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October 16, 2019 - 4:00 PM
The federal election is just five days away and if the polls are right, Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo will be swept up in a wave of blue.
Predictions from 338Canada.com, an online statistical model of electoral projections, suggest that in the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding, Conservative Cathy McLeod has a 98 per cent chance of winning as of Oct. 15.
She's held the position of MP since 2008, and this would mark her fourth term.
The projection of popular votes by 338Canada show, as of Oct. 15, the Conservatives hold 36.1 per cent of the popular vote. The New Democratic Party came next at 24.9 per cent, followed by the Liberals with 24 per cent, the Green Party at 12.4 per cent and the People’s Party of Canada at four per cent. No data was shared about Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, the Animal Protection party of Canada and the Communist Party of Canada.
In the meantime, we still have questions out that will help you decide who to vote for.
We sent out questions to all the local candidates to get a better understanding of their personal views on various topics. Here’s what they had to say.
Do you believe further decriminalization of illicit substances would help reduce the number of overdose deaths or reduce the crime related to the drug trade?
Kira Cheeseborough, Animal Protection Party of Canada
Yes, I firmly believe that there is a correlation between decriminalization and our ability to adequately prevent the amount of overdoses and crime through the regulation of drugs, the normalization of safe injection sites and overdose prevention/response teams, and increased accessibility to clean paraphernalia, sharps containers, and holistic, trauma-informed programs.
Peter Kerek, Communist Party of Canada
Yes. We support decriminalization and look to the success of the Portugal Model which has significantly reduced the rate of substance abuse and all the social maladies associated with such abuse. Elected Portuguese Communist and Socialist parties played a significant role in implementing the Portugal Model which has saved countless lives and is now a model for the rest of the world. Taking away the power of organized crime to destroy lives is obviously one of the other benefits of decriminalization. Oddly enough, the governments with the strongest “tough on crime” and “war on drugs” policies are the same ones that helped ensure the mass profitability of the illicit drug trade and organized crime.
Iain Currie, Green Party
Yes, I believe it would do both.
Fentanyl contamination of street drugs means that many of the reported deaths are actually poisonings, not overdoses. Decriminalizing drug possession will ensure that people have access to a safe, screened supply and the medical support they need to combat their addictions.
I saw in my years as a prosecutor that treating addiction as a problem for the criminal justice system has led to unnecessary suffering, has contributed to the growth of organized crime and has diverted attention from the investigation and prosecution of crimes of violence and exploitation. Addiction is a health issue. It should be treated as one.
Cathy McLeod, Conservative Party of Canada
With the ongoing drug addictions crisis, I am very concerned about the lack of services provincially in both rehab and detox for the many who are seeking support. From my experience as a former nurse, I can attest there are not enough medically-supported and publicly-funded detox spaces, and people also fall through the cracks during their recovery if they don’t have the necessary supports for the next stages of their rehabilitation, like second-stage housing and counselling.
The Liberal, New Democratic Party, and People's Party of Canada candidates did not get back to iNFOnews.ca by the time of publication.
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