There are three candidates running in the Kamloops-North Thompson riding in this year’s provincial election. Black Press sent the same questions to each candidate, and the answers from Conservative Party of B.C. candidate Ward Stamer appeared last week. In this issue we give the answers provided by B.C. Green Party candidate Tristan Cavers and B.C. NDP candidate Maddi Genn.
Questions for the Kamloops-North Thompson candidates:
1. Who you are, what party are you running for and why have you decided to run for MLA this election?
2. What, in your view, is the biggest issue facing the Kamloops-North Thompson Riding? How would you address it?
3. There is a Canada-wide shortage of health care workers. With this in mind, how does your party propose to attract health care workers to come to this region, and then stay here, when they have their pick of jobs and locations?
4. Reconciliation with our First Nation neighbours has become a central focus of provincial and federal governments in recent years. What would you do as MLA to help further this process?
5. Given the climate-related disasters taking place around the world and in our region, what is your party’s plan to address the climate crisis and what role does the climate tax play in that (if any)?
6. How does your party propose to ensure that provincial legislation listens to, and takes into account, the very different needs of rural B.C. rather than being a "one size fits all" template designed with urban voters in mind?
Tristan Cavers:
1: My name is Tristan Cavers. I have lived in the North and South Thompson all my 43 years: the first few years on Dairy Road in Westsyde, then in Chase to the present. I am running for the Green Party of B.C. My goal in running is to leave our province in better shape for my daughter and her generation.
2: Good long-term employment. Our region is rich in resources. We need to maximize the value of any resources extracted. Appurtenancy needs to come back. Operations requiring lesser grades of lumber should have priority access. It should not be an option to sell these grades to Chinese operations.
3: We can only attract health care workers if our province is appealing, which means fair wages and work environments that an employee wants to get to. We need to create more incentives, like debt relief, for medical students to enter family practice. If we can catch illness at an early stage, we will save money in the long term and take the stress off our emergency rooms.
4: Not tear up current agreements and go back to courts; the only party that wins in court are the lawyers. Make consultations meaningful to Indigenous communities/nations so concerns are heard, and government does not waste millions on policing projects or fighting in the courts.
5: The carbon tax that the Gordon Campbell Liberals brought in was a first, and fairest, carbon tax. Polluters need to pay; carbon-intensive industries should not receive subsidies. The Green Party would establish a youth corps providing work experience while increasing our province's resilience when facing natural disaster.
6: The Green Party supports electoral reform; changing how we vote so that our votes actually translate into better representation in Victoria. If we continue the current system, a party can win enough seats to form government while having fewer votes than the opposition party or parties.
