Scott Anderson

(CHARLOTTE HELSTON / iNFOnews.ca)

Conservative candidate Scott Anderson thinks government has gotten sloppy, and he wants to clean things up.

Anderson, whose career has jumped from construction, to finance, to corporate communications, to the military, to running his own company, says his party would institute a "spending smarter" initiative aimed at educating MLAs.

"MLAs need to do their jobs again," Anderson says. "We need to help them know what they're doing, how to cut costs where possible."

Anderson has been a steadfast critique of Liberal MLA Eric Foster, demanding answers in an investigation B.C.'s conflict commissioner refuses to reopen.

"The Liberals have lost credibility on both a local and provincial level," Anderson says.

He says purging the system of inefficient MLA spending will "find millions."

At the same time, the Conservatives will boost the economy by developing natural resources. "There's this situation where the we want everything, can't pay for it, and no one will say yes to projects like the pipeline," Anderson says.

But the Conservatives will.

Anderson believes B.C.'s resources can be developed safely if strict regulatory enforcements are put in place.

"The key to environmental safety is robust enforcement," Anderson says, noting historical failures haven't been the result of weak regulations, they've been the demise of poor enforcement.

Though resource development will be concentrated outside the Okanagan, Anderson says the economic spin-off would benefit the City of Vernon.

Anderson's wife is a nurse at Vernon Jubilee Hospital, pushing health care even closer to his heart.

"There used to be a code purple: when the hospital was over capacity," Anderson says. "They don't even use that anymore, because it's always over."

He says we need to shift resources from administration to front line staff. "It doesn't do good to have layers of bureaucracy."

Anderson says improving in-home care for seniors would reduce traffic at the hospital.

He says the Liberals and the NDP both want a seniors representative, but doesn't think one is necessary. "Seniors have a good idea of what their problems are, they can speak to organizations like the People Place. We have adequate communications. My concern with a seniors representative is you have to have an office, staff, a crew of researchers."

The Conservative candidate also has ideas on remedying the blow dealt to farmers by the Liberals'  tightened meat processing regulations.

"Farm gate sales swooped from 1,200 to 300," Anderson says. "Now no one's sure how to fix it."

After researching the topic, Anderson says he's encountered three possible solutions. The first involves making the area exempt to the regulations, something Anderson says is already done in the north. The second would be to expand class E licences—"If five have been given out, why not 50?"

The third option, as Anderson sees it, would be to give out class C licenses—described by the Ministry of Health as temporary licenses to help slaughterhouses transition to class A or B licenses. Anderson says that would allow farmers to stay in business.

Anderson believes the election in Vernon-Monashee will come down to the Conservatives and the NDP, and with facts and figures in tow, he says he's ready.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca or call (250)309-5230.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013