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Engaging with Our Local Candidates: A Voter’s Experience

Posted on by Amanda Horner

Canada is facing a federal election to determine our country’s next Premier. Canadians take to the polls on April 28th, 2025.

On April 11 2025, I took the time to email all of the local candidates running in the upcoming election. I reached out to ask important questions about two issues that matter deeply to me—issues that will influence how I vote.

I sent emails and Facebook messages to the following candidates:

Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo:
Frank Caputo (Conservative), Iain Currie (Liberal), Miguel Godoy (NDP), and Chris Enns (PPC)

North Okanagan–Shuswap:
Mel Arnold (Conservative), Ken Robertson (Liberal), Owen Madden (Green), Phaedra Idzan (NDP), and Michael Henry (PPC)

Here is the email I sent:

Subject: Election Inquiry from a Concerned Voter

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Amanda Horner. I am a long-time resident and small business owner in Kamloops, BC.

With the upcoming election approaching, I’m reaching out directly to all candidates to seek clarity on two issues that are deeply important to me—and many others across Canada.

As a voter, I’m doing my due diligence to learn where each party truly stands. While I recognize that all parties bring both strengths and challenges, I also see a lot of conflicting information online—especially on social media—that makes it difficult to discern the facts. Rather than relying on secondhand sources, I believe in going directly to the source: you.

I appreciate your time in reading this message and, if possible, providing a response that outlines your position on the following two key issues:

1. Support for Canadians with Rare Diseases

I live with a rare genetic disorder called Phenylketonuria (PKU), diagnosed at birth through newborn screening. Without early diagnosis and lifelong treatment, individuals with PKU face severe cognitive and neurological damage.

Living with PKU means strictly managing a low-protein diet, supplemented by medical foods and a specialized amino acid formula—both costly and difficult to access. In recent years, supply chain issues and geopolitical factors have made access even more precarious.

New treatments—Kuvan and Palynziq—offer hope for improved quality of life. However, despite being approved by Health Canada, Palynziq and other treatments or medications remain unfunded, making them financially inaccessible for most Canadians without private insurance.

My questions:

  • What is your party’s plan to support Canadians living with rare diseases like PKU?
  • Will your candidate advocate for public funding of approved treatments like Palynziq?
  • How does your party propose to improve access to specialized care, therapies, and support for rare disease patients?
  • Will your party prioritize investment in rare disease research, drug coverage, and policy reform?

2. Women’s Rights and Reproductive Healthcare

As a mother to two daughters—and currently expecting a third child—I’m deeply engaged in issues surrounding women’s rights, reproductive health, and access to comprehensive care. I also operate a maternal care business, which gives me a unique perspective on these matters.

My questions:

  • What is your party’s stance on women’s reproductive rights, including access to abortion, fertility treatments, and investments in women’s health research?
  • Can your party commit to protecting and advancing these rights, ensuring no erosion of the gains women have fought so hard for?

Thank you for your time and attention. These are deeply personal and important matters to me, and your response will play a key role in informing how I vote on April 28.

Warm regards,
Amanda Horner
Kamloops, BC

The Responses

As of today, I have received four responses. I am publishing them here in full—not in support of any one party—but to encourage others to engage with their local candidates and to share this information with my PKU community, as it may help with voting decisions.

Knowledge is power. I believe in open discussion, informed debate, and shared knowledge. Our candidates work for the people—they should be accessible and accountable.

While I may not agree with all the answers I received—and found some to be overly political or off-topic—I deeply respect the candidates who took the time to reply. It’s disheartening, however, when questions are left unanswered or unacknowledged. Campaigning should include listening to voters and responding to their concerns. That willingness to engage weighs heavily in my voting decision.

Below are the responses, exactly as I received them:

Iain Currie LIB :

I will start by saying that I am not knowledgeable about PKU and will not be able to say anything specific about research into rare disorders. I can say that the Liberal party and I are strong supporters of public health and of public funding for initiatives to keep all Canadians healthy (as in the National Pharmacare and Dental Care plans). I can say unequivocally that I and the Liberal party support women’s reproductive rights including access to abortion, fertility treatment and other forms of reproductive health care. And yes, unequivocally my party and I can commit to protecting and advancing women’s rights, and ensuring no erosion of the gains women have fought so hard for. Thanks again for the questions. All the best, Iain

Ken Robertson Liberal :

Hello, I am a father of 4, which 2 are Autism spectrum disorder, and I would advocate to the governments pharmacare, which was introduced by the Liberal government. I am prochoice, as you may not know Liberal party also Legalized Same Sex marriage in this country. Thanks for the question.

Response from Chris Enns PPC :

Hi Amanda,

Thanks for reaching out and for posing some important questions. Some of which I am not a subject matter expert. However, I will answer them honestly and to the best of my ability.

What is your party’s plan to support Canadians living with rare diseases like PKU?

– PKU sounds like a terrible and debilitating condition, especially if treatment is unavailable. Tackling lesser-known, and less pervasive diseases requires more diverse investment. Our nationaly-funded, provincial healthcare systems were never designed for specialty treatment. The PPC want to make more healthcare options available by allowing private sector investment alongside a robust public system. This proposition is often decried by Canadians, as gov’t-only (also known as ‘single-payer’) healthcare has become a ‘sacred cow’ in Canada. I lived in Australia for nearly a decade, and my spouse had our two children there. We had access to far more healthcare screenings and services there than we would have had here, and low wait times. Further, the cost of the not-covered/for-profit services we occasionally used were less than they would be in Alberta where a similar system exists simply because the system is national and there is critical mass. Not all for-profit healthcare will end up like in the USA, a fair and balanced model exists. https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/issues/health-care

Will your candidate advocate for public funding of approved treatments like Palynziq ?

– Yes. the government serves ALL Canadians, who shouldn’t all treatments be equally funded on a % basis? Ideally, all treatments at 100%. The PPC want to cut significant funding from unnecessary programs, but healthcare is not one of them.

How does your party propose to improve access to specialized care, therapies, and support for rare disease patients?

– I feel that I addressed this above, but if you’re not satisfied reply and I can reply directly to this question.

Will your party prioritize investment in rare disease research, drug coverage, and policy reform?

– Yes, in-line with my first answer above. Coverage of drugs and policy reform seem like easier things to take action on immediately. If elected, we believe that existing medical research budgets will stay as they are, maybe we can push some towards research. Universities should be funding a lot of this. Public-private partnerships are another way to tackle a funding shortfall. Once the budget is balanced, and the financial waste is accounted for, we can look at more concrete funding numbers. Our country really is in an economic predicament.

What is your party’s clear stance on women’s reproductive rights, including access to abortion, fertility treatments, reproductive healthcare, and investments in women’s health research?

– The People’s party of Canada’s principles are freedom, responsibility, fairness, and respect. We are for all people; that includes women, men, children(born or unborn), and people of all racial and cultural backgrounds. Our policies make an effort to not favour one group over another, and to therefore allow as much individual rights as possible without overriding another individual’s rights.

– The People’s Party like people, and we will support Canadians’ ability to have and support their families. We will not undermine hard-fought reproductive rights, fertility treatments, and investments into women’s health. Without women and fertility the human race ceases to exist, that’s a fact. Women’s health is unique, and funding for women’s health issues is paramount.

– The PPC believe in women’s rights. We also believe in children’s rights in and out of the womb. Obviously there is some overlap there. Canada has no existing abortion legislation. The Supreme court struck abortion from the criminal code in the 1988 case R. v. Morgentaler becasue they were unconstitutional. Since then we have learned a great deal more about when life begins, concretely at conception. As a person who scans babies in the womb I’m sure you have a more thorough knowledge than I, although I was present for every ultrasound that my spouse had while pregnant. The PPC want to balane the rights of women and the rights of the unborn. Unless a child only becomes a Canadian and gains the protection of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms after birth, we have a duty to protect their interest as well. There is the conundrum, whose rights prevail? The PPC are proposing abortion legislation, but not on the first trimester, with gradual restrictions thereafter. I have been attacked by people on both sides of the issue, some say any legislation is hainous, others say any abortion is murder. It’s a lose-lose, but I suppose that’s what I signed up for. I don’t believe that the issue will be ‘settled’ in my lifetime. https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/issues/abortion

Can your party commit to protecting and advancing these rights, ensuring no erosion of the gains women have fought so hard for?

– We want to protect women’s spaces, women’s activities, and the title of ‘Woman’ from those biological men who would seek to claim it for their own reasons, that they attempt to justify using post-modern relativism. https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/issues/gender-ideology

I hope that helps. If you’re in Kamloops, Maxime Bernier will be at the Riverside Park Bandshell tonight from 5pm. Feel free to attend. I will be there from 4pm

Enjoy your weekend.

Chris

Response from Phaedra Idzan- NDP Candidate

Good evening Amanda,

I want to thank you for your email. My apologies on the delay in a response to it. 

Conservative premiers are pushing for more for-profit health care, a move that has drawn praise from the Liberals as “innovation” and support from Pierre Poilievre, who has a history of advocating for American-style privatized health car. Meanwhile, Jagmeet Singh and the NDP are standing up for public health care that’s available when and where Canadians need it, regardless of their ability to pay.

Canadians take pride in our public health care system and believe in looking out for one another. But it’s become harder than ever to see a doctor. Emergency rooms are closing across the country, wait times are growing, and an estimated 6.5 million people don’t have a family doctor. Even those with a doctor are finding it more difficult to get appointments. By 2031, Canada is projected to be short nearly 20,000 doctors, in addition to the current shortage of about 43,000 nurses.

When Pierre Poilievre was in government, he voted to cut $43.5 billion from health care transfers and slashed funding for key Indigenous health programs. He also refused to enforce the Canada Health Act, allowing provinces to expand for-profit health care and opening the door for corporations to profit from Canadians’ health needs.

The Liberals claim to champion health care, but over the past decade, they’ve enabled Conservative premiers and CEOs to cut essential services. Their plans fail to address underpaid health care workers, enforce service standards, or resolve staffing shortages, and they allow for-profit companies to lure nurses away from the public system. For-profit health corporations like Canadian Surgery Solutions and Maple continue to offer pay-for-access care, undermining the public system.

Poilievre has promised to maintain Trudeau’s health care plan, which leaves public health care vulnerable to further privatization. Protecting public health means having the courage to defend it and implementing real solutions so care is provided based on your health card, not your credit card.

Thanks to New Democrats, Canadians now have access to dental care and improved coverage for birth control and diabetes medications. The NDP will keep fighting for you by:

  • Improving working conditions for health care professionals to boost patient care and reduce burnout.
  • Collaborating with provinces and territories to recruit, retrain, and retain more doctors and nurses across Canada.
  • Streamlining licensing for internationally trained health workers and creating a pan-Canadian license so professionals can work anywhere in the country.
  • Strengthening the Canada Health Act to stop the expansion of for-profit care and introduce strong accountability for improving health services.
  • Investing in better home care and long-term care so seniors aren’t stuck in hospital beds waiting for placement.
  • Implementing universal, free prescription medication so no one has to choose between their health and paying the rent.

The NDP is committed to defending and strengthening public health care, ensuring it’s there for everyone when and where they need it.

With regards to the reproductive rights of women, we need a Prime Minister who will deliver real action and funding—not just empty promises—when it comes to reproductive health care.

  • Abortion is health care. It’s unacceptable for governments to allow barriers that prevent women from accessing the care they need.
  • Universal public health care, including abortion, is a core Canadian value. Yet, access to publicly funded abortion services remains unequal across provinces and territories. Depending on where you live, you might have to pay hundreds of dollars out of pocket for abortion care.
    • Women and gender-diverse people in rural and remote areas face even greater challenges. Many are forced to travel hours to reach services. Only one in six hospitals in Canada provides abortions, and very few clinics exist outside major cities.

Meanwhile, the anti-choice movement is influencing the Conservative Party:

  • Pierre Poilievre’s MPs are pushing to restrict access to safe abortions, and he refuses to stop them.
  • Poilievre has voted five times for laws that would limit a woman’s right to choose.
  • He sometimes claims to be pro-choice, but his voting record tells a different story—and we have no idea who he’d appoint as health minister if given the chance.
  • The Conservatives also voted against free birth control for nine million Canadians, and Poilievre has promised to cut it.
  • The Liberals, too, have let women and gender-diverse people down:
  • They talked about supporting abortion care, but after years of letting clinics close in some communities, they slashed funding.
  • Organizations like Abortion Care Canada, which relied on the federal Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund, have seen their financial support denied or reduced—even as demand for their services increases.
  • The Liberals’ failure to provide stable, permanent funding for sexual and reproductive health organizations puts people at risk, especially those already facing barriers to abortion access.
  • Saying you support a woman’s right to choose means little if women can’t actually get the care they need.
  • The NDP is committed to enforcing the Canada Health Act to guarantee equal access to publicly funded abortion care across every province and territory. We will stand with women and gender-diverse people, fight back against Conservative attacks on reproductive rights, and ensure that abortion care is recognized and protected as essential health care.

I wish you all the very best on the upcoming birth of your child. Thank you for sending me these very important questions.

Warm regards,

Phaedra Idzan

NDP Candidate

Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies

Through this process, I’ve learned how difficult it can be to contact political parties. Some candidates have disabled messaging on social media or listed no email addresses. In some cases, I could see that my messages were read but never answered. When trying to reach federal leaders, their websites often limit communication to character-restricted forms, making it impossible to share stories or ask meaningful questions.

How does this affect our voices? If politicians say they represent all Canadians, shouldn’t they make it easier for us to speak with them?

I encourage everyone to reach out, ask questions, send emails or messages, request meetings, and start tough conversations about the issues that matter most to you. This election may be one of the most significant in our lifetimes. Whether your concerns are about health care, housing, addiction, child care, or the workforce—parties must be held accountable.

They need to answer our questions.
They need to listen.
And we, as voters, deserve to be heard.

— Amanda Horner

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