Colleen Quintal answers Candidate Questionnaire

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Sunny South News

Alberta NDP candidate for Cardston-Siksika, Colleen Quintal provided the following answers to SSN’s candidate questionnaire:

1) What are the top issues in the Cardston-Siksika riding and what would you and your party do to try to address those issues?

The Alberta NDP wants a better future for Albertans. Right now, we’re seeing families who aren’t able to get their sick kids the care they need. High costs are making it almost impossible to keep up with groceries bills, home heating or planning for your retirement. After years of a UCP government that claims they’ve got people’s interests at heart but is driving away doctors,  putting your pension plan at risk, not helping with costs or doing anything to bring good-paying, sustainable jobs to the province – people want to see a stable government with different priorities.

The NDP will invest billions into growing Canada’s Premier Food Corridor. We would make sure a targeted value-add incentive is available to help companies build infrastructure and hire workers. We are proposing lower borrowing rates for municipalities and irrigation districts so essential infrastructure is in place to attract agri-food investment. The NDP will make sure farmers and southern communities get real support.

2) Should Alberta implement a provincial police force or retain the RCMP? What about CPP?

The Alberta NDP will keep the RCMP. We reject the UCP’s plan to replace the RCMP and spend hundreds of millions of dollars, if not more, to build a provincial police force. Albertans have made themselves clear that they do not want a provincial police force, and Danielle Smith does not seem interested in listening to what Albertans say.

Instead of wasting massive amounts of money on a pet project, the Alberta NDP will restore funding to municipal policing grants that the UCP cut so that 150 more police officers can be hired across the province. We will also guarantee funds to hire 150 social workers, mental health workers, addictions counsellors and community navigators to work hand-in-hand with the police.

When it comes to retirement, Albertans want to know that the pensions they’ve worked for their entire life will be there for them when they need it. That our pensions are stable and secure. That’s why the Alberta NDP won’t pull Albertans’ life savings out of CPP. We won’t gamble with Albertans retirement like Danielle Smith plans to do..

3) With a global, national push for more green energy, how does Alberta integrate and promote the virtues of its oil and gas industry?

So many Albertans rely on our oil and gas industry to earn their income and put food on the table. The Alberta NDP and Rachel Notley know how important growth and development are to protect these jobs and bring in even more jobs to the province. So to ramp up job growth in our energy sector, we’ve been working with industry leaders to devise a plan to diversify and invest in Alberta’s energy resources. Our plan will create 47,000 good-paying and sustainable jobs across the province.

What our energy sector needs most is stable investment and leadership, not the unpredictability that Danielle Smith’s sovereignty act has created. With Rachel Notley and the Alberta NDP, Alberta’s energy sector will get the stability and willingness for growth that it needs to keep thriving for future generations.

4) The state of the province’s healthcare system remains a top issue for voters. What has to be done to make our system more responsive to the needs of Albertans?

Quintal: Public health care in Southern Alberta is in complete chaos. We can’t afford any more healthcare blunders that make doctors and nurses want to flee to other provinces when our lives literally depend on them. People’s lives are at risk because Danielle Smith and the UCP started a war with frontline workers, then, when thousands of families were left without doctors, they refused to clean up her own mess. That’s why an Alberta NDP government will bring real resources to the front line and restore a respectful relationship with healthcare professionals. We’ll ensure our healthcare system will be strong and public, attracting the best healthcare professionals from around the world, not forcing them away. We will make sure one million more Albertans will have access to a family doctor through Family Health Teams, and with an Alberta NDP government you will never, ever have to pay out of pocket to see that doctor.

5) Do you have a vision of what this province will look like in ten years and what does this look like?

Quintal: It’s time that Albertans stop getting the short end of the stick, and that’s exactly what the Alberta NDP is fighting for. Better healthcare you can rely on, a more affordable Alberta so you don’t have to worry about making ends meet or saving to retire, and better-paying jobs. We understand that people in rural Alberta need access to reliable high-speed internet to run their businesses, study, and for every day work around the house. The Alberta NDP is committed to ensuring each and every Albertan has access to broadband by 2027, no more delays. We want better for Alberta.