Chamber Forum - If Elected How Would You Ensure The Voice Of Moose Jaw Businesses Is Heard In Ottawa?
On Tuesday evening the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce held an all candidates forum for all six candidates vying to be the next MP in the Moose Jaw - Lake Centre - Lanigan riding.
To help voters make up their minds we are running the questions and the answers from the candidates to the questions put forward to them in that forum in no particular order.
The fourth question we feature deals with if elected how would any of the candidates ensure the voice of Moose Jaw businesses was heard in Ottawa.
QUESTION - If elected how would ensure the voice of the Moose Jaw business community reaches Parliament Hill and key decision makers?
Chey Craik, People’s Party Of Canada candidate, said he would be the loud voice fighting for the riding that has not existed over the last decade.
“When elected to Parliament I will stand for us I will be your loud and boisterous voice you have not had forever. Our lack of representation and someone willing to stand for us has been apparent over the last decade and I will stand for you. I will fight for you I will be your guy,” Craik said.
“I will be your MP in Ottawa,” he said.
Katelyn Zimmer, Liberal Party candidate, said she had a vested interest in the question as her father owns a small business and she is an employee of a small business.
Zimmer said she was a consensus builder and willing to work for the betterment of the riding as she has a selfless desire to serve the riding unlike others.
“I am the daughter of a small business owner and I am the employee of a small business myself and so I have a vested interest in this issue,” Zimmer said, adding “I guess that I am sort of the anti-Chey in that respect because I am not that loud or boisterous and I am not so much into fighting.”
“What I am is a collaborator. I am the type of person that can get along with people. That can work with all types of people. And that is to selfless represent the people of Moose Jaw - Lake Centre - Lanigan,” she said.
“I have no personal interest in running in this election other than that I rather care deeply. So I think that this openness, this unbiasedness and this genuine to want to serve would make me the best to represent business in order to take our message to Ottawa.”
Talon Regent, New Democratic Party candidate, said the problem with the voice of Moose Jaw small business not reaching the power players and decision makers in Ottawa is that the Conservative know the riding will vote for them and so they take it for granted.
Regent said the Conservative catered to the interests of Ontario and Quebec in hopes of getting a majority government and were willing to ignore local concerns because they know ignoring them is OK as the riding is going to vote Conservatives in as they have for decades.
“The Moose Jaw area voice has not been heard in Parliament for decades. And that is because we have had a Conservative representing our riding for decades,” Regent said.
“The Conservatives are not interested in Saskatchewan.”
“They take your vote for granted and they will prioritize on areas in Ontario and Quebec because those are the areas they are trying to win. So if we keep voting for a Conservative we are never going to have our voice heard. They will never invest in Saskatchewan because they think they have this area in the bag,” he said.
“By voting for a New Democrat you ensure your vote is not taken for granted. That this riding is not taken for granted. Business owners in this riding will be able to rely on me as a fellow business owner,” Regent said, adding “as a fellow member of the (Moose Jaw and District) Chamber of Commerce they will be able to rely on me knowing that I am representing our best interests. I am representing innovators in our community.”
“It is also a matter of the Parties themselves. The Liberals and the Conservatives they are not interested inworking together. They are not interested in minority governments. It is a majority or it is nothing. Just Trudeau called an election during a pandemic because he wanted a majority government. Because he couldn’t get along with the Conservatives and the NDP was fighting for you as the Liberals wanted to make decisions in the best interests of billion dollar companies and the ultra-wealthy,” he said.
“New Democrats we have thrived in a minority government. We have thrived by working together with whatever Party is in power and even if the New Democrats themselves were in power we would still work together with everybody - because that is what it means to have a democracy and we believe in that democracy.”
Fraser Tolmie, said he would take the listening skills he was know for as Mayor of the City of Moose Jaw and build on it to make a coalition or partnership with other Chambers of Commerce in the riding.
He went on to state the re-branding of the City that the partnership developed in Moose Jaw had managed to bring in millions of dollars of tourism investment but he did not name exactly what that business investment exactly was.
“Instead of spending the campaign door knocking I have been combine knocking. I have been going out to farmers and farmer’s field and meeting with farmers and I think that is what it takes,” Tolmie said.
“It is getting out to know your community and getting out to know the people and the challenges that they face. Add I would build on the experience we have already experienced here in the City of Moose Jaw,” he said.
“When I was first elected in 2016 we had a strategic plan for City Hall that no one understood and I thought that wasn’t working. So what we did is built partnerships and we included the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown businesses, local investors, Tourism and City Hall and we came up with a community strategic plan and we came up with re-branding our community which has attracted millions of dollars worth of investment through tourism.”
“And so I would build on that success to be able to go out to our riding and look to listen to different Chambers of Commerce throughout the riding, the smaller communities and see what hey have to say and see if we can create a partnership. And take that information they have shared with us and take it to Ottawa,” Tolmie said, adding “And I would also like to point out that the Conservative Party is making commitments to riding already. Bu committing to partnering with the Province of Saskatchewan and the Upper Qu’Appelle water conveyance project of $4 billion and help farmers. And we have also received funding for the local airport so I would continue to work on that and be able to represent this riding and their needs.”
Craig Townsend, Maverick Party candidate, said as a Western only Party the Mavericks did not have to do the bidding of any Ottawa leader and as such could ensure they would only work for Western and local interests and concerns.
“The mechanics of the system ensure that whatever Party wants to form government has to abandon their Western constituents. The Maverick Party is only running candidates in Western ridings as such I will never be forced to bow to the will of the leader in Ottawa. I can represent the interests of the constituents in this riding,” Townsend said.