Four of the six federal election candidates for Chilliwack-Hope squared off on some of the biggest concerns facing Canadians, at a virtual all-candidates forum Thursday evening (April 10).
Topics ranged from climate change and natural disasters to carbon tax and trade issues. But they also dialed into local concerns, including looking back at the devastating local flooding and landslides in 2021.
Mark Strahl (Conservatives), Salina Derish (Greens), Teri Westerby (NDP) and Jeff Galbraith (People's Party) all took part in the virtual event, which was held at Cowork Chilliwack, and livestreamed on YouTube by the Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce.
Moderator Clint Hames, former mayor of Chilliwack, opened the forum with a far-reaching question about what infrastructure funding and planning is needed in Chilliwack and Hope.
"There's some infrastructure ... that is wholly substandard," that local governments cannot handle on their own, Hames said before opening the conversation to long-time incumbent MP Mark Strahl.
"Our community sprung into action during that event and I was proud to be on the ground as part of that effort," Strahl said of the flooding and mudslides.
The federal government needs to look at "long-term, predictable funding," he said, adding it was "very unfortunate" that the Liberal government didn't provide funding for upgrades for local diking improvements following the floods of 2021 in the Sumas Prairie, when an atmospheric river event led to a major dike breach.
The federal government needs to listen to local governments, Strahl noted.
"Report after report had predicted that (breach) would happen."
Derish spoke about the importance of investing in local highways but also building a rail line through the Fraser Valley. Canada is the only G7 country without a single high-speed rail line, she noted.
"Year after year, Liberal and Conservative governments shovelled billions into short-term fixes while ignoring long-term needs."
She said the Greens aim to stop tax subsidies to "fossil-fuel companies" and redirect the funds to "infrastructure that actually protects people and fuels local economies."
Westerby said Highway 1 is a "lifeline" that connects people in the Fraser Valley, and that the highway needs to be improved "with unionized Canadian workers and with Canadian products."
But it's public transportation that is the "path forward" he noted, adding that as a Chilliwack school trustee he recently made a motion to advocate for better busing services in the City of Chilliwack.
Galbraith said he agreed with all the candidates, but that Canada needs to look at different funding for the solutions.
"We have to restructure our programs here in Canada."
Tariff talk
Tariffs were also discussed, with Strahl saying the Conservative Party has been "unequivocal in condemning the unjustified and unprovoked tariffs that Donald Trump has imposed on Canada... There is no justification for attacking your best friend and strongest ally. It's been very disappointing, I think, for Canadians to see this action from Donald Trump.
"We know that nobody can control Donald Trump but we can control what is happens in our own country. And I think as we have looked at what's been happening we've realized we have become too reliant on the United States. We have the need to diversify our economy, we have to be able to trade better within our country."
He said the Liberals had a chance to diversify with LNG, but chose not to.
"We also need to stop driving away opportunities for Canadians as the Liberals have done," he said. "We have had countries like Japan, Germany, coming to our doors and saying 'please, we would like to buy your clean LNG."
Derish said you can't control what other countries charge, but you can control what happens within the country.
She called the systems that regulate trade and worker mobility within Canada "broken."
"The Green Party would push to modernize the Canadian Free Trade Agreement and create a national credential recognition system so that qualified professionals could work across provincial lines," she said.
Chilliwack-Hope would be "one of the hardest hit regions in Canada when it comes to unfair tariffs and trade restrictions," offered Westerby. "We all know why. It's because we don't just do one thing here, we do it all... when global trade tensions rise, we are the first to feel it. And thanks to decades of inaction, we're the last to get help."
He said the NDP would reinvest tariffs in impacted industries, and reinvest in Canadian-made supply chains and diversify trade relationships.
Carbon Tax
Hames asked each candidate to explain their party's policy carbon tax.
"The only reason we are talking about carbon tax is because of climate change," Westerby said. "We need a plan that isn't about reacting to every disaster but about building something lasting and better, and more resilient."
Canada does need a carbon-pricing system," Westerby said. "Because we trade with countries around the world and they've made it perfectly clear that if we don't have a carbon-pricing system in place, they'll slap tariffs on Canadian goods."
Strahl said that any form of a carbon tax will eventually trickle down to Canadian consumers.
"The Conservative Party is the only party that has said we will axe the full carbon tax for everyone forever. We have always said thew carbon tax is not an environment plan, it's a tax plan, and it has raised the cost of everything for Canadians."
The forum was two-hours long and closed to the public. The full video can be viewed below or at the Chamber of Commerce YouTube channel.
Zeeshan Khan and Christopher Adam were both absent. Khan was too ill to participate, and organizers were unable to connect with Adam, a newer candidate whose contact information is not listed on Elections Canada.
