Peace Arch News reached out to the four candidates running for the South Surrey-White Rock riding in the Sept. 20 federal election and asked them each to respond to four questions.
Below are the responses from Gary Jensen (PPC) in his own words:
1) Following another summer of record-breaking heat in B.C., what actions would your party take, if elected, to immediately address the causes and impacts of climate change?
A: Canada is already one of the world’s cleanest energy producers. The PPC is very much against the current government’s use of climate alarmism to impose ideological taxes on its citizens –taxes which are responsible for the rising cost of living and crippling our economy. Climate change is happening but the scientific models are all over the board as to how much of it is man-made. Actions we would take are as follows:
• Stop sending billions of dollars to developing countries to help them reduce their emissions;
• Abolish the Liberal government’s carbon tax and leave it to provincial governments to adopt programs to reduce emissions if they so choose to;
• Abolish subsidies for green technology and let private players develop profitable and efficient alternatives;
• Invest in adaptation strategies if problems arise as a result of any natural climate change;
• Prioritize implementing practical solutions to make Canada’s air, water, and soil cleaner, including bringing clean drinking water to remote First Nations communities.
2) Canada remains in the grips of a global pandemic. What steps need to be taken to get Canadians safely through this crisis, to facilitate economic recovery and to ensure our nation is better prepared for future public health emergencies?
A: This pandemic has been mishandled from Day 1. We went from two weeks to flatten the curve to 18 months of extreme government overreach, the destruction of our economy, and the division of Canadians. I believe we need to protect our most vulnerable without destroying the Canada we have worked hard to build. The PPC proposes that we:
• Support medical research and development of therapies to treat COVID-19 and other viral diseases;
• Promote a rational and scientifically-based approach to the pandemic that focuses on the protection of the most vulnerable, guarantees the freedom of Canadians to make decisions based on informed consent, and rejects coercion and discrimination;
• Fire Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam and replace her with someone who will work with provincial agencies to implement a rational approach to the pandemic, instead of following the recommendations of the World Health Organization;
• Repeal vaccine mandates and regular testing for federal civil servants and workers in federally regulated industries;
• Repeal vaccine passports for travellers;
• Oppose vaccine mandates, vaccine passports, and other authoritarian measures imposed by provincial governments, and support individuals and groups that challenge such measures in court;
• Support emergency provincial measures to protect the most vulnerable, but stop bailing out provinces that impose economically destructive lockdowns.
3)The price of everything from housing to food and child care is rising rapidly. What steps would a government formed by your party take to ensure all Canadians have access to safe and adequate housing and a healthy diet?
A: Unfortunately, Canada’s business climate is less and less welcoming to investors. Since 2015, business investment has gone down not only in the oil and gas sector, but in many other sectors as well. Canada is also attracting less foreign direct investment. This is having an effect on our standard of living.
The government has proven that they are ineffectual at strengthening the economy and seem more concerned with finding ways to absorb revenue from its citizens rather than creating an environment for Canadians to thrive.
We need to open Canada to more investment. This helps attract higher-paying jobs, invites innovation that can help solve other issues, such as how we deal with climate change. We also need to reduce the taxes on individuals and small businesses, which are the backbone of our communities.
Once we lift these tax burdens from Canadians, we will thrive and build wealth that will inevitably open access to affordable living and the ability to tackle the everyday costs associated with life.
4) Racial justice and reconciliation are at the forefront of Canadian consciousness. What steps need to be taken to help right past wrongs and ensure that all Canadians are granted equal voice, opportunity and respect?
A: Many injustices were committed in the past by the Canadian government towards Indigenous peoples. We cannot rewrite the past, but only seek the best way to live together harmoniously in the future. This relationship must be based on mutual respect and a balanced approach taking into account the needs of the Indigenous population and the interests of the Canadian population as a whole.
The Peoples Party wants to explore ways to replace the dismissive Indian Act. We need to empower Indigenous communities so that they are on equal footing with all Canadians. We want to guarantees equal rights and responsibilities to these communities so that they can thrive.
The Peoples Party wants these communities to be able to take part in the economic opportunities that we all take part in. We want to build up the self-reliance of these communities. It is bizarre to me that many of these communities live in almost Third-World conditions and the government has failed them on so many levels.
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