Candidates collect Lumby applause

By Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star Published: October 02, 2008

Huguette Allen found a receptive audience among her hometown crowd at Lumby’s forum Tuesday. The approximately 100 people responded warmly to the Green Party candidate, along with Canadian Action Party candidate Darren Seymour (also a Lumby resident) and NDP’s Alice Brown. These Okanagan-Shuswap candidates managed to strike the right note during the Lumby Chamber of Commerce forum Tuesday at the White Valley Community Centre. The forum featured five of the six candidates – independent Gordie Campbell was not in attendance. Donning an emerald-coloured shirt and displaying the Vision Green book, Allen won the crowd with her environmental consciousness and concern for the local economy. She even turned a debate about bills C51 and C52 (impacting therapeutic items such as natural health products) into one about overall food regulations. Specifically meat regulations. “This has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with the big farmout,” said Allen. “What about the chicken and meat that we can’t buy from our farmers?”

Brown garnered some laughs when she told the crowd to lock up their garlic because soon it too will be illegal to grow. “It’s local control that we have to take back,” said Brown. “When you can go and buy a turkey without the government coming in and telling you it’s illegal.”

Sporting a T-shirt reading “9-11 was an inside job,” Seymour managed to win the crowd over on the issue of health care. With long wait times for surgeries and doctor and nurse shortages, people tend to lay the blame on the government, but Seymour pointed out that the responsibility falls on all. “It’s not always just the government, it’s also personal responsibility. These are preventable diseases,” said Seymour, encouraging everyone to educate themselves and make better choices so they can reduce the healthcare burden.

As a few hot-aired words were shared at the forum, gas was also a popular topic. Liberal Janna Francis defended her party’s carbon tax, pointing to a future with a Green Shift – which includes investing $70 billion over 10 years into sewer and water lines to protect the environment. “The beauty of it is, you’re not going to be taxed, the polluters are,” said Francis, proudly wearing a Liberal shade.

Meanwhile, Conservative Colin Mayes says “no” to the carbon tax. “They’re going to tax polluters but it doesn’t stop polluters, it’s just going to tax them,” said Mayes, conservatively dressed in suit and tie. “We need to turn the corner.” Mayes was also questioned on the Security and Prosperity Partnership between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Mayes said the SPP does not exist but that trade agreements are being worked on between those three countries.