Candidate Questions: Mary Forbes

1. Why are you running for office?

I am running for office because I have two children and I am passionate about ensuring Indigenous Voice is included in conversations on a Nation to Nation platform. I am frustrated with rich, disconnected, entitled leadership who has broken every Canadian Climate promise made. I want to see something different for our future. Every Green vote is a clear message to whomever forms government that the Green platform resonates with constituents in this riding. Vote for leadership with a dream for the future, and has a plan to protect you from a nightmare.

2. How does your party plan to address the issue of U.S. tariffs?

The Green Party has 38 ways to respond to tariffs learn more at greenparty.ca . My favorites include;

-Create 100,000 new well-paid jobs for the civilian Federal Home Guard to respond to infrastructure needs, natural disaster and foreign threats with a focus on resisting any foreign military occupation.

-Expand refugee provisions to extend to US scientists, activists, civil servants, journalist, judges, lawyers, doctors, nurces, health care professionals, teachers and other categories of US citizens and permanent residents targeted by Trump including LGBTQ2S+ communities;

-Barring Donald Trump and key US officials from visiting Canada including in the context of the “G7” summit in Kananaskis;

3. How would you address the challenges facing some Aboriginal communities across our region?

I want to be a champion of Truth and Reconciliation to advance the fight for the Rights of Indigenous people as recognized by the UN.

This is a nation to nation conversation and I would support an Indigenous led end to the Indian Act.

If elected MP I promise to not embarrass you in the House of Commons, to represent you with dignity and respect. I will hear your concerns and work tirelessly to find solutions and bring items directly to the ministers who can affect change. I will consult with you on decisions and I will communicate back to you in person or in whatever formats works best for you.

I will seek out those who need my work but do not have the capacity to find me themselves. Children in care, prisoners, homeless, elderly and people with unique and diverse abilities.

4. What’s your stance on the development of pipelines?

The Green Party remains steadfast in our commitment to uphold the integrity of science and urgently address the climate crisis. $34 Billion was spent on the Trans Mountain Pipeline, then the government claims that supporting climate scientists is too expensive. The decision to pull Canadian scientists from attending critical Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) conferences reveals a shocking disregard for the urgency of the climate crisis.

The Adoption of Bill-12 the Net Zero Emissions to reach net zero by 2050 is now law, this ground breaking new era of accountability after decades of broken climate promises on the international stage means we have the policies we need for deep emissions cuts as a matter of ecosystem and human survival.  Your political Identity should not outweigh your membership to the human species.  Canada is one of the 10 top emitters of greenhouse gases.  37% of warm season heat related deaths can be attributed to human caused climate change.  67% of Canadians agree the Federal Government should make climate actions and protecting nature a priority.  We cannot cannot sacrifice Canada’s climate progress to Trumps destructive agenda.  My sources for these replies come from Canada’s Climate Action Network, an organization of 180 Canadian groups,  (my favorite group name is GASP, Grand(m)others Act to Save the Planet). The UN has given the world until 2030 to get ahead of global warming.  That is this election.

5. How high a priority is affordable childcare for your party? What’s your party’s pitch?

The Green Party wants to support Canadians at every stage of life. Four simple points;

Create universal early learning and child care that every family can afford.

Expand paid leave to elder care, miscarriage and other family needs.

Make college and university free so students can learn without going into debt

Introduce a Guaranteed Livable Income so no one lives in poverty.

6. In light of Canada/USA relations, does Canada need to diversify its economy? If yes, in what way?

Establish a Federal Strategic Reserve of raw resources including oil and gas, aluminum , steel, lumber, rare earth, potash, and other key resources to safeguard jobs, retain our critical industrial capacity and supply key federal and provincial housing, infrastructure, IT and energy infrastructure investments with the necessary raw materials needed to protect Canada.

7. What would you do to help seniors?

Lack of access to Family Doctors even with the addition of Nurse Practitioners into the mix still is not meeting the needs of northern and rural Canadians of all ages.   Long distances to access a hospital to welcome a new baby with weeks in hotels waiting out of pocket and away from community supports and family.  Same applies to palliative and senior care where lack of access to beds results in seniors being shipped away from home.  My own mother was moved 4 times in her last year of care when we could not longer support her needs at home and at one point was moved to Clearwater a 3 hour drive from Williams Lake to a lone room, supposedly for only the weekend, ended up being a month, with limited access to people in a place where the hospital depends on contact nurses from out of community who do not have the time to build a relationship with their clients.  1.5 Million is currently being spent on contract nurses when our rural communities need these local nursing jobs that support the local economy and relationships with their local clients.

Mental health issues are more complex than simple you should be able to deal with it yourself, an invisible disability that impact seniors significantly.  People in the north being far from decision makers and feeling disenfranchised by first past the post electoral systems have always been a do it yourself mentality but we need to work with the people to hear what they need and provide it understanding the unique needs of the north.

8. How would you address the opioid crisis?

This is the 9 year anniversary of the announcement of the toxic drug supply in 2016. Since then 15,000 Canadians have died and disproportionately more in Indigenous communities. Opiod is the leading cause of unnatural death for 10-59 year olds. The response needs to be an integrated strategy of prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery. Traffickers of these poisons are committing murder and should be treated a such.

9. Where in the riding do you live? Why? What are your favourite places to spend time in?

I am proud to raise my children and elevate my experiences on the traditional and unceded territories in solidarity with the Secwepemc and Tsilhqot’in people in my hometown of Williams Lake BC. Despite Ottawa putting a line between this riding and mine I still consider this entire region “North East BC” and I am a daughter and a colonist on this land. I was a homeowner here in FSJ for 7 years while I worked as an archaeologist in the oil patch and loved being on the land with Indigenous representatives from all the local communities. My favorite place is a very old grove of poplars, so big I could not reach my arms around them with scars from cougars climbing them and bears rubbing on them with woodpeckers raising their chatty young and squirrels scolding you but best of all the trees would interrupt my satellite phone signal so no calls could come in.

10. Who’s your favourite singer/band?

My favorite singer is Chad DeRoches. A local musician here in FSJ who is a frequent attendee to open mics and campfire jams. I love his constant love of learning, that he builds his own instruments, sews his own pirate shirts and is constantly working to extacts more enjoyment of the songs he loves and the audiences who love to hear him play.