Castanet has conducted a Q&A with candidates running to represent the Similkameen-South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding. Watch for the Q&A articles every morning this week. Conservative candidate Helena Konanz declined to participate. Interviews have been edited for clarity and brevity. Castanet: To start off, give us roughly a 15-second introduction on why you are running to become Member of Parliament in this riding? Gloria Morgan: It's a critical time in our country right now, but also my professional and my personal experience in my entire life has led me to this point. I need to represent this riding in Ottawa so that we have all the opportunities we need here with a strong Prime Minister, Mark Carney. C: This is a huge riding that encompasses cities like Penticton to small rural communities. You do not live in the riding right now. What makes you qualified to represent this riding? GM: I think the same thing that would make anyone qualified; I want to, I want to be here,I want to hear the voices of the people. I want to hear their concerns. If I'm elected, I will take those to Ottawa. I know that some of the concerns, for example, some of the health concerns, or catch and release concerns are multi-jurisdictional. Mostly provincial, but even at a federal level, those can be impacted in a good way by creating partnerships and alliances with the provinces and the municipalities. I know this valley. I've been to Castlegar. My third day after being acclaimed I was in Castlegar meeting people, talking to the president of the call Selkirk College. It's really important for me to know the people, know what their concerns are, and take those seriously and see where it fits in with this fabulous, resilient, sustainable economy that we have to grow as a country and creating new international alliances. We need someone who's going to be energetic and passionate and boy, I tell you, that's what I am. C: This riding has been NDP Since 2015. Your NDP opponent has framed this local race as, "The riding we vote NDP to defeat the Conservatives." Do you agree with that logic, and is there a chance that the as a local Liberal, there will be vote splits with the more centrist, left-leaning vote? GM: That's a really important issue in this riding, and in many ridings. One of the unfortunate realities we have to face is [...] that even the current [NDP] leader may not be re elected in his riding. When you look at the polls, it does not look good for the NDP. So, even looking at electing an NDP in this riding, will it even form a political party in the house? And electing an NDP in this riding, what voice will there be in Ottawa? Whereas, if I'm elected, I will form part of government. I will have impact by having some kind of a portfolio to concentrate and focus on, but also to represent the people in this riding. I've always believed, that if you want a voice in any level of government, you have to be fully participating, and that's what I would be as a federal MP in this riding, especially with such a strong prime minister. C: The impacts of climate change are a big issue in this riding. Outgoing MP Richard Cannings was a vocal advocate for a national wildfire fighting force that could be deployed anywhere and whenever needed. Is that something that you would support? GM: I would support any viable initiative that would help us deal with climate change. I've heard one of the party representatives say that climate change is a hoax; it's not. It's affecting all of us at every level. When I look at our riding, we have agriculture and tourism, two of the main economic factors here. If we continue on the road we're on. I have very deep, strongly held Indigenous beliefs and roots, but one of the ones I believe so strongly in is "walk gently." Walk gently on Mother Earth. That's easy for us to say, and maybe out in your own little lawn and garden. It's easy to do that, but we need to take it to all levels of industry, even the large corporations. I'd love to walk into a large corporate boardroom and talk to them about climate change. I'm not an expert, but I can see what it's doing in our valley. It's creating arid conditions where we used to have fairly good growing areas. Tourists, when we're inundated with forest fires and smoke, they're telling us stay inside. There's so much we can do. One thing I really want to advocate for, and I know it's possible, is a rail trail; a beautiful cycling walking trail all the way from Sicamous to Osoyoos. Knowing that we want those kinds of tourist opportunities that could create jobs and more tourism in our area, we have to make sure that we treat our area properly; everything from water, soil, forestry, and into the air. So, I will advocate any viable focus on preserving everything from what we walk on to what is in the air, in this valley and all across Canada. C: This riding encompasses many Indian bands. You survived a residential school, and you're familiar with some of the issues. What specifically would you do to collaborate with all of those bands for their needs and advancement? GM: My campaign manager set up a fabulous meeting with [Osoyoos Indian Band] Chief Clarence Louis, and he very clearly told us what his focus was and how he planned to continue representing his people in the same way. I know that Chief Stuart Phillip [Union of BC Indian Chiefs and Penticton Indian Band member] has put his support towards Linda Sankey and the NDP. I have an appointment this afternoon to speak with [Penticton Indian Band] Chief [Greg] Gabriel. I will be seeing the various bands south of Penticton. I need to hear their voices. They have historically not wanted to participate in federal politics, because there has always been difficulty dealing with the programs, dealing with the bureaucracy and Indian Affairs. I cannot represent people unless I hear their voice and I want to do that. I want the chiefs, and the councils and the band members, to know that I'm listening. I think, between good development and any developer is knowing that they have tax incentives to build and grow the economy in this area. So, I would listen with the same ear and the same energy and passion to the chiefs and councils and the people in this area who are Indigenous, including the Metis. I will listen wholeheartedly and try to see where the federal Liberals will fit in with the concerns they have, and creating opportunities for them and with them is important. Consultation from the very beginning is so important. C: Food insecurity is an issue for many Canadians. In this riding, what specifically do you believe the federal government’s role is in ensuring people here have access to affordable food? GM: I want to thank the president of the United States, because he really has caused us to come together as a country. Whether you're a Liberal, or a Conservative or a People's Party, or NDP — doesn't matter. I've heard of a fellow whose people finally turn to him, not just because he has been a micro grower for a long time, but because of the change and opportunity, people are turning to him. He says, "I've got orders. I've finally got orders." But to your to try to answer your question — the school board that I was working with, I was on the food security working group. Certainly the focus was more towards students, but it was also if the students aren't eating and aren't able to come to school in a really good way, then there are issues at home. We need to help address those issues as well. The Liberal government is looking at food security, that is one of the areas that we're going to be doing some programming and also providing funding for. So, I do have some experience, because I was on the working group for food security. C: Many people in this riding are also struggling to afford housing. What, if anything, should the federal government’s role be in assisting provincial or municipal goals of meeting housing needs? GM: I think almost everyone out there who has access to television or social media knows what the Federal Liberal government is proposing, and that's building 500,000 homes a year. Affordability is a huge issue, and they've tried to address that by eliminating the GST on first time homeowners who are going to look at buying a house of $1 million or less. They've also looked at incentives for builders, especially builders who want to build rental housing. There are so many initiatives that the current government is looking at to try to help people. And also pre-fabricated homes — there's a focus there. I understand that one of our companies in this area has shut down. My question is, why? Can they come back? With the opportunities I think that the federal government is providing, as far as incentives and funding, maybe that company has the ability to come back. But I look at the unhoused and I ask is there any reason why the federal government cannot designate some of that money towards building something bigger with single occupancy units, or, as I've seen in Kelowna, where they're building these very small units that people can live in with dignity and have the shelter that they need. I know that one of the focuses for the Liberal government is to try to partner with municipalities, perhaps create incentives. I don't know the full answer, but it's to reduce development costs, so that wherever we are in the municipalities, whether it's Princeton, Castlegar or Penticton, development costs might be holding a number of people back from building or even sharing costs, like the development up on the hill here that PIB is doing. I know the Liberal government has a really good plan. We just need to hear voices, and we need developers and other people to talk to us and tell us where we need to put the funding. How do we decrease costs and how do we provide incentives for them? C: Turning to international affairs, the specifics of an ongoing trade war between us and our American neighbours seem to change frequently. In your role as MP of a border riding, what would you advocate for in Parliament to help local businesses who rely on cross-border business? GM: I don't know what our prime minister said on the phone call to Mr. Trump, but whatever he said, he must have said it so strongly, and I'm sure it was based on his experience as an as an economist and as the Bank of Canada. But whatever he said to them caused Mr. Trump to change. The whole country sensed that, it's not just something that the Liberals are touting. The whole country sensed the change from Trump. But beyond that, the prime minister has said, we want to have the strongest, most resilient, sustainable economy in the entire G7. That doesn't just happen if we concentrate on big business or on Ottawa or large centres, that happens throughout the entire valley. So what we have to do is make sure that the dollars that are provided and the incentives that are going out there come to this valley as well. I spoke to the president of Selkirk College, and one of the things she said was her concern was because of the foreign student cap that their budgets are affected, and part of that had to do with apprentices and apprenticeships. The Prime Minister announced the incentives the next day for people to be to follow their apprenticeships through by providing increased grants to increase unions to hire apprentices. So, that's one way — we can promote apprentices in the trades so that they can provide services, get their red seal and help us with the housing, help us in business. So that they can go out and help small businesses in this area, in the riding, so that they're sustainable. So that we can look also at international partners and relationships outside of the United States. We can create a really strong, resilient economy not just in our riding, but throughout Canada. We're going to build a strong, resilient Canada. C: Many parts of this riding are heavily agricultural and rely on temporary foreign workers. What should the federal government be doing to make it easier for those workers to find employment and the local businesses to employ them? GM: If you build a strong economy, which is usually number one and number two on anyone's list, then we have the resources to help address many issues, including the foreign worker issue that exists here and in other areas. Doesn't matter where you go in Canada, that's an issue. So building that strong, resilient economy will help towards housing for the foreign workers. It will help towards any of the poverty issues they suffer while they're here. Poverty is an issue for many people, not just people who come from other countries, but I think building that strong economy is going to help address many of the social issues that come to us because of foreign workers and some of the challenges they face. C: The U.S. government has recently made policy changes that have caused concern for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and some fear that it could spread north. Do you believe that the Canadian government has a role in policing gender affirmation at all? GM: I think this is where my personal experience makes me strong, because I have family members who are gay or lesbian. I have friends who have transitioned. I recently met a fabulous woman in this riding, who's been beside me almost every day, who transitioned. Government does not belong in making those decisions for people, but government certainly belongs in making sure that our country is diverse and we accept the differences. It has a role in making sure that people are equal, that there's equal access to healthcare, especially for those who have challenges. Especially for those who are fighting with the issue of transitioning. We need to make that accessible. We have to have an inclusive country. I've heard too much during this election about dividing, about showing the differences. I can count the times I've been sworn at with the F word, or been given a really rude gesture, on one hand in my entire life, and I'm 71 this year. But I can tell you, almost that many when we're out on the street said and did that to me. That's because I want to stand up and represent the people in a wonderful democracy in this country. I can only imagine the difficulties and challenges facing people who are in the [2SLGBTQIA+] community. I will stand beside anyone who is facing challenges, whether they belong to that group or an ethnic group. Anyone in this fabulous country that we call Canada, so that we have a democracy for everyone of every religion, every colour. I can't say anymore about how strongly I feel about that. C: The Liberal government has faced heavy criticism for its carbon tax, which was recently canceled. What is your position on such disincentive taxes? I'm glad we canceled the carbon tax. During these really difficult times, the crisis times, we had to take some steps immediately. We have a prime minister right now who is so educated. He's run successful businesses. I know there's criticism there, but come on, let's think about a successful business. You start at the ground and you work yourself up to being viable and successful. And we have other leaders who have no business experience that we're aware of. So, I know that when I'm looking at a leader, I look to someone like Mark Carney. Mark Carney, who is very strong in so many areas. The first pen swipe was canceling that. I know that our government is looking at reviewing the carbon pricing for large industry, and I think that's totally appropriate right now. We're not saying, "Ditch the tax on big industry." I'm not the expert on that. I don't believe that other leaders are experts on that. We have experts in our country who can help us decide, so when we do a review, we will include those experts. Who's going to pay? How do we incentivize our economy throughout the country and here in our riding so that at the same time, we're creating opportunity in economies but that we're also protecting the environment? And we can do that through taxing. We can do that through incentives. I hope it's a combination of both. I really believe — I incentivize people, which has a much better effect than punishing them. C: What is something you wish voters knew about you? GM: I've worked in so many different areas in my life. When I was a little girl, I would dream of owning a Mercedes. I know we have Canada-made vehicles and U.S.-made vehicles — that's a whole other industry issue. But today, I own a Mercedes SUV, and I insisted that it be a hybrid. I came from a very poor beginning, where I swept the house floors, which were dirt floors. I went to a residential school and into a foster home in the '60s scoop, but I've been driven since then. I've worked as an RCMP officer, as a lawyer, as a crown prosecutor, as circuit counsel, as duty counsel. I went on to be a chief of my community for two years. And boy, being a leader isn't easy. What I'm hoping for is not going to be easy. I was chief for two terms, and then I became a federal adjudicator. As a federal adjudicator, I traveled this great country, from Nova Scotia to Vancouver Island. I've worked in health areas, everything from the Provincial Health Services Authority which is a very high level board, to the Patient Care Quality Review board, and also B.C's Community Coordination for Women's Safety. Beyond that, I've sat on boards, most especially the Okanagan College Board, where I was the board member, vice chair, and chair. I've worked in so many areas. I love golf and that, to me, is a rescue, because when I'm out on the golf course, I can rejuvenate. I let the stress go. I'm involved in so many levels of recreation, both in my area and provincially, I've been on the BC championship Indigenous golf team for two years. I was 69 and 70 playing against 15-year-old young people trying to make the team. Being involved in the arts, I was so looking forward to be on the Caravan Farm Theatre board, because it's a fabulous theatre company. I went to Berlin all expenses paid where I was part of the European International Film Festival. There are so many parts to me that I think have brought me to this place in time. My next aspiration is to be a member of parliament, to walk beside Carney and create a Canada that is not only strong, but a Canada that is together. I don't want us divided. I want to help remove barriers between provinces and regions. I want to see our country grow, make it strong, but do it together. Election day is April 28.