August Hastmann, Green Churchill-Keewatinook Aski

Why do you want this job?

None of the big parties will actually allow their participants to vote the way that the riding needs certain votes to go. For example, the gun registry the Liberals said the gun registry [cost] over $2 billion. That's proven fact. The NDP now wants to track every gun coming into Canada and every gun that is in Canada, and that's just money down the hall when we can't possibly ever do that to ask what the people don't support.

What's the biggest issue for the country and in your riding?

I want a cleaner and more sustainable country. Up north here we don't have good water to drink. Over the year I've been to over eight communities here and there's boilers [boil water advisories]all the time, to the point where they're so common that you don't even get told.

What would you do with the Senate?

The Senate needs reform, but it serves to a purpose, so to blindly say that we are going to replace it makes no sense. We have to keep it for now, but it's definitely something that we have to look at. It needs reform.

Winnipeg was described as the most racist city in Canada. What would you do to combat racism?

The best way to combat racism is to make groups meet each other as people in other events, sayneighbourhood partiesor Folklorama, for example. When you get to know each other as people and realize that you are living as neighbours, you start taking care of each other. Thenthe race is secondary.

What role should the federal government play in dealing with climate change?

If we turn around and reflect the cost of climatewe also have to calculate the damage to the environment. Once we get the environmental cost, we will find out that hydro is not the cheapest and best solution.

If there was one government policy you think is done better in another country, what is it?

I like countries that have a low tuition and that invest in the future of the country by helping and allowing every people from different social groups to pursue a higher education.

Under what circumstances is deficit spending a good choice?

Anything where the long-term goal outweighs the short time that we are under that [deficit] and unable to fund things. There's a lot of people living paycheque to paycheque, and unless we start managing the country better, we are living paycheque to paycheque as a country, and that's why a balanced budget is important.

What do you believe is the single most effective way to fight crime?

The single most effective way to fight crime is neighbour knows neighbour. If we all know the neighbourhood, we all know who's in itand we all know what's going on, then people won't have the comfort zone to do something that's illegal.

What should be done about homegrown terrorism?

In this country, you're more likely to be killed by a moose than by a homegrown terrorist or any terrorist. I think we can't give in to the fear. We shouldn't work on fear, we shouldn't be functioning simply on fear.

If there was a gay pride parade in your riding, would you go? Why or why not?

First of all, I approve all parades as long as it's peaceful and democratic. Being heterosexual, I would probably not go, while approving other people to go. I would go if asked to, if I was directly asked. I have so many other things going on in my life, I don't need to find something to attend. I'm always busy anyway.

Have either you or your family had a frustrating experience with the health-care system, and what would you do to fix the problem?

The Greens keep pointing out that we are the only country that has a health-care system but not a pharmacare system. We have programs that we'd like to implement on that and that's very important. My mom is frustrated because she can only find a nurse doctor practitioner for her case, and my dad is not healthy enough to actually get a doctor. As far as immigration for doctors and nurses, I think we should bring them over here. We need them.

What would you do to get more people to vote?

Tell them not to vote, or tell them that they can't vote. Sadly, the vote has been taken away from them piece by piece and the amount of people that don't vote is mind-blowing. They say "my vote won't make a difference" but it does. Every vote makes a difference. If you don't vote, you don't have a right to complain. But at the same time, I will never vote for any legislation that makes it mandatory.

What's a better use of federal dollars: fixing roads or building rapid transit infrastructure?

They are interrelated. In the short term, we can fix the roads. But the rapid transit in the long term will turn around and save the roads. It about finding where the balance is.

Would you support legalizing a small amount of marijuana? Have you ever tried it?

I don't support the prohibition against marijuana because it doesn't work to have the prohibition. There's more people smoking just like any other prohibition. And quite honestly, there's too many unattended consequences because of it.

People don't respect the cops because the cops are backing a rule that they can't win at, and at the same time, enforcement is erratic. So it just doesn't work. Legalize it and let's figure out some way to get the gangster money out of it.

Yes, I have tried and I have no need to try it again. It's not my personal poison.