Christian Heritage Party byelection candidate for the riding of Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner, Rod Taylor, said he is ready for the “tremendous responsibility” of becoming MP for the area.
Global News reporter Erik Mikkelsen asked Taylor a few questions voters would like to know. Here’s a full transcript below:
Erik Mikkelsen: Tell us a little about yourself. What is your background and experience in politics?
Rod Taylor: I was raised in a politically active home. My parents were involved in the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s led by Martin Luther King Jr. and political issues were always discussed in our home. I am passionate about justice, freedom and democracy.
My wife and I have been married 42 years. We have two children and four grandchildren. Soon after we were married, I worked in Warner, Alta. one winter. Our daughter was born in Lethbridge. I worked on the railroad (CNR) in the Edson area for six years and have also worked in gas plant turnarounds. I spent about 25 years working in B.C. in the lumber industry as a lumber grader and quality control supervisor.
We joined the Christian Heritage Party at the time of its founding convention in 1987. I have run as a provincial candidate in B.C. two times and have run in five federal elections. In 2008, I became the deputy leader of the Christian Heritage Party and in 2009 I became western development director. In 2014, I was elected national leader.
EM: Why did you decide to run in this byelection?
RT: As national leader, I want to bring the message of CHP Canada to all Canadians. This byelection is a unique opportunity for the citizen-voters of Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner to send a message to Ottawa and to the leadership teams of the mainline federal parties that many Canadians still value human life at all stages, from pre-born to elderly, that Canadians still value traditional marriage and the family unit, that Canadians still value free speech and freedom of religion and that Canadians still want the government to live within its means.
The leaders of both the Liberal and Conservative parties have abandoned traditional marriage and have become promoters of gender confusion. Only the CHP is seeking to protect pre-born life and neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives have been able to balance the budget. Over a period of nearly 10 years, the Harper Conservatives added $155 billion to the national debt and the Liberals will do even worse. Today, taxpayers are paying about $71 million every day in interest on that debt. That’s a problem. Deficit spending must stop.
I’m asking the voters of Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner to allow me to bring their common sense values to Ottawa and to be their voice on social and economic issues.
EM: What do you believe is the biggest issue affecting constituents in your riding?
RT: The biggest need is for jobs. The biggest impediments to job growth are the anti-energy policies being forced upon Albertans by politicians and bureaucrats in both Ottawa and Edmonton. I totally reject the concept of carbon taxes, cap-and-trade and even carbon capture. Carbon taxes and carbon pricing schemes are simply a cash grab for governments whose spending is out of control. Those taxes will hurt families and will do nothing to improve the environment. We do need to continue to improve our technologies to reduce particulate emissions and incomplete combustion but pure CO2 in itself is not a toxin. Natural gas, coal and oil are wonderful resources given to us by God and should be used for our benefit.
Government overreach in many areas is a problem. Whether it’s concerns about the sage grouse or government forcing their moral bias on children against the wishes of their parents, it’s time for citizens to regain their control over government and take back their authority. We need common sense back in Ottawa.
The most dangerous issue, rarely talked about, is the loss of our freedom of speech. Many Canadians are not aware that our cherished freedoms of speech and religion are being taken away by political correctness and an activist Supreme Court. I will fight to maintain freedom and return lawmaking to our elected representatives. The nine unelected justices of the Supreme Court were never intended to be the lawmakers and final arbiters of justice. They were supposed to apply, equally and fairly, the law “as they find it written.” We must return to that approach.
EM: If elected, what can your constituents expect from you?
RT: If the voting citizens of Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner grant me the sacred privilege of representing them as their MP, I will work very hard to represent their interests and to bring their concerns to Ottawa. I have been hard working and diligent all my adult life in every job I’ve ever taken on. Being your MP would be no different. I know that this job entails a tremendous responsibility.
I will want to hear from the citizens of the district—from farmers and ranchers, oil and gas industry people, from business executives and owners and from working-class people, from parents who are struggling to raise their families and from university students and tradespeople, from teachers, lawyers, policemen and firemen, from cooks and clerks. This is a large riding with many varied interests and needs. I promise to have an open ear to my constituents.
I will work to protect children, to promote energy independence, to reduce government waste and to reduce red tape for businesses. I want to improve transportation access to our border crossings and to maintain the successful research and training programs at CFB Suffield, an important part of our local economy. If elected, I will always remember that I work for the taxpayers, not the other way around. I would count it an incredible honour to be your MP and I ask for your vote.
Email: leader@chp.ca
Phone: 250-877-8426
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