“I’m really wanting to listen to the Prince George public.”
That was the federal leader of the Green Party of Canada, Elizabeth May’s response to what type of message she’s wanting to convey during her stop in the Northern Capital this weekend.
With a federal election coming later this year, May is wanting to make sure that her party took the time to listen to Canadians coast-to-coast ahead of her campaign.
“Canadians are creative, and we have much more in common than we do indifference,” the political leader states. “That’s why I just love the opportunity to get together, and open the floor and take questions for as long as people can stand.”
Much of May’s focus towards her tour is in an effort to unite Canadians, believing current political leaders have placed Canadians up against one another.
“We are the same family, whether you live in Alberta, or you live in Prince George, or you live in Saanich Gulf Islands, or you live in Toronto. You put a bunch of us in a room together and say someone here needs help, people say ‘how can I help?’,” May says.
“Unfortunately, Rachel Notley and Justin Trudeau, and for that matter, Andrew Sheer have decided to play on people’s fears and divisions as if people in British Columbia don’t care about people in Alberta, or as if people in Vancouver don’t care about people in Prince George.”
For Prince George and the surrounding area, May believes some topics of concern will be that of the resource sector, especially following the most recent provincial budget, which saw a 30 per cent cut in funding. She believes the country needs to ensure the maximum number of jobs and economic impact for Canada before resources get exported.
The visit will include a public town hall meeting in the city as part of a ‘Community Matters’ tour, with Prince George being just one of two stops in British Columbia as she will make her way eastward.
The town hall is scheduled for Saturday, at the Lheidi T’enneh’s House of Ancestors on Vancouver Street, with the event getting kicked off at 7:30 p.m.