It was a spirited debate in Camrose on Tuesday.
With the Battle River-Crowfoot byelection set for Aug. 18, candidates gathered for a forum hosted by the Camrose Chamber of Commerce, which Alberta Chamber of Commerce CEO Shauna Feth moderated.
Candidates for the byelection forum, which was capped at 10 candidates of the 214 registered included Pierre Poilievre (Conservative Party of Canada), Darcy Spady (Liberal Party of Canada), Grant Abraham (United Party of Canada), Jonathan Bridges (People's Party of Canada), Bonnie Critchley (Independent), Michael Harris (Libertarian Party of Canada), Ashley MacDonald (Green Party of Canada), Sarah Spanier (Independent), Katherine Swampy (NDP), and Jeff Willerton (Christian Heritage).
Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre, who was greeted with widespread applause at the event, with cheers starting the moment he was introduced and almost every other time he spoke. The byelection in Battle River-Crowfoot was needed after MP Damien Kurek stepped down from his post, in order for the Conservative leader to run, after he lost his seat in Carleton riding in April.
"There's a lot of shared values across this province and across this country. My Alberta values taught me about faith, family and freedom. Hard work and helping your neighbours. Those values guided me to fight for the values of this region, when I was leader of the party and a member of parliament over a couple of decades," Poilievre said in his opening remarks.
"I forced the Liberal government to get rid of their carbon tax. Which is a local issue in rural communities. Forced the debate on developing our resources, slowing down out-of-control immigration and cracking down on drugs and crime. And now, I want to take the local issues and provide national leadership to fight against the electric vehicle mandate. Because driving a pickup truck is a local issue in the communities across this region. To fight for law abiding firearms owners and farmers and to expand our military. These are local issues that require national leadership."
United Party of Canada candidate Grant Abraham touched on a number of topics in his opening remarks about what he would like to see change in Canada.
"This is desperately what we need in Canada, to have these kinds of conversations. I'm here because I've spent a lifetime watching elections be decided in Thunder Bay, Ontario," Abraham said.
"I've watched the West have the raw end of our structure in our constitution. What we're really looking at here in Alberta is a discussion between what Canada we want to have. If it's the one that has the west paying for Ontario and Quebec or it's one that wants to see an Alberta strong, free and independent."
Darcy Spady, the Liberal candidate from Three Hills, said in his remarks that he doesn't want to be prime minister, but decided to run because he liked the business mind of party leader and prime minister Mark Carney.
"I would really like to represent you in Ottawa on the government benches as a member of parliament. I've had the privilege in my technical career of testifying before subcommittees and senate committees and I know that behind all the theatrics... things really get done," he said.
"Policy gets made, people get heard. I am really interested in being part of the process for this riding. This is my home, this has been my family home for 100 years."
For about an hour, candidates answered questions from the community that were pre-selected by the Camrose Chamber of Commerce. Each candidate had one minute to respond to each question.
Following the question period, candidates were given two minutes for closing remarks.
Bonnie Critchley, an outspoken independent candidate with deep roots in Battle River-Crowfoot asked during her closing remarks who in the audience can vote in the upcoming byelection.
"That's kind of my point," she said at the lack of hands that were raised.
"This is our home. And we sure as heck don't want to be doing this in January, now do we? I do not want to do this. I was enjoying my retirement from the military. But it is important to me that we have a voice in parliament. I firmly believe that Mr. Poilievre is too busy with his own personal ambitions to give a rat's backside about us. With him facing a leadership review in January, are we doing this again in February?... I am here for my neighbours, I am here for all of our communities. Together, we can make our mark on the map, and we can stand up for ourselves."
Ashley MacDonald, the Green Party candidate, in his closing remarks, appealed to voters to vote for whoever they feel represents the riding the best.
"We all know this is Pierre's riding to lose," Macdonald said with a laugh.
"He's definitely going to win, so please take a chance and vote your conscience. Don't be swayed by fear of a Liberal MP or an NDP MP or a Independent. Vote your conscience, vote however you want to vote."
Questions posed to the candidates included:
What measures would you propose to meaningfully improve affordability and economic security for everyday Canadians?
"The Christian Heritage Party is the only party that I'm aware of that advocates eliminating income taxes and business taxes and replacing them with consumption taxes, called a Care Tax. That will absolutely leave more money in each of your pockets, to make groceries more affordable," said Heritage Party of Canada candidate Jeff Willerton.
Do you support increased immigration and how would you ensure newcomers are protected and supported, while ensuring services can meet the demand of a growing population?
"We have a great country and it's not going to stay that way if we let absolutely everybody in, without any qualification at all. With that being said, my family was immigrants once upon a time and I'm not opposed to controlled immigration," said PPC candidate Jonathan Bridges.
Given that several candidates do not reside within the boundaries of this riding, what does local representation mean to you and what specific actions will you undertake to ensure that the perspectives and priorities of the constituents are authentically represented?
"For me, I want to be your representative," said independent candidate Sarah Spanier.
"I don't want to be a representative for anybody other than the people of Battle River- Crowfoot. I do not care which side of the political spectrum you are on. We are all on different sides of the spectrum, and that is A-OK. I am here to listen and to help bridge the gap in this political spectrum. It is time that we actually pay attention and listen to what each other are saying. Understand that we are all fighting for the same thing."
Do you believe this trend of (health care privatization) threatens the universal health care system, and what would you do to protect and strengthen our public system?
Michael Harris, the Libertarian Party of Canada candidate, said that although his party is in favour of privatized health care, he believes in a hybrid system.
"Where we still have free health care for the ones who can afford basic access to health care. While still allowing health care for those can afford it. Those who can pay for it, they should be able to get it fast and easy," he said.
"There are currently waits of up to about eight hours just to see a doctor... that's across the board in this communal system we call the public health care system. If people are able to afford better health care or get it faster, why not?"
What is your position on electoral reform? Do you support transition away from the first-past-the-post model and if so, which system would you advocate for?
NDP candidate Katherine Swampy addressed the Longest Ballot Committee, who are supporting more than 190 independent candidates in the byelection.
"Electoral reform is exactly what the longest ballot wanted. So the fact that everybody here is talking about electoral reform means their form of protest is working," she said.
"They have been doing this since 2021... they know it's going to cause an uprising and they want people to speak out about it. If that's what they're looking for, is that attention, that's exactly what you're giving them."
How will you support farmers and rural communities in adapting to the growing impacts of climate change and extreme weather while also promoting sustainable agricultural practices, rural infrastructure and rural economic development?
How will you ensure Canadians have access to affordable, top-tier education without drowning in debt?
You can view the full debate .
