In Part 2 of TimminsToday's discussion with Timmins-James Bay Green Party candidate Max Kennedy, he addresses what makes the Greens unique, senior citizens, veterans and if he is in for the long haul.
Q – What are the biggest differences between the Green Party and other parties such as the NDP and the Liberals?
A - The big one is integrity. We are responsible to the people that vote for us. We also have ideas that the other parties aren't bringing forward.
The council of Canadian governments is an idea that has not been brought forth before.
The Harper government has done everything in its power to do the exact opposite and isolate governments.
He hasn't talked to the Premiers in almost a decade.
We do like to take in to account the environment more than the other parties.
We recognize that having clean water and clean air has an immediate and direct impact on Canadians. Heath Care costs for one.
The major difference between us, and say the Liberals, we think of the people that we're serving first.
Q – How can the government improve conditions for Canada's veterans of recent conflicts and earlier wars? Is the current government supporting them?
A - You're talking about something huge.
I'm an army brat.
I grew up in it.
I know what the veterans have gone through.
I know how much they have supported our country, how much of it they've helped developed and how much they've given.
For Canada, at the end of their service, to basically say 'Here's a cheque, bye” is sickening.
We would definitely re-institute the pensions for vets that have been injured in combat.
Let's face it, we've sent them into harms way the last decade or so, a lot more than we have previously.
Its happened a lot, where they've been injured and then the government says 'well you're not of any use to the military anymore, here's your discharge and by the way, you're short of getting your pension. Tough.'
It's happened though.
It's wrong.
Period.
End of discussion.
We need to provide appropriate support for our vets.
We need to provide the training, provide support for prosthetics if necessary, provide counselling for PTSD no questions asked.
I'm sorry, but it doesn't matter what it costs.
We ask them to go put their lives on the line. We have a duty to them.
Exactly how that would play out, I'd want to talk to the vets themselves and find out what exactly they need.
Q – How should the Canadian government handle the issue of an ageing population? How would you better serve senior citizens?
A - They're the people that built this country.
The Canada Pension Plan basically leaves them in poverty.
That's not good enough.
If work is worth doing, it's worth paying for.
Part of that pay is benefits, and part of benefits is support for after your working career.
The other thing is that, as you get older, your body tends to wear out.
You get sick, you need hip replacements.
The Pharma Care program that we've proposed is universal, so that if you're diagnosed as needing medication, you've got it.
That will help the financial security of our older population tremendously, and it will also improve their health.
I've known personally, many that have forgone their medication because they have to eat or they have pay their hydro, and they can't afford it.
Well I'm sorry, but that's not good enough.
Q – Why do you believe in Elizabeth May as a potential leader of Canada?
A - There is nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, in Canada's Parliament who has worked harder than her since she's been there.
That woman is a dynamo, combined with actually having a common sense approach to things, really makes her stand out from the other leaders.
It's one of the reasons why she is not invited to a lot of the debates, because she shows them up every time.
I don't agree with everything she says and does, we're human beings, we're not always going to agree, but she comes as close to the type of leader that I want and that a lot of Canadians would appreciate.
She listens, and that's different from other politicians.
Other politicians 'hear' and then they just go away.
She listens. It's a big difference.
Q – If you aren't elected this fall, will you remain with the Green Party going forward and attempt to build the party's following in Northeastern Ontario?
A - “Yes. No ifs, ands, buts, or maybes about it.
If what I expect happens, and we have the minority NDP government, and if they keep their word to Canadians with regards to getting rid of First Past the Post, where right now one of the barriers is being told 'You're not going to form the government'.
But once you get to a proportional system, which should occur before the next election if promises are kept, then people won't feel like they are wasting their vote.
Next election that's going to be very different, its going to be a whole new ballgame.
I plan on being with the Greens when that happens, because that is when we're going to have the best opportunity to show Canadians what we can do for them.
Canadians need to see a little bit more of us, we need to show what we can do a little bit more to overcome that trepidation of something new, something different.
Q – If elected, what kind of voice would you bring to Ottawa?
A - “The idea that government serves the people, that's the voice I'd be bringing.
We need to develop our economy, which means not throwing all of our eggs in one basket like Mr. Harper did to become a 'petro-state'.
We're a very diverse country.
We need to work not just with the strength of one region, but we need to be able to help all regions develop their own strengths.
Whether thats minerals and forestry here in Ontario, or petro-chemicals in Alberta, agriculture in the prairie provinces, we need to help develop their strengths and market them to the world.
That's the kind of voice that I'd like to bring to Ottawa.
Not one that is so narrowly focused on my own little concerns, but one that has a vision for the entirety of the country as well.
We've got to support the people that vote for us, but we're there for Canadians as a whole.
Q – Why should people vote for Max Kennedy?
A - Max Kennedy would be accountable to the people that voted for him.
That's why they should elect me.
I'm not a puppet. I'm not there for my own benefit.
I'm doing this because I see a need for Canadians to regain trust in their government and that's not going to happen under the other three parties.
You cannot serve two masters with integrity, it just isn't possible.
I'm going to be there for the people of the riding.
I'm going to work for the development of economic opportunities here.
I'm going to work to safeguard the environment from risks like the Energy East pipeline, where all the benefits go out to the Tar Sands moguls and the people here take all the risks with their waterways.
You want government you can believe in, you cant do the same-old same-old.
It has not been getting better, it's been getting worse.
If you want real change, you have to make a different decision.
