The Nanton community centre was packed to the brim with members from Nanton and surrounding communities for Wednesday night's All Candidates Forum.

In attendance were all six candidates running for Provincial MLA position for Livingstone-Macleod.

Those candidates were the Alberta Green Party's Wendy Pergentile, the NDP's Cam Gardner, UCP's Roger Reid, The Alberta Independence Party's Vern Sparkes, The Alberta Liberal's Dylin Hauser, and finally the Alberta Party's Tim Meech.

The Forum was put on by the Chamber of Commerce's from Claresholm, Nanton and High River and was set up so the audience would participate and ask questions important to them.

Every candidate received time to make an opening and closing statement to the public regarding their platform, and why they should be the next Livingstone-Macleod MLA, before they were turned loose to the audience.

Lesser known Alberta Green Party Candidate, Wendy Pergentile says, she was there so she could let Albertan's know they have another option if they feel Climate Change and Environment are important.

"I am with the principles and the values that Elizabeth May has tried to incorporate, talked to folks about and tried to bring to elections across Canada." When asked what her biggest issues were, Pergentile stated simply - The Environment. "We're quite familiar for being focused on climate change and environmental protection.

She also got the chance to go over some of her parties views on social and economic policies, inviting the public to get to know the Green Party better.

The Alberta Liberal Party's candidate Dylin Hauser was passionate about the change he wanted to see in the Foothills.

Hauser says the most important issues to him are healthcare, access to mental health programs and also getting folks back to work in the slow economy.

"Two primaries that I want to take care of and that have really affected me personally are bringing more attention to health care access, especially in rural communities and mental health." Hauser adds "Having worked on a drilling rig for several years and experiencing those struggles for the past four years, having lost my house trying to save debt - getting this economy back into the swing while we transition to greener energies is a necessity."

Hauser was also sure he inform the audience that the Alberta Liberal Party, is not connected with the Federal Liberal Party in any way.

Tim Meech with the Alberta Party was next to speak, saying that his party is about less ideals and more ideas. He says his goal is to collaborate with businesses, politicians and other party members to better the Province.

"We will form a government committed to diversity, integrity, transparency and collaboration with others. As leaders of positive change we value inclusiveness, ideas over ideology; and champion economic, environmental and social responsibility. The Alberta Party is a pragmatic solutions based approach to governance and we think it's definitely time for something different."

Meech was also a champion of healthcare, saying that mental health should more accessible in the region however, that includes getting people back to work, since unemployment is a huge factor in mental health, domestic abuse and the opioid crisis.

NDP Candidate Cam Gardner was asked some tough questions throughout the evening but stuck to his parties stance especially on GSA's and protecting the minorities.

When a member of the crowd asked Gardner his stance on the NDP's Bill 24 regarding GSA's and parents knowledge of their children's activities in school Gardner stuck to his guns with his answer.

"Just to be really clear - straight people don't need these clubs. GSA's save kids and no one loves their kids more than their parents, but sometimes kids just need safe places to come out - these clubs save lives...and I can't say more than that"

Candidate for the UCP, Roger Reid also replied to the same question asked to Cam regarding GSA's and touched on whether or not a persons religion should come into the debate.

"Tough question...If you've read the newspapers over the past couple of days, you'll know I'm a man of faith." Reid pauses and replies "Faith motivates me, it informs me, it's also a foundation for me to say that I need to take time to listen, engage and respect all people. The issue with Bill 24 is not whether or not we're keeping our children safe, the problem is that we have taken parental rights away from parents and we have an over-reaching government that makes our children wards of state as opposed to members of our family."

When it came down to economics, the Alberta Independence Party candidate for Livingston-Macleod, Vern sparks says becoming a sovereign nation of our own is the only way to stop the debt and reverse the economy.

"Four more years of either of the UCP or NDP governments will leave us at over 100-billion dollars in debt." Sparks adds "That is unsustainable for generations and will become a generational problem moving forward. Our leader is a Major in Economics and if we become a sovereign nation we could be debt free in 5 years, which is a lofty goal but it can be done."

Sparkes says that would be achieved by keeping our equalization payments to Ottawa, and getting rid of taxes.

If you missed the Livingstone-Macleod all candidates forum, there will be a meet and greet on April 10th at the High River Cultural Centre where all Livingstone-Macleod Candidates have been invited for a meet and mingle at the next Community Cafe.

 

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