Peter Shokeir | [email protected]
Gordon Francey is running for a second time in Yellowhead this upcoming federal election as the candidate for the Veterans Coalition Party of Canada.
Francey is a veteran with 14 years of service in the regular and reserve forces.
He first got involved in politics during the last provincial election where he ran as an independent candidate affiliated with a separatist party called the Alberta Freedom Alliance.
鈥淚 just got tired of watching stuff go down the drain and the mismanagement by government, fiscal irresponsibility and everything else, and I felt obligated to step up and try to be involved,鈥� Francey said.
The Veterans Coalition later approached Farncey to be a candidate in the 2019 federal election, the first time that the party was on the ballot.
The motto of the party is 鈥渢ruth, duty and honour.鈥�
鈥淭hey shoot from the hip,鈥� Farncey said.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 play games, play word games. You are what you see, that type of thing, so it鈥檚 straight forward, it鈥檚 honesty, it鈥檚 integrity.鈥�
The party鈥檚 platform has 22 items that include upholding the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, no longer taxing the Canada Pension Plan, modernizing the Old Age Security plan, working with First Nations to come to resolutions over key issues, meeting commitments to NATO Allies and supporting exports to world markets.
Farncey added his party would help build up businesses and ensure all the necessary infrastructure is in place to support them.
鈥淚 mean, how many people lost their businesses because of what happened?鈥� he asked.
鈥淚 think they should have an opportunity to rebuild their businesses.鈥�
Farncey asserted that the biggest issue of the election was 鈥渢he misrepresentation of the pandemic and it鈥檚 abuse by the government.鈥�
鈥淭hey鈥檙e slowly taking away our rights and they鈥檙e trying to take more and more every day, and they鈥檙e being sneaky about it too. They鈥檙e not being upfront with the people.鈥�
Although noting that the relationship between Jasper and the federal government was mostly positive, Farncey said there was always room for improvement, particularly with support for tourism during the pandemic and being able to have a say when it comes to environmental issues in the surrounding region.
Farncey urged voters to tell him what they want, and if the majority wanted something specific, he would pursue it for them.
鈥淲e believe that the primary responsibility of elected members of Parliament (is) to carry out the majority will of Canadian citizens and not to create disharmony or political strife within Canada simply to generate political party growth or retain political powers,鈥� he said.
鈥淪o, if I can accomplish our goals, the people鈥檚 goals in the first four years to ensure what鈥檚 happened never happens again, then I鈥檒l be happy doing just four years. I鈥檓 not a career politician at all.鈥�
