Environmental protection and care, tariffs and cost of living are some of the issues the candidate running for Green Party of Canada in Lethbridge is focused on this election.
Amber Murray says when out talking to those in the electoral district she is hearing a lot of frustration and at times despair from those living in the region. Murray explains the largest concern she is hearing stems from decisions the US administration has made about tariffs and how Canada has been able to respond. She adds she doesn’t tariffs and protectionism are good for anybody.
“When we look at canola right now, that all started with the Canadian tariff, right? The tariff from China on our canola right now started with the Canadian tariff on [electric vehicles] coming in from China. That’s where that came from,” she states. “With retaliatory tariffs, I’ve heard from the auto industry here, from a ton of folks who don’t want retaliatory tariffs because it’s going to affect them so terribly. Farmers are definitely worried about it, right?”
According to Murray, right now with Liberal Leader Mark Carney in charge, he is looking at concerns through the lens of an economist in charge which means for him it all comes down to balancing numbers. The difference is now he is looking at a spreadsheet from a very high vantage point and she says “he’s looking at it with all of that support from down east.”
“I stand with a lot of Westerners where I’m concerned that this is going to hurt everybody, but who’s it going to hurt more, right? So I don’t have an answer for tariffs, I’m afraid. I don’t know how to handle that. It seems like the American president and his team are really unreasonable.”
Opposing coal mining in the eastern slope
Murray states she has heard a lot of outrage from those living in the region about proposed coal mining in the eastern slopes and has come across very few people who are in support of the project. She explains this is not the first time the region has faced this issue with the last time being in 2021.
“We have to stop it because we don’t have any way to remove the selenium from the water, and it will invariably get there within 10 years. They can’t get it low down in the tech mines and the rivers there or out in Grand Cache. They just can’t. There’s no way to remove it downstream, so it would affect us,” Murray says. “I would like to see is federal initiative to come up with some other way to monetize the eastern slopes and that’s what I haven’t heard anybody speaking about. It’s just no coal, clean water for agriculture, clean water for downstream users, which is very important.”
She adds she would also like to find a replacement solution for the 400 jobs the coal mining projects would create for the string of towns in the area.
Addressing cost of living concerns
One of the biggest concerns Murray says she is hearing from people when out door knocking is taxation: whether it’s personal or business. She explains right now it is understood there is too much wealth in the hands of a few instead of many.
“Statistics Canada confirms income inequality has reached the highest level ever recorded in Canadian history. Twenty per cent of Canadians hold more than two-thirds of the country’s wealth while more than 33 per cent of Canadians earn less than $40,000 a year.”
“That’s barely enough to cover basic necessities in most communities. The Greens want to eliminate federal income tax on those making less than $40,000 a year. This means ensuring working Canadians keep more of what they earn, local businesses and communities will be revitalized with more purchasing power in the area, and the cycle of debt for those forced to spend more than they earn on basic necessities will be lessened or stop altogether.”
She adds what is also being seen right now is residential real estate being a profitable investment strategy for wealthy individuals, corporations, and investment groups who are buying affordable entry-level homes ultimately driving up housing costs. This is putting pressure on young people when they go to purchase a home and also is putting pressure on retirees to downsize into small homes, condominiums, and apartments.
“This has had a huge effect on houselessness – with the population of people living in their vehicles or on the streets in tents increasing every year. The Green Party believes in using covenants to make sure housing built with public money stays affordable forever.”
Murray also says if elected she will work towards stopping criminals from using real estate to launder their money and eliminate the unfair tax advantages for Real Estate Investment Trusts and stop corporations from buying up single-family homes.
As of April 7th, the confirmed candidates for the Lethbridge riding include Conservative candidate Rachael Thomas, Federal NDP Candidate Nathan Svoboda, People’s Party of Canada candidate Clara Piedalue, Liberal candidate Chris Spearman and Christian Heritage Party of Canada candidate Marc Slingerland.
