Area voters faced with 4 candidates in federal election

A federal election is scheduled for Monday, January 23, and voters in the New Brunswick Southwest riding will have four candidates from which to choose as their representative in Ottawa. Incumbent Conservative MP Greg Thompson is being challenged by Liberal Stanley Smith, Erik Millett of the Green Party and Andrew Graham of the New Democratic Party.

Andrew Graham
The NDP candidate is a St. Andrews resident who attended the New Brunswick College of Crafts and Design and works as a carpenter, furniture designer and cabinet maker. "You need to have patience and know how to troubleshoot," he says, speaking of his profession and the world of politics.

The candidate says that Canada should "push for alternative energy sources. The days of seemingly endless fossil fuels is coming to an end. The price is only going up. We can't let these multi-national corporations use any opportunity they can to avail themselves of our resources. This is a really important crossroads for us. We need to protect the sovereignty of our resources."

Graham has been to many liquefied natural gas (LNG) meetings and workshops since a company proposed to build an LNG terminal at Gleason Cove, Perry, which he can see out of his window. "I felt dim panic at what people were saying. It's a very inappropriate place for tankers."

"Tankers would affect other types of traffic on the water," he adds. "It can severely compromise fisheries, which are still fragile, as well as sightseeing boats and kayaks, because there has to be a protective distance around the [tankers]."

"I sympathize with people who believe money is coming in. Their economy is depressed. But are you really getting 80 'promised' jobs?" he asks. "How many eco-tourism and fisheries jobs will be lost?"

"We also need to look at what's gone on in another corner of the province at [CFB] Gagetown," says Graham, referring to the Canadian Forces Base where it was recently revealed that toxic defoliants Agent Orange and Agent Purple were sprayed there from about 1956 to 1984. "What a long protracted ordeal people have gone through. It's a reminder that if you're in good health and enjoying the benefits of a good life, it's your duty to help others. That was evil stuff they sprayed there, and people shouldn't have been exposed to it."

Another concern of the NDP and Graham is child poverty. "The Liberal government has been pretty slow on the uptake. It hasn't reduced child poverty. It's increased since the current government has been in power. We need a plan for ethics and accountability from the government."

Graham will be attending two open houses where people are invited to meet the candidate and discuss issues with him. The first will be from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Friday, January 20, at the home of Derek Simon and Krysta Oland located at 1937 Route 3 in Harvey. Graham will speak briefly at 8 p.m. On Sunday, January 22, in St. George, the candidate will be at 14 Campbell Hill Road, the home of Roz Allen, from 2 to 4 p.m. He will discuss his campaign at 2:30 p.m.

Erik Millett
An educator from Chamcook, Erik Millett says he's been a supporter of the Green Party for about 14 years. "Injustices have always bothered me, and I'm self-compelled to do something. Those are my innate political instincts."

"I ran in the 2004 election in the same riding as the first Green Party candidate, and I received 1,000 votes," he points out. "It was my first time out, and I ran a very focused but resource-poor campaign. Greg [Thompson] won with 15,000 votes, so I got one vote in 15, and that's pretty respectable."

"The environment is a key issue in this district so, even though there's not a chance of the Greens forming a government, I hope people are willing to vote on principles," he says. "I'd love to be the first Green to be elected. If this riding really wanted to stand out, with a divided Parliament, having a Green [MP] would carry phenomenal power. To Greens, a good idea is a good idea. We don't care what party came up with it."

Millett says the Green Party is not only against an LNG facility built on the shores of Passamaquoddy Bay "we're opposed to any being built anywhere along the coast, including Saint John. Greg [Thompson] doesn't oppose the LNG in Saint John."

"Irving runs this province like a Third World dictatorship," opines the Green Party candidate, regarding the long-time New Brunswick-based corporation that has been granted permission to construct an LNG facility in Saint John. "It controls everything, and only a few people will speak up."

Millett adds that the nuclear power plant at Point Lepreau is a bigger threat than an LNG facility. "The Green Party is opposed to both Point Lepreau and LNG. But if it's either/or, then we'd take LNG. It's easier to shut down and clean up an LNG facility than a nuclear power plant. Rural Maine and New Brunswick are being saddled with these mega-projects, and the residents are supposed to be thankful for jobs and remain quiet about what it does to the environment."

"Point Lepreau should be shut down C not refurbished," he stresses. "And we should use current energy sources wisely. We need to invest in tidal, wind and solar power. Cheaper energy is energy we can conserve. Nuclear power is the most expensive."

The Green Party candidate notes that his party does not want the government to subsidize aquaculture. "That should be phased out. Obviously, there are garbage issues as well as issues of disease and farmed salmon versus the indigenous species. The Liberal Party has a $20 million bailout for aquaculture, so it's not economically sustainable. Why waste money and resources on it? Be stewards of the environment."

Stanley Smith
Stan Smith of St. George is the Liberal Party candidate for New Brunswick Southwest. He is presently serving his fifth consecutive term as mayor of St. George and says, "I like serving people, and I'm running [for MP] because I feel like I can help the people in this area."

"I think Shawn Graham will be premier of New Brunswick, and I can really support the people in this riding," he says of his fellow Liberal.

Smith says he has been opposed to any LNG development on Passamaquoddy Bay since "day one. It's too risky. If you live on Campobello, you can drive over the bridge if something happens. Grand Manan is off in the ocean C they're a bit insulated. But on Deer Island, you'd be stuck waiting for the ferry C especially if ferry service is acting up the way it's been doing."

Smith says whether the government was Liberal or Conservative, "I would work with them to improve that ferry service. It's not a matter of which party you belong to."
"Aquaculture here needs help. They've lost a lot of money because the New Brunswick premier, as well as Ottawa, dilly-dallyed," he asserts. "It's the same with traditional fisheries. Half of the Department of Fisheries should be located here. We're too far afield from Ottawa. They don't have any idea of what goes on here." In regard to the CFB Gagetown/Agent Orange investigation, Smith says, "While people are still alive who are seriously affected [by the herbicides], they should receive compensation right now. It shouldn't be going to their estate."

Smith points out that, because his riding is so large, he hasn't been able to visit every community in it during his campaign. "But I would appreciate people's support on January 23. I will certainly work on everybody's behalf."

Greg Thompson
Incumbent Greg Thompson, a Progressive Conservative, feels he has done a good job as MP and hopes that his constituency will agree that the Conservatives should supplant the current administration in Ottawa. "The overriding issue is the behavior of the [Paul] Martin government. The biggest scandal in Canada unfolded under their watch, and they should be held accountable. The Canadian people aren't pleased with them and, if elected, the official opposition is prepared to govern."

Closer to home, Thompson says that the economy of Charlotte County is always an issue since it lags behind the rest of Canada, and the proposed LNG facilities on Passamaquoddy Bay are important issues to the residents of that region. "Our fisheries are a huge industry in this area. We have the largest herring packing plant in the world and a strong aquaculture factor which plays right into the LNG issue. We feel threatened by LNG. It can affect our tourism, as the environmental concerns override others."

"The LNG issue doesn't make [Canada] anti-American. We reserve the right to stay no to LNG. It's not a safe location."

Thompson points out that the Liberal government has failed in another part of the province, by not adequately dealing with the issue of Agent Orange and Agent Purple use at CFB Gagetown. "The government hasn't dealt with it effectively," he declares. No one has been held accountable for the span of three decades in which at least two deadly defoliants were used to clear the brush.

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which would require travellers between the U.S. and Canada to carry passports, is another issue that has not been adequately addressed by the Liberals, says Thompson. "The government of Canada should have been more on the ball. The prime minister should have been down there in Washington. If initiated, this could cost the tourism industry $2 billion in the first year."

"Anything is doable in politics. Nothing in politics can't be changed if there is the will to do it."