Les Lilley, NDP Provencher

Why do you want this job?

I think I have something to offer people and I think I can help people.

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

There are several big issues. The economy is up there, but also theintegrityof the government, the status of democracy in Canada, and the treatment of our First Nations. That has to be addressed because now we are being confronted by the United Nations about how we treat our indigenous people, and this is Canada. They are looking at us like we are doing something wrong because we are. This carries over into my riding with the conditions of Shoal Lake First Nation.

What would you do with the Senate?

TheNDP's position is that they would abolish it. In saying that though, it is not going to be an easy task because of the Constitution. And it shouldn't be an easy task. There will be lots of negotiations but at the end of the day, that is our position.

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

I don't know if it's fair to say that Winnipeg is the most racist, because how do they gauge that? I think Canada in itself is a racist and intolerant society. It is so inbred, we don't even know that we're racist, it's just the way we are. The first thing I would do would be to give the First Nations proper funding, give them education, and I would educate the Canadian public. Just because someone is Indian doesn't make them a bad person, and people need to learn that. This is not a short-termissue. This is a long-term issue.

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

First of all, we have to unmuzzle our scientists and let them do their thing. Secondly, we need to get on board with the rest of the world. We are the only country in the world that backed out of the Kyoto agreement. That wasn't a decision made by our scientists. How can ourpoliticians think they know better than our best scientists? There is somethingwrong here.

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

I like parts of the political system in the United States. I like thatthey don't use party whips as much, that they have more free votes. You'll watch and the opposite party sometimes supports the president and his own party won't support it, but that's just normal business. The representatives there are allowed to votetheir mind. In Canada we're not.

Under what circumstances is deficit spending a good choice?

Sometimes we have no choice. For example, in Manitoba when we were faced with all the floods, we got a $500-million bill. We had to pay the bill; we didn't have a choice.

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

End poverty. I think a lot of crime is done by people who have nothing to lose, so they turn to crime.

What should be done about homegrown terrorism?

We have to be careful that we don't start thinking there is a terrorist under every rock. Again, I think education is needed to find out where these people are coming from and why they are acting the way they are. But there isn't a terrorist under every rock, as the current government would like us to believe.

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

I would go, just like I go to every event I can in the riding. It's just another group of people that are promoting themselves. What's wrong with that?

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

My wife is battling cancer, so I have dealt with the health-care system and there is a lot ofbureaucracy. To tell you the truth, I'm not a doctor or a minister, so I don't know how I would fix it. Not just the physical aspect needs to be addressed, but the mental aspect as well. There is one social worker for I don't know how many hundreds of cases. They cannot do their job properly in those conditions. There are changes that need to made.

What would you do to get more people to vote?

I would make it a law that you had to vote.

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

Rapid transit. In the major locations, transit needs to be addressed.

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

Yes I have tried it, and yes I would support it.

I think it's going on as we speak anyway. It's something that people want, responsible people. Instead of opening a bottle of beer, they will smoke a joint. The NDP's position is they willdecriminalize it.I support that and I would support even if they went a step furtherto legalize it.