Click on Read More to learn what Fundy Royal candidates think of this issue.
Alaina Lockhart, Liberal Party of Canada: Climate change is affecting many aspects of our lives from fish habitats and erosion to the growing season for crops. We must work together to take strong environmental action while making the transition affordable. I've worked to protect natural habitats like Mary’s Point and to mitigate climate change through projects like the breakwater in Alma and the Salmon Recovery Project at Fundy National Park. Our government is taking action by banning single-use plastics, creating an Oceans Protection Plan that increases coastal protection, and introducing the $5000 Electric Vehicle Rebate. For the long term, investment in research, innovation, and resilient infrastructure must continue. I remain committed to working with our communities to protect our environment.
Tim Thompson, Green Party of Canada: We will stop subsidizing big oil companies and use the money to give small businesses incentives to switch to renewable energy and save money on power. We will also invest in better technology to make EVs, solar, and wind energy more affordable. I will work directly with local communities to combat the effects of climate change while working in Ottawa to meet our IPCC targets.
John Evans, National Citizens Alliance: The NCA recognizes natural climate change as a real phenomenon. At the same time, the NCA recognizes climate change UN IPCC as a hoax due to the historical and scientific evidence. The NCA believes in the principle that polluters should be accountable for their harm to the environment and society as a whole. Therefore, the NCA supports efficient, effective regulations that hold polluters accountable in terms of fines and/or suspension, prohibition from polluting activity. This pollution may be from and not exclusive to draining raw sewage into water ways or water bodies, releasing contaminants through stack houses into the atmosphere, and contaminating water supply through chemical based drilling.
Background: In our August 2019 issue, we asked readers "What matters to you in the upcoming federal election?" We received a few questions in response and chose two that, we felt, best reflected the interests of the majority of Albert County residents. We didn't have space to print all three questions and answers in this issue. In the interest of full disclosure, the question we did not include was why Canadian Heritage Department recently cancelled a program in which free portraits of the Queen were sent to any Canadian upon request. We sent the questions to all of the candidates running at that time (August 7) and have printed their responses, unedited, in the order we received them. We did not receive a response from Rudolf Neumayer of the People's Party of Canada.
We will continue the political forum in our October issue. Please send us your questions to info@ connectingalbertcounty.org. Try to be as clear and concise as possible and keep the focus on issues related to rural Albert County. Also, keep in mind that the question will be posed to all the candidates. We will include it if we have space; note questions may be edited for the sake of clarity and conciseness.