Valerie Brooks
Yorkton - Melville: Green Party
Tell us about yourself
I am 51 years old, and proud to call Hudson Bay, SK home, where I was raised in a farming and logging family. I have 3 grown children and currently live with my husband Darryn in Saltcoats, SK, but have called Yorkton, Fort Qu’Appelle, and Calgary home in the past as well. I have been working in the education sector as a teacher and administrator for the past 20 years with several different school divisions. Because I am currently between contracts, I have the time to pursue my deep-seeded passion of politics and participate in our democratic system as a candidate in this election.
What’s one thing that very few people know about you?
I am a Provincial Track and Field champion and bronze medalist in discus and javelin respectively!
Why should voters give you their vote?
If voters in our constituency are disillusioned with our current government and state of our democratic system, then I say vote for me – vote for change! The Green Party believes that our parliamentary democracy needs an overhaul and has a clear vision and plan to do it. We just need more elected MP’s in Ottawa. A vote for me is not a “wasted vote” as it sends a clear message that you are not happy with the traditional parties and their traditional ways of doing things. The Green Party is different and would operate differently and that is a good thing.
What is your greatest strength? What is your greatest weakness?
My greatest strength is my energy and ability to work through problems in a positive way, bringing people together along the way. My greatest weakness is my inability to recognize my limits and find balance at times.
Where do you stand on:
The need for more pipelines?
My stance is that we should be supporting the transition from pipelines to cleaner energy solutions. Educating and employing people currently working in the oil and gas sectors to roles in transition into new and upcoming industries would be a win-win. We have the science and technology already to make the shift, we just need the political will.
The Carbon Tax?
Carbon reduction is necessary for us to meet our goals of reducing Green House Gas emissions. I know that the Carbon tax and dividends currently implemented is a start in the right direction, if we can build on this and evolve the clean energy industry at the same time, it should have a positive impact.
The level of the federal deficit and debt?
I believe in fiscal responsibility and sustainable budgets where we “live within our means”. The Green party thinks the current debt level and deficit budget is unsustainable and we are committed to reducing that debt and balancing the budget… but it won’t be easy. A healthy and fair level of taxation will be needed, that does not sacrifice essential services and infrastructure. Stop subsidizing unsustainable corporations and industries.
Federal support for agriculture?
The Greens believe support for agricultural reformation is necessary. Farmers transitioning to organic methods should be supported and as difficult as this is in our area of the country a move to more sustainable farming practices is necessary too.
The federal response to the Covid-19 crisis?
I think there were a lot of people across Canada who received support when they needed it to get through a very tough time. The government’s financial support systems were an important piece in helping small businesses and workers who suddenly lost their jobs due to lockdowns. I’m not sure what our economy or communities would have looked like without it.
The state of ethics in our federal government?
This is an area that is sadly a big concern for me. Governments should be held to the highest moral and ethical standards and should be accountable not only to the voters, but to themselves within the House of Commons to monitor and hold each other to account. MP’s should be working for the greater good, not themselves, and if partisan politics wasn’t ingrained in our system, MP’s from differing ideologies would be more able to work together instead of bickering and backstabbing for political gain. This is my vision and the Green vision of how things could work, and could bring back a sense of honour and integrity to the office that I think voters are missing.
Are we facing a climate crisis?
The IPCC (The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) recently released a report on their assessment of the science related to climate change. This report recognizes a “code red for humanity” and absolutely confirms we have a “climate crisis” on our hands. This is a group of scientists tasked to track climate conditions over time and assess the data and report to the world what they find. They’re finding some very scary and disturbing trends that if left to continue will irreversibly change our climate and ecosystems all around the world. One thing we hear in the prairies must keep in mind, is that everything is interconnected, what we do here does matter in the big picture.
Who inspires you?
I find that I am most inspired by people who overcome great odds or obstacles while maintaining a positive outlook, you know the kind of ordinary people that are the heroes in movies and books with the theme of “beating the odds” or the “underdog” trope. People that never give up trying to solve a problem or work through an issue. They give me the ability to think that I can do anything I set my mind to.
Who are the three people, dead or alive, that you’d love to have dinner with?
I’d love to have dinner with both of my grandfathers, as they both died before I was born. I’d love to hear their stories about immigrating here and what it was like to move halfway around the world as young boys. The third person I’d like to have dinner with is Chief Piapot, I’d ask him what it was like to see all these white folks moving in and if he felt he was treated fairly by the Queen’s representatives at the time of signing Treaty.
What’s the one album you’d take with you on a desert island?
The album I’d take with me to a deserted island (with my solar powered record player of course!) would be Shania Twain’s Come on Over (1997) Grammy Award winning album.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish in the next term?
If I was elected what I would hope to accomplish in the next term would be to learn what the voters in this riding are struggling most with so that while learning the ins and outs of being a parliamentarian and how things work in the House of Commons, I would also be able to advocate for the people in this constituency in the best possible manner. One thing that the Green Party is great for, is the fact that we never have to vote against what is best for our constituency, so I can truly vote for what the voters want me to vote for without being whipped by the Party.
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