With Canadians heading to the polls on Sept. 20, 2021, the NOW has sent Q&As to each candidate listed in Burnaby South and Burnaby North-Seymour.
The same Q&A has been sent to each candidate and answers have not been changed or altered.
BURNABY NORTH-SEYMOUR - JIM HANSON - NDP PARTY OF CANADA
Question: What are your thoughts on the TMX pipeline project? Should it go ahead? Why or why not?
Answer: I hear it every night of the doorsteps: people in Burnaby North-Seymour do not want TMX to go ahead, and I stand with them. I will do everything in my power to cancel this project. Jagmeet Singh and the NDP have always opposed this project, and have said a much better use of public funds would have been to invest in renewable energy. One day Justin Trudeau declares a climate emergency, the next he buys a bitumen pipeline. It's clear he's not for real when it comes to fighting the climate crisis. We need real action, which is why the NDP will end fossil fuel subsidies, grow the clean economy, and fight the climate crisis like we want to win.
Question: What are your views on a snap election being called two years since 2019 and during the start of a 4th COVID-19 wave in Canada?
Answer: Nobody wanted Justin Trudeau wanted this. He is more focused on his selfish summer election than protecting Canadians. But we're here now and people have a choice: a government that keeps giving billionaires a free ride while the rest of us pay the price, or someone who fights for you and makes sure the ultra-rich pay their fair share. I know better is possible, and that's what is at stake and why I want to join Jagmeet Singh in Ottawa and fight for our community.
Question: What are your views on climate change? What will you/your party do to address the worsening situation?
Answer: It is a worsening situation, and we all saw that this past summer. The terrifying scenes out of Lytton serve as a reminder that the climate crisis is here, and that its effects are catastrophically impacting lives and livelihoods.
Consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments have continuously failed to meaningfully tackle the climate crisis. Justin Trudeau has missed every single climate target that has been set, has presided over the worst GHG reduction effort in the G7, and has failed to reduce emissions.
Question: What do you currently think of the federal government’s COVID-19 response?
Answer: One of the reasons I am proud to stand with Jagmeet Sing and Canada's NDP is that Jagmeet pushed the government to do the right thing. He was the one who insisted $1000 wasn't going to cut it, that $2000 was a more realistic number. The Liberal government thought a 10% wage subsidy would be all the help businesses needed, and we were the ones who stood up for small businesses and demanded 75%.
When Trudeau wanted to do the bare minimum, Jagmeet Singh and the NDP were there pushing him to do better by the millions of Canadians who were struggling in this pandemic.
Question: What will you and your party do to address the housing situation, especially in the Metro Vancouver area?
Answer: I hear it every night on the doorsteps - housing costs that rise with no end in sight. The Liberals have a terrible record on housing, a record of failure as housing prices continue to rise - the cost of housing has increased 50% during Trudeau's 6 year term in office. The NDP, meanwhile, have a plan that will get some of the big speculative money out of housing and that will create homes that people can afford. When I was a child, my grandparents lived close by. My mother's mother was a second mother to me, living close by in North Vancouver District. My children, meanwhile, lived close to their grandparents. But my adult children face a stark choice. The cost of housing in this community is virtually insurmountable. I may not live close to my grandchildren because of failed government policies around housing. Whether you own your home, are looking to get into the market, or are a renter - this issue affects us all.
Jagmeet Singh and the NDP have a real plan for housing affordability. It starts with a 20% foreign buyers tax and building 500,000 affordable homes. I look forward to using my experiences in a local government to build the partnerships we need between all orders of government to secure affordable homes. I look forward to using my experience in local government to build partnerships between all orders of government to secure affordable homes right here in Burnaby North-Seymour, so that families - maybe even my family - can stay together. This is a top priority on the doorsteps, and I believe that our message is resonating. Many voters are now aware that we have a plan that can address the Liberal failure on housing.
Question: Why should voters vote for you? What would you say to those undecided and debating not voting at all?
Answer: First, I would tell them to reach out to me - [email protected]. My inbox is always open and I am happy to give people a call and discuss their concerns.
But I will say this. A lot changed over the past two years. Going through this pandemic together shone a big light through all the cracks in our system. But even in this crisis, a historic opportunity for all of us has presented itself. We don't have to do business as usual - better is possible.
Canadians don't have to settle. We don't need to choose between Liberal and Conservative governments that let pandemic profiteers of the hook while we pay the price. For too long, governments in Ottawa have let telecommunications take huge profits gouging Canadians. It's time to stand up for everyday people and make sure consumers get a better deal for their digital needs.
We don't have to accept skyrocketing housing and pharmaceutical prices as facts of life, either. Better is possible but it is going to take all of us to make it happen.
