Meet your Parry Sound-Muskoka candidates, round 5

With voters headed to the polls on September 20, Doppler invited the Parry Sound-Muskoka candidates from the five main political parties to participate in a Q&A. Each day this week, we’ll be posting their replies in random order.

Today’s question: What part of your party’s platform do you disagree with?

New Democratic Party, Heather Hay
parrysoundmuskoka.ndp.ca

I have grown up in an NDP home – silk screening signs in the barn, knocking on doors, answering the phone “NDP headquarters” in high school, attending conventions as a youth rep to set party policy, and now I am following in my father’s footsteps to run as the NDP candidate for Parry Sound–Muskoka.

I have huge respect for the party, its members, and the platform. As progressive as many of the NDP’s ideals are, I think there is more work to be done to challenge the patriarchal, colonial, racist systems and ways of thinking we have inherited.

Liberal Party, Jovanie Nicoyishakiye
jovanienicoyishakiye.liberal.ca

Did not respond.

Conservative Party, Scott Aitchison
conservativepsm.com

I am comfortable with 99 per cent of my party’s platform. I have a minor quibble with some corporate tax treatment in the non-profit summer camp sectors. Discussions continue.

Green Party, Marc Mantha
marcmantha.com

I am in full agreement with the six guiding principles to which all Green Parties around the world subscribe and on which all Green Party policies are grounded: Sustainability, Ecological Wisdom, Respect for Diversity, Non-Violence, Social Justice, Participatory Democracy (greenparty.ca/en/party/values).

If as your MP, I ever believed that a specific policy put forward by the party was not the best for Parry Sound-Muskoka, as a Green MP I would be free to speak and vote for a better solution.

People’s Party, Jim Tole
peoplespartyofcanada.ca/james_tole

There are no policies in the party’s platform that I disagree with, in fact I support all of them wholeheartedly! In fact, my personal values and beliefs mesh exactly with those of the party.

The People’s Party of Canada brings together common sense, populism, classical conservatism, and libertarianism to create solutions adapted for the challenges of the 21st century. Our beliefs are succinctly summarized in our four founding principles: Freedom, Responsibility, Fairness, and Respect. These principles guide and inform the policies of the People’s Party.

See the candidates’ answers to previous questions at the links below:

1. Why do you believe you are the best candidate to represent Parry Sound-Muskoka?
2. What skillset or experience would you bring to the table?
3. What issue do you feel is of greatest importance for residents of Parry Sound-Muskoka in the immediate future and how will you work to address it?
4. What part of your party’s platform do you believe is most critical as we emerge from this pandemic? How would you work with other parties to implement it?