(PHOTO: Candidates prepare notes ahead of forum presented by Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce. Sarah Anderson. REPORTER. Copyright Rogers Media.)
The local economy, pipelines, northern communities and environmental considerations for the oil and gas industry were among a wide variety of topics on the table at the candidates’ forum hosted by the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce Friday evening.
Four candidates attended the open forum: Melody Lepine, New Democratic Party; Roelof Janssen, Christian Heritage Party; Kyle Harrietha, Liberal Party of Canada; and Brian Deheer, Green Party of Canada.
Questions from the audience ranged from considerations for the local economy to pipeline approval, from Bill C-51 to why each candidate would make the best representative for the community.
Harrietha argued pipelines would be critical and have the support of his party. He said he personally wants to see the Energy East, Keystone XL, and TransMountain pipeline projects approved.
Lepine said her party supports the shipment of crude for refining within Canada’s borders to avoid shipping it outside the country to only buy it back for more money.
“It’s not like the NDP are saying ‘no pipelines,’ that’s not the case at all, we want of course a more rigorous environmental assessment process to ensure that there’s no leaks and that there’s a strong mitigation plan to prevent leaks when they do happen,” she said.
Another issue on the table was what can be done to invigorate the local economy.
Deheer said there needed to be more diversification of energy sources away from fossil fuels would be important to improving the local economy.
Harrietha said his party would focus on local infrastructure investments including flood mitigation and would rely on national programs like cutting small business taxes and universal childcare.
He said there does need to be more of a federal role in local infrastructure.
“The federal government has just been totally absent for a long time. It’s almost like it doesn’t even exist. It’s almost to the point where no one asks the federal government to be a partner anymore. The Liberal plan is to invest in local infrastructure including roads, municipal services, childcare spaces, senior facilities,” he said.
Harrietha said the belief is those investments will create jobs and improve local economies across the country.
Lepine said she wanted to explore the feasibility of an idea she had: to store reserves of Canadian crude here in the oilsands region.
“And in times of economic downturn here we can actually lessen our import of oil,” she said, adding that many people in northern communities rely on the fuel to heat their homes as well.
Those northern communities were another topic in the forum with the candidates speaking about ways they would improve the living conditions in those communities.
Lepine said the most important thing would be access to affordable nutritious food and narrowing the education gap between First Nations students and those in the public and Catholic school systems. She also reiterated the NDP promise to launch an investigation into missing and murdered Aboriginal women within 100 days in office, mentioning that she had friends among the missing.
Deheer said his party would focus on ensuring access to clean water.
Janssen said he didn’t know much about northern communities but said they should be treated the same as any other community.
Harrietha said the Liberal Party is investing $515M in narrowing the educational gap in First Nations students from kindergarten to grade 12.
On the subject of some form of a carbon tax all of the candidates present supported exploring an option for it except for Janssen. He said that according to the Christian Heritage Party platform carbon dioxide is not a pollutant and the party does not support a carbon tax or a cap and trade.
Conservative candidate David Yurdiga did not attend the forum.
The federal election is being held on October 19. Advanced polls are being held on Oct. 9, 10, 11, and 12. Get all the details and register to vote at elections.ca.
