Yellowhead candidates answered questions from voters during the Jasper all-candidates forum ahead of the upcoming federal election.
The forum was hosted at the Forest Park Hotel on Tuesday (April 8) by the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce and moderated by Nadine McIsaac, director of operations for Jasper lodging at Pursuit Collection. All confirmed candidates were in attendance, except for Dale Heath with the Christian Heritage Party of Canada.
Candidates were first asked if they agreed with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to move Parks Canada from Environment and Climate Change Canada to the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Conservative candidate William Stevenson, who attended via Zoom, agreed with the decision since he believed Parks Canada and Environment had “conflicting focuses,” and the agency had been with Heritage under previous governments.
“Parks Canada has had several pillars to focus on, but over the last several years, it has entirely been focused on environment, and I think we have to specifically look at how the tourism is affected and how Parks Canada can actually help people and deal with the people in the parks instead of just keeping them out of the parks,” Stevenson said.
Liberal candidate Michael Fark noted this was one of the decisions by the Carney government that he strongly disagreed with, and Parks Canada had a dual mandate of visitor experience and environmental conservation.
“The idea that we would separate that out and, in particular, have a more business focus for parks and remove the environmental focus, I think, would be a mistake because also the businesses will not thrive in that environment,” Fark said.
Another question pertained to the ongoing housing crisis in Jasper, which has been exacerbated following the 2024 wildfire.
Fark replied he would focus on bringing all three levels of governments together and recalled the recent impasse with the Alberta government over interim housing.
Stevenson said he had heard complaints about rebuilding regulations and soil needing to be tested “hundreds of times” on certain properties.
Fark took exception to this claim, adding that soil testing was often necessary when a structure burnt down, and asked Stevenson to clarify his position. This was one of many times during the evening when Fark grilled Stevenson.
Stevenson replied that “the devil was always in the details” and clarified there wasn’t always a simple answer when it came to cutting regulations.
Candidates were also asked about the temporary foreign worker program and how they would ensure a reliable workforce for the tourism industry.
People’s Party candidate Vicky Bayford acknowledged that farmers and tourism communities utilized the program but noted there were abuses that needed to be addressed. She also believed in opening up opportunities for Canadian youth and developing recruitment programs.
NDP candidate Avni Soma advocated for open work permits to protect workers from being abused by businesses. She also called out Bayford’s claim that she couldn’t get a job in Banff because she was not foreign.
Another question was how candidates would respond to threats to the integrity of Canada, such as U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of annexation and Conservative figureheads touting Western separatism.
Bayford identified herself as a “very strong supporter of the Alberta independence movement” and noted the People’s Party wants to heavily reduce equalization payments.
Soma highlighted the federal government had spent billions on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, which runs through Jasper National Park, so Alberta can move its oil to foreign markets.
“It's a collective effort. We have all paid for it, all Canadians should benefit, and equalization payments work both ways because there were moments in time when Alberta wasn't able to pay its way as well,” Soma said.
Fark described Western separatism as “a narrative of grievance” meant to divide Canadians, shore up political support and get people to vote against their own particular interest.
“There are very real concerns that we need to be aware of, but where we have to draw the line is using the politics of division to drive us apart, rather than trying to come together and find the solution to actually solve those problems,” he said.
Stevenson argued that the reason the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion cost so much was because of the regulatory environment that made it impossible for companies to carry out the project.
“I have to agree that we need to stop the division and have us actually working together,” he said. “The last 10 years, the Trudeau-Liberal government has actually been the most divisive environment that I can ever remember.”
The 2025 federal election is scheduled for April 28.
