Adam Smith, Green Winnipeg South

Why do you want this job?

My friends and family kind of pushed me into it. But honestly, I want the Green Party to do well. They have the most capable policies for long-term problems like the environment and looking past Canada's commodity-cycle economy.

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

The biggest one for the country would be the reliance on a commodity economy in a slowing-growth world. With the Chinese bubble kindof ending right now, there's going to be a lot of oil producers. Oil isn't going to rebound soon, but Canada is like a one-trick pony, losing our manufacturing. We need to diversify our economy.

For Winnipeg, the biggest problem is getting our deficits in order.

What would you do with the Senate?

I'd say abolish it. As it stands right now, it serves no purpose, and it would take a lot of work to try and modify it into a body that did.

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

I don't feel that's a fair assessment. Especially in Winnipeg South, it's a neat thing to go on the bus to the University of Manitoba and see all the different cultures getting along quite happily. There are problems for sure in other areas. To combat it, I feel you need to get people out of poverty. Some tend to be more racist against groups they consider to be, on average, poorer. You've got to deal with the economic classes and help raise people out of poverty.

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

As the Green Party, we need a price on carbon. We have no real incentives to have people move away from oil, especially when the oil prices are so low. The amount of money raised from this could be divided amongCanadians.

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

One of my favourite ones is the German policy of any company over 2,000 people, they have half of their board of directors being employees from the company. That prevents the offshoring of jobs.

Under what circumstances is deficit spending a good choice?

It's good in times of recession, when the private sector isn't able to pick up the slack when consumer demand is falling.

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

Economic development and outreach programs for youth, using members of their community and not just police.

What should be done about homegrown terrorism?

Denmark had a good strategy, if we're taking about radical Islamists, where imams would go around with police officers with people who are at risk and explain to them that Islam is a religion of peace, and anything like that is seen as deviant from the religion. If you're talking about homegrown, like white supremacists, then just education.

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

For sure.I went to the last one and it was a lot of fun and I would certainly go to one in my riding. I want to support the gay community.

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

Not particularly; we have been very lucky with our health. I suppose allowing some private-sector competition in items that are non-life-threatening, like joint repairs and others that you wind up on long waiting lists for, you could probably afford privatizing while not weakening the current health-care systems.

What would you do to get more people to vote?

That's a good question, honestly. Putting in a new voting system moving away from first-pass-the-post to proportional representation so people will feel their vote matters more.

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

In Winnipeg, fixing roads. Our roads are unusually bad.

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

The Green Party is in favour of legalizing and taxing marijuana and yes, I have tried it before.