There was a small crowd in attendance at the People鈥檚 Party of Canada event on September 23 in Assiniboia at Club 55 because of the harvest season, but the mood was generally upbeat.
Norm Nordgulen, previously a Conservative nominee to replace David Anderson, introduced Lee Harding, who is running as the PPC candidate in Cypress Hills-Grasslands. 鈥淧eople are asking me, if you ran for the Conservatives, why are you supporting this?鈥� Nordgulen said before introducing Harding. 鈥淲ell, my platform is the same,鈥� Nordgulen replied then outlined the similarities the PPC shared with his Conservative ideals, adding both he and Harding were impressed with Bernier, when the PPC leader spoke in Moose Jaw in July.聽
Lee Harding also had ties with the Conservative Party. Harding had even served as David Anderson鈥檚 assistant in 2010. 鈥淚 was a Conservative and I enjoyed that experience,鈥� Harding said. But he is convinced he will change the Conservative stronghold of Cypress Hills-Grasslands into a PPC riding. 鈥淚 really think we can win this riding,鈥� Lee stated. 鈥淵ou have to be more than just not Trudeau. We are the answer to Trudeau destroying Canada.鈥�
Harding became attracted to the Maxime Bernier鈥檚 PPC movement, because he believed the Conservatives were becoming irrelevant. 鈥淚 found that the Conservatives were 小蓝视频 very cautious in their approach.鈥�
Harding further said he has great respect for Bernier, because the leader of the PPC reveres individual freedoms. Moreover, Harding is impressed with Bernier鈥檚 ideas about equalization payments. In particular, the former Conservative cabinet member wants to settle the issue of equalization payments for his home province of Quebec. 鈥淨uebec is the province that received the largest amount of money, $10 billion out of a total of $18 billion this year. But that鈥檚 because it has a much larger population. The other four actually get more money per capita and are even more dependent on federal support,鈥� Bernier said in a speech published in 2017.
Harding said it鈥檚 time for equalization payments to end, as this policy has produced negative results for the nation鈥檚 economy. 鈥淭he recipient provinces leave their resources in the ground and keep their taxes high.鈥� Harding also discussed the ongoing issue of corporate welfare, such as the federal disbursement of federal money to Bombardier and other Canadian corporations.聽聽
In his introductory speech on Monday, Harding also communicated his feelings on immigration and multiculturalism. 鈥淲e should rescind multiculturalism,鈥� the candidate said, believing this was a policy wrongfully introduced by Pierre Elliot Trudeau in 1971. In parallel with Bernier and other PPC members, Harding thought immigration had gone out of control in this country. 鈥淭he PPC is the only party talking about mass immigration.鈥� Harding said. Instead, Harding wants Canada to adopt a balanced immigration system favouring skilled workers. He also wants to limit the flow of refugees into this country. 鈥淲e should prioritize working age people to come to Canada,鈥� the candidate determined.
