Local residents took advantage of the opportunity to learn more about those in the running to represent them during the second Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul riding all-candidates forum.
Hosted by the Bonnyville and District Chamber of Commerce at Dr. Bernard Brosseau School on Monday, April 8, five of the six candidates were present to share their platform and answer questions: Glenn Andersen of the Alberta Party, independent Kacey Daniels, Alberta Independence Party candidate David Garnett-Bennett, United Conservative Party's (UCP) David Hanson, and Alberta Advantage Party candidate David Inscho.
Kicking-off the forum with opening statements, Inscho outlined the Alberta Advantage Party's energy platform, and how it will put Albertans back to work, in part, by transferring the ownership of unused wells.
"Right now, in the province of Alberta, there's approximately 77,000 oil and gas wells that are abandoned... or oil companies no longer produce them because they don't produce enough oil for the larger companies for their overhead. These wells have the potential to produce 300,000 barrels of oil per day. We have many small oil companies within the province of Alberta that would just love to have the opportunity to get these wells," he said, adding the party would also introduce a flat 10.5 per cent tax rate and a $200 tax credit for every child under the age of five.
For Hanson, he expressed his frustration with the area not getting the recognition it deserves for producing 30 per cent of the bitumen royalties in the province - something he would like to see change.
"We need to work very hard as a region pushing that forward to the province, and getting the recognition that we sorely deserve for our contribution to the economy," he stressed.
Also at the top of Hanson's agenda is construction on Hwy. 28, increased access to healthcare for rural residents, and repealing the carbon tax.
Lobbying against Bill C-69 and C-48, getting the pipelines built, implementing the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, healthcare, and education were all addressed by Andersen as measures the Alberta Party would take if elected.
He added fiscal responsibility is also a key component, "We will keep our deficit and debt levels below all other provinces. We understand that Albertans don't want a steady steam of permanent deficits."
In order for Alberta to prosper, Daniels feels separation is the best option.
“I believe we need to separate from Canada because we’ve been getting robbed for as long as I’ve been alive; things need to change," he explained. "I read a study from the Fraser Institute that said ‘Canada pension pays $21.7-billion more from Alberta than it gets back.’ All you seniors out there, you’re getting screwed and that’s not right. We need to get control of our finances here, take our province back, and separate.”
Garnett-Bennett said the Alberta Independence Party will address the "elephant in the room," and encouraged Albertans to take ownership of what's happening in their province through independence.
After being undecided with who to vote for himself, Garnett-Bennett said he realized it was time for a real change.
"We’re a group of like-minded individuals that are Albertan to the core, and offering an executable plan that is different than that which has been offered for the last 114 years, since 1905 when Alberta signed the contract of confederation with Canada. We’re offering Alberta people what they deserve.”
After presenting their opening statements, the chamber had four prepared questions for each of the candidates to answer. The public was also welcome get input from the MLA hopefuls through written questions.
When asked how they would engage businesses to ensure future policies don't hurt their bottom line and inhibit their ability to create prosperity, Andersen told the crowd he believes small businesses need a strong voice at the table when policy is developed.
"Legislative and policy development process in government will incorporate a cost of business. That will happen in the course of considering changes to creations of, or repeals of, statute regulations or policy. We really believe that starting a business gets bogged down in all the regulations and policies and if small business in Alberta is ever going to succeed, you need to be at the table so you know what you’re up against," he explained.
Inscho said the Alberta Advantage Party would set a 10.5 per cent tax rate for the next four years, which would allow owners to better predict their costs and give them the assurance they need.
"Any business that has been in business for any length of time knows full-well that when they’re looking forward and they want to invest or they want to expand, they need to have an assurance of what their expenses and costs are going to be."
Open consultation and not rushing through legislation, Hanson said, is part of the solution.
"What I would like to see, and what we discussed in the house, is if you introduce a bill that has significant consequences on businesses or people’s lives, we would automatically put that bill to committee, open the consultation, and not pass all stages of the bill until the next fall session or the next spring session to allow people to have their say."
How to hold other provinces, and the Government of Canada, accountable to their commitments under the Canadian Free Trade and U.S. partnership trade agreements was another topic candidates were asked to address.
Inscho described the attempts to get pipelines through to tidewater in the last few years have been pathetic.
"This is supposed to be a country where each and every province is supposed to help one another for the betterment of all. As we’ve seen to the west of us, we have absolutely no cooperation and no benefit of any kind. Whereas to the east of us, it's 'we don’t want your dirty oil, but please, give us an increase of transfer payments,'" he said.
He emphasized that Alberta needs to fight back against how they've been treated, or else it will continue to happen.
With the policies already in place to make it happen, Andersen stressed he doesn't understand why Canadians can't work together.
"We have all sorts of agreements across borders, across provinces, everything like that, to work together, but we can't work together on anything. We can't even have an Energy East pipeline because we get stuck, we can’t go to the west because we get stuck. We have the Canadian Free Trade Agreement that has a dispute resolution process in place if people don’t work in a cooperative manner, then there's excessive monetary fines for provinces who don’t work consistently with the agreement that’s in place already," he exclaimed.
Outside of building pipelines, the chamber wanted to know how the candidates would ensure businesses have the opportunity and infrastructure necessary to sell their goods to markets out of the province.
For Garnett-Bennett, the question didn't address the fact that Alberta doesn't even have a pipeline yet, which still needs to be the top priority.
"We don't yet have a pipeline, we have a promise of a pipeline. Eventually we'll get one, hopefully, maybe. Under current politics, I don't think so. Let me assure you with Alberta’s independence we become a landlocked nation, like we are with Ottawa, but as an independent sovereign nation, we’re guaranteed access to tidewater," he said, adding it could be through pipeline, road, rail, air or any other means under the United Nations membership.
The UCP proposes to reduce the business tax to eight per cent to give Alberta the competitive advantage, according to Hanson.
He added, "One of the major disadvantages that we have here out in rural Alberta when it comes to starting a new business and the advantages that have come with the world wide web, is the lack of broadband. I think that’s very important that we address that nationally and provincially to make sure that everybody in northern Alberta and northern Canada has the same opportunities as if you lived in Toronto or Vancouver."
Andersen noted lowering provincial barriers would increase business productivity and encourage investment from outside of Canada and Alberta, along with lowering the corporate tax rate and increasing small businesses allowances.
When asked how they would reduce Alberta's reliance on oil royalty revenues, Andersen stressed the importance of supporting tech start-ups due to the ever-changing world.
"Government needs to support research and commercialization of the sectors that are rapidly growing: artificial intelligence, agriculture is growing leaps and bounds with all this new technology you can’t keep up with it, life sciences," he explained.
Exploring the possibilities of diversifying farming to include products like hemp was one of Daniels suggestions.
"There's a very hardy plant that has very many uses from clothing to construction materials to bio-fuels to plastic composites to cooking oils. I have explored the health benefits of CBD oils, and have found there are some real benefits that could potentially reduce the cost on our health care. This industry would reduce the province's reliance on oil revenues and at the same time create a large industry employing thousands with the very real possibility of creating a healthier population.”
Inscho stated we should be turning to the province's coal reserves as another resource.
"Alberta has some of the largest coal reserves on the planet. On top of that, the coal that we do have is of the lower greenhouse gas emissions coal than a vast majority of the coal around the world," he detailed. "We also have some world-leading technology for both scrubbing technologies for taking care of CO2 and other pollutants out of it, as well as other carbon capture technology. "
A question submitted by a resident at the forum queried candidates on what their plan is to rectify the issue of rural crime.
Daniels said, "The justice system that we’re dealing with now, the catch and release has got to go. These people have to go to jail and they have to work. They have to smash rocks, big rocks into little rocks, make them not want to go back to jail. That’s the only way you’re going to cure it. Second thing: hard drugs, anyone caught dealing in methamphetamine, carfentanyl, fentanyl, heroin, crack, should be put to death.”
Garnett-Bennett believes addressing the economy can cut down on the number of people committing crimes.
"If you're busy, you don't have the time to be bad or do bad... One of the things that the Alberta Independence Party offers is the amalgamation of the sheriffs, the RCMP, and the city police into one effective force. Why does this matter? Numbers again, two and a half times the savings or half the cost. If we take these savings, and we understand that it’s a measured thing and it's done per department, we can increase the amount of police that we have should we need it. It addresses the issue from both sides, and I agree that things have to change. If you do the crime, you do have to do the time, it's that simple.”
One of the biggest issues that needs to be solved, according to Hanson, is hiring more prosecutors to deal with the number of court cases in the region.
"We need to really address that by bringing in more prosecutors, bringing in more judges, getting some more court time will also help, because they have reduced court dates, and we also have to increase the consequences for crime," he detailed.
With the current provincial government proposing an expansion to the $25 per day daycare program, the candidates were asked their thoughts on subsidizing childcare in Alberta.
Inscho noted the Alberta Advantage Party doesn't support the program because it only helps one segment of families. Instead, they would implement a tax credit for children under five-years-old that can be used any way the parents see fit.
Garnett-Bennett believed should the province become independent, subsequently the economy would rebound and the program would no longer be required.
"We're a wealthy, abundant, prosperous nation. We do need to have it that parents both don't need to work. We reduce taxes, we make it so they can stay home, mom or dad it doesn't matter, we make it so that everybody has a parent and they don't need this."
Another hot topic for those in attendance was education. With growing class sizes and more special needs students in classrooms, those vying for MLA told the crowd their stance on education, be it class sizes, the curriculum, or school budgets.
Hanson stressed a key component for him would be addressing the current funding model in the province.
"You get a certain amount of funding per student. People are moving away from you're town and taking their kids with them... There has to be a different funding model for Alberta because if you lose 10 students you still have to keep the lights on at the school and you still have to heat it and that really affects the amount of funding that the school board has."
Daniels explained he also believes more dollars should be go towards education, "I have become aware recently that there are teachers out there that have to take on a second job to make ends meet. That's not right. People should be able to concentrate on their day job: teaching students."
The Alberta Party is supporting doubling teachers' aides to assist students that need the most help and to allow the educator to focus on the rest of the class, Andersen expressed.
"We want to see everybody learn in those classrooms, even the persons with developmental disabilities so we’re supporting that doubling the teachers' aides. We believe there’s room to worry about the rural schools that are happening all across the Lakeland area. The smaller schools can’t handle the courses, but the students need to move onto post-secondary education."
Inscho stressed that under the Alberta Advantage Party, no front-line positions, including teachers, would be cut. However, due to the current economic deficit, no additional positions would be added.
"Until such time that we can expand our gross domestic product and bring more income in to the government coffers, as sad as this is to say, we're going to have to get by with what we have, we’re going to have to use it in the most efficient way that we can possibly use it, but I don’t think we have the ability to continue borrowing money without a way in which we can pay it back," he explained.
Building on education, a question was also directed at Hanson about the UCP's platform on PATs and diploma exams. While their initial proposal was to bring back standardized testing in elementary school and the 50 per cent diploma exams for Grade 12, Hanson informed constituents that has since been rescinded.
After hearing from local teachers about the negative impacts that move would have, Hanson said he brought the issue forward to the party, who agreed to remove it from the platform.
Moving to the other end of the age spectrum, candidates addressed the matter of an aging population, and what they would do to combat rising drug costs and surgery wait times, as well as providing accessible long-term care.
For both Garnett-Bennett and Daniels, they believe Alberta has the resources and wealth to take care of its own, even with an increased cost, so long as the money stays in the province and stops being sent to Ottawa.
Inscho noted the Alberta Advantage Party would focus on keeping seniors in their own houses, through in-home nursing programs, and would ensure their drug plans are covered.
"It's an awful lot cheaper to have that than to have people not being able to afford the drugs they need and ending up in a hospital, in an expensive bed, because they can't get their drugs."
Hanson agreed seniors need to be able to live in their homes as long as they can, and also addressed the issue of wait times.
"Despite the ever-increasing cost of healthcare, we've seen wait times for surgeries increase... so that needs to be addressed. It has to be turned around. We're looking at a three-month or four-month wait time for surgeries. That's our goal."
Andersen added, "We (the Alberta Party) are committing 3,500 long-term beds to help with that, and we want to dedicate a minister just to deal with the issues that seniors have because we feel they're getting pushed aside. When you have a combined minister like housing and seniors, all of the issues seniors have are usually pushed to the back and not in the forefront like they should be."
As candidates gave their closing statements, attendees were encouraged to go out and vote on April 16.
The final all-candidates forum for the Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul riding was held on Tuesday, April 9 in St. Paul. You can read that story here, as well as our story from the Cold Lake forum to learn more about your candidates' platforms.
