Ahead of the April 28 federal election, Black Press conducted phone interviews with candidates running in the Columbia-Kootenay-Southern Rockies riding. Each interview included questions about two general topics and one about their party. These questions were not disclosed in advance. The candidates were also given the opportunity to speak on a bonus topic of their choice.
This interview is with Conservative candidate Rob Morrison.
Canada-U.S. relations
When it comes to the relationship with the United States, Morrison stressed the importance of re-establishing strong, principled leadership to represent Canada.
"I think it's important that we don't do anything too rash or too fast, because we do have a lot of assets," he said, noting the ongoing challenges with tariffs, particularly on softwood lumber. "We want to be sure that if businesses are affected, we target relief for the workers that are hit by these tariffs."
He supports efforts to explore new export markets for Canadian resources, such as natural gas, to reduce reliance on the U.S. and create new economic opportunities.
Locally, Morrison encourages residents to buy Canadian products in light of ongoing trade tensions.
"We ourselves can help ourselves," he said. "Some of our local grocery stores, they contribute so much to our community with every sporting event, with hot dog sales and fundraisers on the weekend. Buying local, promotes local."
Cost of living
A central pillar of Morrison’s re-election campaign is addressing the rising cost of living.
"We've been knocking on doors and talking with people, and they are more concerned with affordability than anything else," he said. "When a government spends more money than they make, inflation goes up. But there's a massive amount, hundreds of billions of dollars, that didn't need to be spent. So we need to go and audit where are we spending money, so that we can put it into areas that will help our communities."
The Conservatives plan to lower the income tax bracket from 15 to 12.75 per cent and also defer capital gains taxes if the profits are reinvested in Canada. Morrison says this will encourage more investment, help to lower the national debt and bring down inflation.
He also pointed to proposed incentives for municipalities that increase housing supply and a GST exemption on homes under $1.3 million as key measures to improve housing affordability.
For seniors, Morrison supports raising the RRSP contribution age from 71 to 73 and eliminating income tax for those earning under $42,000 annually.
"It lets seniors continue to contribute to to our economy by being able to work," he said.
The Conservative Party
Despite recent polls showing decreasing support for Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, Morrison remains confident.
"I think the polls may not be reflective of what is really happening. We're staying the course. Conservatives are generally passive voters. They're quiet," he said. "They're not out there protesting or ramping it up very often."
He credits the recent visibility of the party’s platform details with building momentum.
"I think that people are seeing that we actually have a plan of how we are going to turn this country around," said Morrison. "I look at Creston and see there's a lot of Canadian flags ... and proud people to be Canadians there."
Bonus topic: Public safety and toxic drug crisis
Public safety and addiction recovery are also on Morrison's radar. He voiced concerns about current gun control policies, arguing they unfairly target legal gun owners rather than criminals.
"We need to get back to where we feel safe on the streets," he said. "Cranbrook has had major challenges with some of the opioid addiction issues here. I think it's time we really grappled with that and started leaving legal, firearm owners alone and targeting the bad guys."
He said those who struggle with addiction should be helped by getting them into rehab facilities.
"I don't support any of this free drug stuff because it's not free. Taxpayers have to pay for it," said Morrison. "I just don't know how you can help an addicted person by giving them more drugs. So we need to turn the table on that and start looking at a national strategy on how do we help opioid addicts."
