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Leadership candidates come to Northwest region

As the Conservative leadership race enters its home stretch, several candidates made their way to Battlefords-Lloydminster constituency last Thursday night. The riding hosted a leadership candidates’ forum at the Wild Rose Pavilion in Lloydminster.

As the Conservative leadership race enters its home stretch, several candidates made their way to Battlefords-Lloydminster constituency last Thursday night.

The riding hosted a leadership candidates’ forum at the Wild Rose Pavilion in Lloydminster. In attendance were Andrew Scheer, Brad Trost, Kellie Leitch, Chris Alexander and Pierre Lemieux. Rick Peterson had also planned to attend but pulled out at the last minute due to a death in the family.

This forum was hosted and organized by the Battlefords-Lloydminster and the Lakeland Conservative riding associations. While not part of the “official” series of leadership debates put on by the party, it was one of many “unofficial” forums put on by riding associations and other groups during the run up to May 27.

MP Gerry Ritz served as moderator, posing the questions submitted to the candidates. There were no real surprises, as candidates reiterated familiar themes of their campaigns.

Scheer reiterated that he was running because he didn’t want Justin Trudeau to do to his five children “the same thing his father did to my generation.”

Trost again repeated his familiar social-conservative policies, as well as his pledge to unite the party as the “100 per cent Conservative.”

Leitch repeated her populist message, as she again called for greater screening of immigrants, as well as a Canadian values test.

Lemieux continued with his social-conservative message, with a message to supporters about the importance of staying true to Conservative principles.

And Alexander’s message heavily played up his interest in issues such as immigration, international affairs and trade.

Not surprisingly, the first question was on the Carbon Tax, with all candidates pledging to repeal it.

Trost took probably the hardest line by saying “man-made global warming doesn’t exist.”

He said he opposed not only a public carbon tax but also hidden carbon tax, repeating his line that the “war on oil and gas and farming must end.”

The other candidates didn’t go quite as far as Trost on global warming, but all denounced the carbon tax and pledged to get rid of it. 

Scheer pledged to repeal it, calling it a “cash-grab for government.” Lemieux said a carbon tax “siphons money out of your pockets, it harms the economy, it kills jobs. It has to go.”

Leitch said she would abolish the carbon tax immediately and “after that I also plan to dismantle the CBC.”

“No federal carbon tax ever” was Alexander’s response, and he blasted the Liberals for not even costing it, calling it “one of the most irresponsible moves of any Canadian government in history.”

Candidates were also asked if they spoke French, and to provide an example of their ability in the language. The five candidates then provided samples of their French-language skills.

The future of the CBC came up. Leitch repeated her call to “dismantle the CBC,” and there was not much support for the CBC from other candidates, either.

“I don’t believe the government needs to be involved in the news industry,” said Scheer.

Scheer pointed out that CBC cut away from covering their Conservative leadership debate in Edmonton to show Donald Trump’s address to Congress.

“It’s not even living up to its own mandate,” Scheer said.

The issue of firearms classification came up and that gave the various candidates their opportunity to tout their support for gun owners.

“The only people who follow firearms legislation are law-abiding firearms owners,” Scheer pointed out. “No drug dealer ever stopped to check if they had the right permit to sell drugs or engage in criminal activity.”

Alexander also voiced support for lawful gun owners, saying, “the culture of harassment needs to end.” 

A target was Allan Rock’s gun legislation of years ago, which Trost slammed. Trost said the Conservatives made a mistake when they didn’t repeal that legislation in power. “We should have been clear and we should have stuck with our original policy in 2004,” said Trost.

On grassroots party members’ input, wide support was expressed for more power to the membership.

“The power is in membership, and the power is in the people,” Leitch pledged.

“You’re in charge, you are the engine of democracy in this country,“ said Alexander. Lemieux on the other hand decried “interference from above” on policy. “I am so against that.”

All the candidates had their strong moments. Leitch got a strong round of applause when she said “74 per cent of Canadians agree with me” on her support for a values test on immigration.

Lemieux was fired up during his closing remarks as he made his pitch to party members on why he ought to be ranked first on their ballots.

“What you are going to be saying by placing me at the front at the top, even if I don’t win, is you know what, what he said? I believe in. What he stands for, I stand for, what he advocates, I advocate.”