MLA hopeful Allan Patton (top right) is hoping to win the NDP nomination. Here, he chats with people during a meet and greet event at Medici’s Gelateria.
(Photo by Dan Walton)
Before he can run against Liberal incumbent Linda Larson, Allan Patton has to win his party’s nomination process.
During his campaign launch at Medici’s Gelateria recently, Patton proposed ideas that were predictably in line with the NDP platform, though one issue – genetically modified organisms – deserves more attention, he says.
With proper management, “British Columbia could be the first GE (genetically engineered)-free guaranteed market in the world,” he said.
The fight against genetically engineered foods was the watershed factor in Patton’s decision to run. The NDP is the party of big vision, he said, and that’s why he wants to work with them to promote a lucrative market for foods free of genetic engineering.
Even if the NDP wins a majority in the 2017 election, in order to move ahead on such an ambitious project, Patton said the province first needs to be in good financial shape, which may be a challenge because of debts accumulated by the current government.
Another NDP platform Allan strongly embraces is the opposition to the liquefied natural gas project.
He’s optimistic the NDP can stop the project if they form government next year but concedes that some contracts can be very difficult to reverse.
Since Canada is already deep into the business of shipping crude oil, Patton wants to see the products get refined domestically rather than exported in their most basic form.
“Alberta needs to increase its quality of oil to make it a more refined, more valuable product, which will decrease overall carbon emissions. It’s win-win,” he said. “If we need new infrastructure, I want to see refineries. Bitumen is the rawest form of crude oil.”
As for the Site C Dam project, it’s “the stupidest thing on the planet,” he said.
Patton said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau compromised his position on the environment by approving the LNG plant last month, and he suspects “big money” was an influencing factor. On the issue of accepting Syrian refugees, Patton praised Trudeau’s efforts to admit refugees selectively as a way of balancing out Canada’s aging demographics.
One patron supporting Patton’s launch was Glenn Krisher from Oliver. Krisher’s wife lives in Oliver, his daughter lives in Alberta and they both have similar diagnoses, which made it very easy for him to notice the contrast between B.C. and Alberta’s healthcare systems. His daughter in Alberta receives great care, he said, while his local physician told his wife there was nothing that could be done. Also, Krisher and his wife don’t believe Vancouver or Victoria should be the only places in the province to receive adequate treatment.
Patton said if he were MLA, he would contact the Minister of Health to inquire about improving the system, and also request a referral for his affected constituents.
By Dan Walton
