Levy Abad, NDP Winnipeg North

Why do you want this job?

I want to give back to thecommunity. I've experienced being a constituency assistant and then an executive assistant to Minister Flor Marcelino, I'm a migrant activist and a human rights activist, and ever since my university days, I have consistently always loved to serve the community.

I am already a Canadian citizen and my kids are studying at school in the North End, we live in the North End, and I have a deepcommitmenttoservethe community and at the same time the country.

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

In Winnipeg North I think the biggest issue is poverty, from which all other issues arise. In the case of the First Nations community, you have the missing and murdered indigenous women, the CFS issue,housingissues. In a matter of 10 to 15 years, when the operational funding for our social housing runs out, then we will have a problem of deteriorating buildings.

It all boils down to federal funding for the socialprogramsbecause having a high rate of poverty and marginalization corrupts the area. I think that'sthe biggest issue in the community, which is why we have so many problems.

What would you do with the Senate?

The position of the NDP is to get rid of the Senate. I've studied political science in the old country and I studied law, and the basic of democracy is that in ademocracy all these bodies, the Senate, Congressand executives, should be elected to ensure there is indeed a genuine democracy working for the country. If you have a Senate that is not elected, it poses a big problem on the question of how democratic it is.

I can recall one legislation on climate that passed during the time of Jack Layton. It passedthrough the House of Commons, but when it reached the Senate, it was killed by the Conservatives, so right away you have a problem there that an unelected party can just decide on the fate of a bill that passes through them in the House of Commons and kill it in the senate. The corruption is too much, I think. I am shocked to hear about all the scandals right now.

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

Racism actually is rooted in poverty. If there is a division in society, if there are a few rich people and a lot of people who are in a state poverty, that is the number onecontext for racism. If the people are empowered, if there are jobs, social programs, and policies that educate people regarding the issues of racism, then racism will eventually be reduced. Up to date, if there is poverty, I think discrimination and marginalization will be there, and together with that racism will also grow.

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

The federal governmentshouldprovide leadership with the issue of climate change. Back in the time of Jack Layton, there was a bill that was initiated by the NDP that if the Senate approved it, federally we would be providing leadership Canada-wide in our struggle against climate change. Unfortunately, the Senate underthe leadership of Harper got rid of it, so we are back to the old state. We have to go on with the struggle to address climate change.

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

I don't know how policy can be better than what we have here. Basically the effectiveness of the policy is dependent on the state of the economy of the country. If youhave good economic indicators, if the economy is good, then the government willhave theresource tofinance all these social programs, just to make sure thatcitizens will have a decent life and health care, education, and other social programs that will be guaranteed. It's all about finance. Poor economy translates to poor health care.

Under what circumstances is deficit spending a good choice?

Tommy Douglas ran 17 times with a balanced budget, so that's the NDP's position based on our historical record as NDP.We don't believe in deficit spending, we believe inrunning the economy on a balanced budget and making sure that all the basic services are provided for the community. But the fact is if there is a global crisis or an act of nature, for exceptional cases it's possible to engage indeficitspending so the crisis could beaverted.

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

The single most effective way to fight crime is having a good economy. If there is a good economy, then you have the money to address social issues, problems of marginalization, povertyand housing. This is why federally we have to revive the national housing strategy, to address the deterioration of our social housing situation. We also need to revive the national health accord, so that the cutbacks on health care of $36 billion can bereversed.

What should be done about homegrown terrorism?

My personal view on it is we should focus on de-radicalization. There should be programs where the youth can gather and stress de-radicalization, education and promotion of multiculturalism and understanding so that things like this won't happen in Canada.

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

Of course I would go. I respect everybody. I respect the gay communities.

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

I haven't really experienced anything bad. My wife had a gall bladder issue, and we waited a bit, but I understand how the health-care system works here. You have to go to the doctor and have a series of consultations.In the case of my wife'sexperience, we waited for about a month before it was taken out, and I think we only donated $1 for the use of the TV. What can I say, right? I don't mind paying taxes with a fraction of mytaxes going to health care, because I know if it's not going to be used by my kids, or my wifeor me, then it will bepeople ofWinnipeg North or people of Canada, and I'm happy to be able to help out.

What would you do to get more people to vote?

I have some friends who wanted to vote, but they can'tbecause they don't have the money to pay for the processing fee. They want to be good citizens and now in the migrant communities, youhave to pay more or less $630 so yourcitizenship will be processed. So right away you have a problem there. If you have a family of four, that is $630 times four, and where do you get that money?

In terms ofFirst Nations communities, when they ask for help as to how they are going to vote, right away I go to the office and get copies of some of the postings from ElectionsCanada and print them, go back to the community and hand them over to folks and help them out and tell them where to vote and go over what kind of identification to use.

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

I do believe that tax dollars should be used for infrastructure in a general sense because it's going to prepare the infrastructure in a given area foreconomic development. At the same time, buildinginfrastructurelike rapid transit, using taxdollars forthis would be good too, because it kick-starts the economyby creating jobs for the people who are going to work and build up theinfrastructure. I haven't dwelled on it too much yet, but in general, any tax invested on infrastructure would lead to the boosting of the economy in terms of employment.

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

The position of the NDP is not legalization, it's decriminalization. The concept of decriminalization, if I'm notmistaken, is allowing small amounts especially if it'smedicinal. The concept of decriminalization as a position of the NDP I support.

I can't remember if I've tried it myselfbut I smell it all over the place.