First-time GPC candidate enters the race

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/09/2021 (1669 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Vanessa Parks wants the Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley riding to go green in the Sept. 20 federal election.

“The reason I am running for the (Green Party of Canada) is because it is the only political party that acknowledges the climate emergency for the true threat that it is,” Parks said. “We can’t ignore it anymore.”

The 38-year-old registered nurse and Charleswood resident said living in this neighbourhood, with its forests and rich wildlife, helped fuel her concern for the environment.

 “Outside of work, my passion has always been animals,” she said.

Parks has been a vegetarian for 25 years and has followed a vegan diet for the last five. For years now, she has volunteered with non-profit organizations that advocate for animal rights and environmental protection.

Animal welfare, agriculture and climate change are inextricably linked, Parks said.

“Industrialized animal agriculture is not only cruel, but it has huge environmental impacts: land pollution, air pollution, water pollution, diversity loss, deforestation,” she said. “There is a better way.”

Parks is a proponent of regenerative farming practices. This style of agriculture is less harsh on the environment and creates a more humane lifestyle for livestock by using a strategy that embraces nature’s natural nutrient cycles.

“Canada is one of the top five worst per capita greenhouse gas emitters in the world,” she said.

Parks believes Canada has the ability, right now, to transition to a green economy—a move that would benefit both the environment and the market.

“Canada could be global leader in green tech and green infrastructure by moving away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy,” she said.

Ending subsidies for greenhouse gas emitters, cancelling pipelines and banning fracking are part in parcel of her platform. Parks believes a shift away from the oil and gas towards the renewable energy sector would create a wealth of new, permanent jobs.

“The Green Party is not going to leave anybody behind,” she said. “There is a plan for workers to transfer and gain skills to stay relevant in this new economy.”

In addition to environmental, Parks wants to spotlight truth and reconciliation. She’s pushing for all of the calls for justice in National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls met, as well as the calls to action outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

“I think what’s really important is that we educate non-Indigenous Canadians on the history, customs, traditions and cultures of First Nations peoples,” she said.

Parks emphasized that the GPC isn’t a “one-issue party” and has a plan for a wide range of initiatives, including added funding for child care, a guaranteed livable income, free tuition programs, affordable housing, better care for seniors, and more.

“It’s never a throwaway vote to vote with your beliefs and values,” Parks said. “I want to encourage everybody to vote on what is truly importance to them.”

Madelaine Dwyer (NDP), Doug Eyolfson (Lib.), Marty Morantz (CPC), and Angela Van Hussen (PPC) are also confirmed candidates running in Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley.