Political showdown in Morvinville

More than 80 people gathered to hear from four federal election candidates during a political forum on the evening of Sept. 30 in the Morinville Community Cultural Centre. The event was hosted by Morinville and District Chamber of Commerce as a way to help voters in the Sturgeon River-Parkland constituency make their ballot box decision on Oct. 19.

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Rona Ambrose, Brendon Greene, Guy Desforges and Ernest Chauvet.

Residents were encouraged to submit written questions to Chamber staff that were later posed to the candidates by Simon Boersma, the local Chamber president who served as the forum moderator. Chamber staff counted 83 people in attendance that evening, and estimated that 40 written questions were submitted.

Listed alphabetically by their last name, candidates at the forum were Rona Ambrose, Conservative Party of Canada; Ernest Chauvet, Christian Heritage Party; Guy Desforges with the federal NDP; and Brendon Greene with the Green Party. Liberal candidate Travis Dueck did not attend the forum. The four participating candidates sat next to each other on stage as they took turns passing a microphone to answer questions.

Boersma welcomed everybody and reminded the candidates of the ground rules. “The candidates will not talk over each other,” said Boersma. “We only have one microphone and each candidate will have two minutes to speak. We will respect the time of two minutes, and I'm sure that's not going to be a problem.” Boersma invited each candidate to make a three-minute introductory speech before responding to written questions from the audience. Here are some excerpts from those introductory speeches.

Ambrose: “I don't think there's been a time in this generation when the stakes have been higher. The world we live can be a dangerous and unpredictable place. Our economy and particularly our prosperity are vulnerable to things that we don't always control. And while Alberta is going through a downturn, according to the Bank of Canada, eighty per cent of the economy is growing and is projected to continue to grow. So while the global economy make remains fragile, Canada is earning a very well deserved reputation for sound fiscal policy and economic strength.”

Ernest Chauvet

Chauvet: “I have difficulty understanding that every political party in the country is not willing to address the fact that the mother of an eight month old baby is bearing a human being.  Somehow that can be swept under the rug, and can be ignored.  But ignoring basic moral values transfers to other things such as disrespect for people in authority and disrespect for the people you are called to serve. It becomes, maintain power or gain power at any cost. That is where we differentiate, and no other party touches that. No other party touches the impact of abortion on women. Let it be an informed choice.”

Desforges: “Well, I have a simple message: the Harper government has to go. This doesn't happen by wishing and it doesn't happen by dreaming. It happens because of hard work. A lot of times when you stand up, you’re labeled and agitator and a troublemaker. That's what a labour leader is. I was there to save people's jobs, protect their rights and keep them safe. I want to take what I learned in the labour movement and bring this type of representation to the people of Sturgeon River-Parkland. That's what this election is all about, representation. About changing the way you and the other members are represented.”

Brendon Greene

Greene: “I like the Green Party because they have a different vision of the way the government should be run. The number one word that the Green Party is based around is sustainability In government. That's not just the environment, that's in all levels of government. The number one thing that I hear about when I go door-to-door is job security and the economy.

The Green party has a way of solving this problem, but it is slightly different than the norm. We have a Canadian Sustainable Generations Fund and we have a National Sustainable Jobs Plan. That is our main way of getting to diversify the economy. We have a plan to help all of the people who have been laid off recently from the low price of oil and the low Canadian dollar.”   

During the forum, the audience heard contrasting visions from each candidate. They took turns answering questions on topics ranging from the oil sands and business taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency and immigration and citizenship. Other questions pertained to MP accountability to constituents, free trade agreements, and incentives for people to relocate in other areas across Canada to find work.

At the end, each candidate was allowed to deliver a three-minute rebuttal. Boersma concluded the forum by thanking the candidates and audience members for participating in the democratic process and wished everybody well on Oct. 19. © 2015 Grant Cree photos.