Omineca Express, Caledonia Courier, Lakes District 亚洲天堂 and Houston Today reached out to the three Nechako Lakes candidates in the B.C. provincial election with a questionnaire allowing them to introduce themselves to voters.
The three candidates鈥� Incumbent MLA and Leader of the Conservative Party of B.C. John Rustad, B.C. NDP's Murphy Abraham and B.C. Green Party's Douglas Gook鈥� were all given the same questions, word counts and deadlines.
Neither Conservative MLA Rustad nor Green candidate Gook replied to the questions. Additionally, both candidates have not attended any of the all-candidates forums organized by the local Chamber of Commerce in communities throughout the Nechako Lakes riding.
Below is the response received from B.C. NDP candidate Murphy Abraham with questions in bold, followed by the candidate's answers in his own words.
Can you introduce yourself; including your age, birthplace, education, and current career. If you weren't born in the area, what brought you here and when?
I am a dedicated community leader in 亚洲天堂 Lake and across the Nechako Lakes region. With my wife of ten years, Fern, I share a blended family of two sons, a daughter, and a grandchild.
Embracing a sober lifestyle, we are also proud foster parents to our niece and three nephews. For seven years as a recreation coordinator for Lake Babine Nation, I successfully ran sports and cultural programs for local children and youth.
My whole career has been spent working to make life better for people here. I know from experience that people need a government that has their back, investing in public services they can count on. In 2018, I took leadership to do just that - elected as Woyenne Councillor, and later as Chief of the Lake Babine Nation.
What prior political or elected office experience do you have?
As Chief, I took action to secure $50 million to build community cultural centres,and I oversaw a 20,000 hectare land transfer to return territory to the Lake Babine Nation.
My commitment to community development is at the core of my approach to politics. If elected MLA, I will fight every day to take real action for people and communities across Nechako Lakes.
What inspired you to seek a seat in the provincial legislature?
I know people here in Nechako Lakes are facing big challenges. But ever since this riding was created, we鈥檝e been represented in Victoria by John Rustad, whose record of costs and cuts speaks for itself.
The people of Nechako Lakes deserve better. As part of David Eby鈥檚 BC NDP team, I鈥檓 ready to tackle the big challenges head-on, by building affordable homes, hiring doctors and nurses, supporting forestry workers and communities, continuing on the path of reconciliation and partnership, and helping folks out with the cost of living.
How would you summarize your political philosophy in a single sentence?
I believe in championing the needs of everyday people, helping them to get ahead and build a good life here in the communities they love.
How does your party plan to ensure that provincial legislation addresses the needs of rural BC?
When rural communities thrive, it benefits all of BC. We know that the needs of rural communities like Nechako Lakes are different to the needs of big urban centres. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e taking action to strengthen services and support good, sustainable jobs for people close to home. The BC NDP is also committed to making decisions in a way that recognizes different realities across the province. That鈥檚 why every government decision will be assessed for its impact on rural and remote communities, prior to adoption. People鈥檚 voices will be heard no matter where they live or work.
In your opinion, what is the most significant challenge facing the Nechako Lakes riding, and what solutions would you propose? (Kindly stick to a word limit of 100 words or less to answer this question)
There are many important issues, but forestry is a huge challenge. Under John Rustad鈥檚 government, nearly 30,000 jobs were lost and dozens of mills were closed without any supports for workers, as he shipped away raw logs and BC jobs.
Forestry is foundational to BC, and especially to folks in the north. We鈥檙e determined to support forestry workers and communities, and are taking action to build a strong forestry sector, with good long-term jobs 鈥� such as by curbing raw log exports, incentivizing wood building and mass timber, and creating over 3,000 forestry jobs by supporting made-in-BC wood products.
