Candidates debate in Lac La Biche

 

Four of the five candidates running in Fort McMurray-Athabasca debated June 12, answering questions about the oilsands, temporary foreign workers, and infrastructure.

 

“Our cards are out on the table now, right? Every candidate now understands the other candidates’ position,” said Tim Moen, the leader of the Libertarian party and candidate in the riding.

 

“It was actually my first time debating in this type of forum, so there’s first-time nerves and that sort of thing, but people came here and they wanted to get a sense of what the party is, and I think they did.”

 

About 40 people turned up at the theatre of Lac La Biche’s Portage College campus to hear Moen, Liberal Party candidate Kyle Harrietha, NDP candidate Lori McDaniel and Green Party candidate Brian Deheer ahead of the June 30 byelection.

 

The four opposition candidates took turns criticizing the absence of Conservative candidate David Yurdiga, whose party last held the riding under former MP Brian Jean.

 

“The one thing we all agree on is that the person from the majority government is not in this room… and it’s a disgrace,” McDaniel said in her closing statement.

 

Harrietha criticized the way the region had been represented under Jean.

 

“My plan as your MP is to be a very squeaky wheel with this government,” he said. “People in this riding have forgotten that there even is a Government of Canada because it does so little.”

 

According to Harrietha, the riding has been neglected when it comes to infrastructure,

 

“When you call a place the pillar of the economy, you best make the proper investments,” he said.

 

The idea of revenue leaving the region was a theme for many of the candidates, including McDaniel, who was critical of the lack of attention spent on things like highways in the region.

 

“It’s not coming back. ‘Where is it going?’ is my question,” McDaniel said. “You shouldn’t have to shed blood or rally petitions to have any kind of work done on our highways.”

 

The candidates outlined plans for how they would manage the reputation of the oilsands industry. McDaniel battled the perception that her party is against oilsands development, arguing for better regulation.

 

“First, I work in the industry. I drive the trucks that haul the stuff,” said McDaniel, who is a heavy equipment operator at Suncor. “We cannot rely on this to be here forever, and it won’t be. We have to elongate it as much as possible.”

 

Moen talked up his experience working as a videographer with Neil Young, who was critical of the area after his visit north.

 

“This sounds like the story of our life in the oilsands,” he said. “They come here to look at the dirt, they come here to look at the ugly, and they come here to promote it and sell it.”

 

Harrietha talked about his past involvement with the Cumulative Environmental Management Association.

 

“I’ve worked in a collaborative atmosphere where we strive to… move forward with development responsibly,” he said.

 

“There’s a lot of disagreement that happens, but we’re not afraid of dialogue… this isn’t a propaganda exercise, and the role of a Member of Parliament isn’t to engage in propaganda.”

 

Deheer said he didn’t think the negative reputation was entirely unwarranted.

 

“There are a lot of things about the oilsands industry that do involve a lot of environmental impact and a lot of environmental damage,” he said. “I would encourage those industries to do more to actually be cleaner and greener, so they don’t have to persuade people.”

 

Moen, McDaniel and Deheer all identified that this was their first major debate experience.

 

McDaniel said she enjoyed it and was ready for events in Fort McMurray next week, including a debate on the Temporary Foreign Workers program held by the Alberta Federation of Labour Monday and a debate held by the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce Tuesday.

 

“I hope everybody shows up,” she said. “I’ve heard that a couple of people aren’t going to show up to the Temporary Foreign Worker one, and I will be there with bells on at both forums that are coming up.”

 

Harrietha has declined an invitation to the AFL debate due to their position that the TFW program be scrapped, and Yurdiga has declined due to prior commitments.

 

Yurdiga said prior commitments prevented him from attending the Lac La Biche debate as well.

 

“It’s unfortunate, but I had other things planned, and once I make a commitment, my word’s my word,” he said that evening, saying he was in High Prairie on campaign work. “I couldn’t get out of it, and it’s one of those things (where) timing didn’t work out. That’s life sometimes.”

 

In a statement released June 12, Yurdiga said he would also miss the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce debate, citing prior commitments.

 

“It was not an easy decision for myself and our team to miss this event,” the statement read. “However to join you… I would have broken a commitment I had already made to people in one of our other communities. I do hope I have your understanding.”

 

In the statement, he also committed, if elected, to running in the new Fort McMurray-Cold Lake district in the 2015 federal election. Yurdiga is from Grassland, Alta., which will be a part of the Lakeland riding for the next election, where current Conservative MP Brian Storseth has committed to run.

 

-With notes from Vincent McDermott