the nation to implement the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
We will re-engage with the Tla'amin First Nation in a renewed, respectful and inclusive nation-to-nation dialogue. Cooperation is the key to our mutual success.
What is the message that you will be bringing to Ottawa from this riding?
The riding needs stable, long-term, well-paying jobs that benefit families, youth and first nations peoples, and does not impact negatively on the environment. Justin Trudeau has a plan to invest in green infrastructure and clean tech jobs that fit the bill.
Our three-point plan will create jobs with the most significant infrastructure investment in Canadian history: $60 billion in new funding over the next 10 years. It will grow the middle class by raising taxes on the wealthiest one percent and cutting taxes for middle-class Canadians. And it will help those working to join the middle class by investing in essential social infrastructure, including affordable housing and childcare, as well as providing more money to help families with the high cost of raising their kids.
Our riding needs these things and I will work to ensure that your voice is heard.
Rachel Blaney – NDP
My name is Rachel Blaney and I was raised in a Stellet’en First Nation family and have lived in the North Island-Powell River region for 17 years. My husband is a former Homalco chief and we have three children and two grandchildren.
I’m the executive director of the Immigrant Welcome Centre in Campbell River and have received local and provincial awards and commendations for my work. I have extensive experience working with all levels of government and am a member of the Conference Board of Canada’s Roundtable on Immigration. I’m also on committees dealing with food security, community development and health.
What role do you see for the federal government in improving health care?
We are in the midst of deep cuts to the federal government transfers to provinces that will continue to 2023 if the Harper conservatives are re-elected. These cuts by Ottawa will result in $36 billion being removed from health care in Canada. This will leave the provinces struggling to shoulder 80 per cent of the health care costs. Originally, it was a 50-50 arrangement. There is no doubt why wait lists are growing longer.
An NDP government will stop these continuing cuts. We will work with the provinces to improve health care and make it more sustainable over the long term; prioritizing primary, long-term and home care, improving drug coverage and building better mental-health services.
And we will immediately enhance health care that is delivered federally, starting with indigenous peoples, veterans of the armed forces and the RCMP, and refugees.
What is the most critical issue facing aquaculture and fisheries in this riding?
The most critical issue is the continuing concern about the impact of open-net fish farms on wild stock. Both the wild fishery and fish farms are essential to the economy of our riding. The NDP believes we can take action to eliminate concerns while ensuring both industries remain viable.
To this end, we support a transition to closed containment farming. We are committed to increasing research and development funding to support the transition.
Further, the NDP fully supports the recommendations in the Cohen report and we’ve already called for immediate action on its recommendations to protect wild salmon stocks and fish habitat.
The Harper government decimated the federal environmental assessment regime. They’ve gutted the Fisheries Act and cut the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to the point that the few remaining fisheries officers have trouble scrounging the money to operate their patrol boats.
The NDP will restore and improve these protections and the ability to monitor compliance.
What are the hurdles faced in implementing the signed treaty with Tla’amin (Sliammon) First Nation?
This is an extremely sensitive issue. The Tla’amin rejected the treaty by a narrow margin and then, on a second vote, narrowly approved it. The consequence is the Tla’amin is trying to determine how to move forward together. It is important that they work to resolve this challenge without outsiders imposing their views.
But there are broader issues. The Harper government has been deliberately dragging out negotiations. This has forced first nations to keep borrowing money for legal and other advice. These huge bills have to be repaid after treaties are signed.
Secondly, a number of first nations that have signed treaties have been compelled to form a Land Claims Agreements Coalition because the Harper government interprets the treaties so narrowly that first nations believe they are being cheated.
On these issues, NDP will act on a nation-to-nation basis to enhance relations so resolution can be achieved for the good of first nations and the economy at large.
What is the message that you will be bringing to Ottawa from this riding?
My message will be simple and blunt. You can no longer ignore West Coast communities.
Like a large majority of British Columbians, the NDP opposes the Northern Gateway pipeline. We will undo the damage done by the Harper Conservatives by restoring the Navigable Waters Protection Act and reinstating the Environmental Assessment and Fisheries Acts. Unlike Harper, we passionately care about our extraordinary environment.
We will reverse Canadian Coast Guard cuts and bring search and rescue response times in line with international standards because this is essential.
Laura Smith – Conservative Party
My coastal background and parliamentary experience makes me the clear choice to represent North Island–Powell River.
I grew up in a forestry family and spent some great years living in a logging camp, which led me to develop a lifelong interest in the natural world. I was motivated to become a professional forester by the activism of resource-dependent coastal communities.These communities struck a balance between the economic and environmental value of the coast.
In recent years, I served as a senior policy advisor to Minister John Duncan in Ottawa and remain committed to our Conservative government’s record of preserving the environment while growing the economy.
What role do you see for the federal government in improving health care?
Since health care is the jurisdiction of the provinces, the federal role is primarily as a stable funding partner. Since forming government in 2006 we have increased federal funding by six per cent per year, every year.
Beginning with the 2017-18 fiscal year, we will be introducing a more sustainable, longterm formula that will prevent future governments from reducing provincial health transfers, as previous governments have done. On top of this measure, health transfers will also continue to increase.
While we will always respect the rights of provinces to set health policies that make sense to them, the federal government can also be a partner in health research, managing drug and health products, promoting good nutrition, and promoting consumer safety.
What is the most critical issue facing aquaculture and fisheries in this riding?
The most critical issue facing aquaculture and fisheries in this riding is regulatory certainty. Department of Fisheries and Oceans has been making progress in the area of aquaculture regulations as we transition from provincial to federal oversight, but more needs to be done.
The aquaculture industry, for both finfish and shellfish, can be a growing source of stable, local jobs, but we need to ensure that there is an effective regulatory regime that protects our ocean resources and provides certainty to operators.
For wild fisheries, certainty around stock allocations is always of prime importance.
What are the hurdles faced in implementing the signed treaty Tla'amin (Sliammon) First Nation?
Treaty implementation is the process whereby the first nation, federal and provincial governments put in place all of the building blocks required for implementation prior to the effective date, and then ensure that the terms of the treaty continue to be met.
The most significant hurdle facing implementation of this treaty is the same hurdle that has faced other first nations in the same position: the sheer volume of work required to put governance structures, land codes and other facets of the treaty in place in a relatively short period of time.
This is always a significant challenge, but I have no doubt that it is one that will be met, and that the many advantages of treaty will soon be fully realized by the Tla’amin people.
What is the message that you will be bringing to Ottawa from this riding?
North Island–Powell River needs economic development and there are many ways in which the federal government can be a partner in that.
We have been on the right track with keeping taxes low for job creators, reducing red tape and expanding trade opportunities, but more can be done in these areas.
Continued support for developing new wood products and marketing existing products in new and emerging markets overseas should be a priority.
Increased focus on economic development for first nations would help aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities alike become more prosperous.
Regulatory certainty for aquaculture would help this industry reach its potential and provide opportunities throughout the region.
Economic development funding should be distributed to smaller communities as well as large urban centres, and the good progress we have made in this area should be continued. The federal government should continue to be a partner in economic growth.
