Elias Assefa is the NDP candidate for the Red Deer riding.
Assefa was asked a series of questions, which have been presented to all candidates.
This is one installment of our Meet the Candidate series.
Here are his responses:
Tell us about yourself and why you decided to run as a candidate for this election.
I grew up in public housing. My mom was an EA, and we didn't always have food on the table every night, but I wouldn't wish that on anybody, and I think the NDP is the only party that advocates meaningfully for policies that actually reduce poverty.
Not only is that the moral thing to do, it's also just good economics.
When you invest in families and you invest in children, for every dollar you put in, you get $1.60 in government revenues over the course of their lifetime, at least, that's the last study I saw so, I advocate, I want to be in a place where I can advocate for those policies and the federal government is the best place to make that happen.
What do you feel are the most important issues for Red Deer?
Fair wages, public healthcare and housing.
We're in a national housing crisis thanks to the parties, liberal and conservative, passing the buck, and leaving it to the market, which is just basically exploiting people who need a roof over their head and now we've got unaffordable homes, more homeless than we ever had in history, and skyrocketing use of food banks and that's not an accident that's a policy choice, and we need MP's in Parliament fighting and advocating for working families.
How will Red Deer be impacted by the US tariffs and what is your party's plan to address any issues?
Just the nature of our modern economy, everyone is going to be affected by US tariffs, if Ontario gets a cold, Western Canada is going to get a flu.
So, the number one thing we need to do is protect our economy by being more insularly intricate, interconnected, and that means more small businesses, and one of the main barriers to small businesses is access to capital.
The government needs to make a meaningful, like be a provider of that at low interest.
We also need to be encouraging and subsidizing education and training.
My good friend, a longtime friend of mine, just recently finished up his NAIT certificate for solar energy installation, and pivoting our workers to the future economy is the best long-term solution to protect ourselves from the US and its you know, very unpredictable political and economic situation.
What is your party's plan to address health care here for central Alberta?
So, I worked as a frontline worker, frontline healthcare worker both in homes and in hospitals for over 15 years until I permanently injured my back from moving a patient. I'm speaking from a place of experience.
I've seen how policies impact patients and workers, and I don't want to sound hyperbolic, but it can be fatal.
Hallway medicine is a travesty, it leads to negative outcomes for patients.
The federal government needs to tie strings to healthcare transfers, and we need to prevent premiers like Marlene and Smith from privatizing healthcare and reducing funding and passing those costs not just in dollars but in health outcomes on to the public.
It's just wrong.
What can be done to address the rising costs of living with your party?
For example, groceries, we need more competition in the grocery market.
There're basically three major players who act as a cartel.
We need antitrust policies, we've used them before, and we need to go back to those policies to break them up if we have to, and we need the NDP in this fight because I really doubt that Minister Carney, as a banker is interested in that at all.
How does your party plan to support farmers within central Alberta?
I think the evidence is clear that supply management has proven time and again to stabilize prices, prevent predatory practices that exploit farmers and ensure that there is fair compensation for producers.
And the NDP believes in expanding supply management to more commodities and to provide living wages to work.
The federal election is on April 28.
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