Health care and the carbon tax were some of the topics addressed during an all-candidates forum held Tuesday, Oct. 8 in Barriere for the Kamloops-North Thompson riding.
The three people vying for a seat in the 2024 B.C. Election are Conservative Party of B.C. candidate Ward Stamer, B.C. NDP candidate Maddi Genn and B.C. Green Party candidate Tristan Cavers.
Approximately 60 people attended the forum in person, held at the Barriere Lions Hall, along with the additional viewers online.
Organized by the Barriere Chamber and Area Chamber of Commerce (BCOC), the forum was moderated by BCOC secretary / treasurer Scott Kershaw.
The forum was accessible to residents in the North Thompson online live in real time so viewers from Clearwater were also able to listen to the candidates and present questions during the forum via social media which were incorporated throughout the evening and read out by moderator Kershaw.
The moderator cautioned the audience and candidates about being respectful, specifically defining the time limits for each answer and asking that each person be allowed to finish their comment without interruption.
In his opening statement, Green Party candidate Tristan Cavers said, “The Green Party is the party of long-term solutions.” He pointed to the recent demise of the BC Tree Fruit Coop “crumbling under the watch of the NDP as well as forestry” and added “all of these crises started under the Liberals where Rustad came from and continue to chip away at our quality of life.”
Cavers went on to describe his own life growing up in the Interior of B.C. “mostly in Chase” and also working in the North Thompson in forestry and as a labourer in farming.
“My goal is to leave the province in better shape for my daughter and her generation,” said Cavers.
N.D.P candidate, Maddi Genn followed sharing she had moved to Kamloops from Salmon Arm and was eager to stay in Kamloops, entering the field of health care, working with at-risk youth and soon after started working with the union.
“I spend my time fighting and advocating for the needs of both the kids that I work with as well as mental health workers and the working class. I’m here as your representative because I love what I do, but I see that my community needs more. That Barriere, Clearwater and Chase, Kamloops and the North Thompson needs more than what we are currently doing.”
Genn stated the need for “more affordable homes” and that the health-care system “must be strengthened to meet the needs of our community.”
“I believe very strongly in accessible health care, in affordable housing and a community that is safe from the threats of wildfires and toxic drugs and I’m committed, most importantly to listening to your concerns and bringing them to Victoria.”
The N.D.P. candidate stated, “The risk of a conservative government with John Rustad is too great when he threatens to cut four billion dollars from health care and cancel David Eby’s home program what will provide 300,000 new homes and deny that we are facing a devastating climate crisis at all. I’m here as your representative and I’m here as your voice.”
Moderator Kershaw introduced Stamer, who has taken a leave from his role as mayor of Barriere to run in the Kamloops-North Thompson riding. Stamer acknowledged being in the traditional lands of Simpcw First Nation as well as having served as mayor of Barriere for the past six years. His message echoed that of his party leader, “a common-sense plan for positive change” or choosing to continue with “NDP policy which is sadly destroying our province.”
Stamer said, “Health care under the NDP no longer works as we’ve seen with multiple ER closures including the hospital in Clearwater. We will not be taking four billion dollars out of health care but actually be putting in more money to fix health care.”
He asked the question speaking to the audience, “Why did the NDP wait until calling an election to finally come up with a plan about housing affordability?” Then added, “I look forward to explaining our plan for positive change with you.”
Questions from the floor and online followed covering topics such as climate change solutions, wildfire mitigation, and an aging population in the North Thompson.
A question from the floor asked the candidates if they would consider changing the top tax rate considering many resource workers are thinking of leaving the province due to the government “taking half their income.”
Green Party candidate Cavers answered first, “I think that the government essentially should look at exemptions based on skilled workers. I think we need to be very careful with any sort of extension because it’s very likely that you can build a new layer of bureaucracy. If we are looking at a deficit of certain trades persons then yes, we should be looking at ways that we can keep and retain them in our province.”
Candidate Genn from the NDP responded, “The short answer is yes, it’s in our plan right now to provide a middle-class tax cut that makes it easier for everyone. We are very aware of the fact that it’s not very easy to afford to live right now and we’re exploring every option that we can to lower the cost of living, from insurance rates to making it easier for people to access.”
Conservative candidate Stamer responded, “We need to be able to turn the ship around. We need to be able to get our forestry back and working again. We need to be looking to reducing taxation. By either reducing the carbon tax and fuel emission tax that’s instantly going to save over 30 cents per litre at the pump. That’s significant money that you can turn around and put back into your pockets.”
When asked by a member of the audience if the carbon tax was going to be “taken off” the candidates answered in similar order.
Cavers from the Green Party replied, “There has to be some sort of associated costs when it comes to emissions with pollution. For the majority of British Columbians, it all came back to them in the form of rebates.”
NDP candidate Genn answered, “I hear your frustration. I know that the climate crisis in general has been frustrating for everybody and when we are experiencing this really high cost of living it’s really hard to see any value in paying for anything else and I understand. The short answer to your question is no, but I think it’s really important that we continue to explore as many concerns as possible and to be creative when addressing the climate crisis and to adjust if something is not going right.”
Conservative candidate, Stamer responded, “We’ve said all along that we would eliminate the carbon tax but also the fuel emission tax because it hasn’t achieved what it was supposed to achieve in the first place. It doesn’t make sense to have a tax that is not being able to do what it was supposed to do and that’s one of the first things we are going to be looking at.”
In closing NDP candidate Genn stated, “I’m running for MLA because I see that my community needs more, and I know I can make that happen. A huge reason I am running in Kamloops-North Thompson is because I'm passionate about being a voice for the needs of everyone in my community, and rural communities deserve to be heard.”
Green Party candidate Cavers repeated, “My goal in running is to leave our province in better shape for my daughter and her generation. The Green Party supports electoral reform; changing how we vote so that our votes actually translate into better representation in Victoria.”
The B.C. Conservative candidate Stamer said, “As your voice in Victoria rest assured, I will be speaking for all of our rural and semi-rural residents with common sense ideas and emphasizing the importance of recognizing the difference between rural and urban concerns and solutions. After six years of being a mayor it became apparent to me that the improvements and changes needed for our communities would be only possible with a new government in B.C.”
Moderator, Kershaw thanked those watching online and those in attendance reminding them about checking voting locations in their areas within the North Thompson Valley.
Voting information can also be found at: https://elections.bc.ca/2024-provincial-election/where-to-vote/
