Castanet is running a series of candidate profiles in the run-up to the federal election on Monday, April 28. Between now and election day, we will publish Q&As with each of the candidates. Today, Castanet sits down with Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies Green party candidate Owen Madden to see where he stands on key issues.

Castanet: U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and annexation threats have dominated a lot of the discussion early in the campaign. What is your take on the situation and what would you do to address it if elected?

Madden: If elected, I would ask my local constituents how do the threat of tariffs, or more specifically, reciprocal tariffs, threaten you?

We hear from farmers they're worried about their inputs being able to keep their dairy farms running through the use of fertilizers and stuff like that. So I don't believe that matching tariff for tariff with American policy makes sense for some of our constituents here. I think that could represent a tax much as the same as we say the U.S. tariffs represent a tax on Americans.

When we look at trade within Canada, I think a lot of the inputs, say for farmers, can be replaced by Canadian-sourced inputs. And if they can't, then we need to make it happen.

And so having a strategic answer to the tariff threat from the south makes more sense that just a blanket reciprocal 'We’ll match what you do,' because it takes control out of our hands.

Castanet: If elected, how would you make life more affordable for people in Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies?

Madden: The issue of the cost of living is core to my life and my constituents. The folks that we work with through our business all say the same thing, they're finding it harder and harder to afford life.

The Green Party has a very simple policy in relation to that. It's good for us to understand we will have no income tax for anyone that earns $40,000 or less, and we will tax the corporations and the larger wealth owners in this nation who basically can afford to have a tax increase.

So there's definitely an addressing of the wealth disparity in this country. But also we should recognize that we'll address climate change properly and not just talk the talk, we’ll walk the walk — and climate change is driving some of those cost of living increases, such as the 25 per cent increase in my own house insurance policy.

Castanet: What do you think needs to be done to address the housing crisis, and what is your party's take?

Madden: Our party's take is that we need to build more housing. And I think that's common across many of the parties in this election, but what we're focused on is ensuring that they're affordable. What often happens is, as they shake out, the quote unquote affordable homes don't end up affordable.

There are some very wealthy and large corporations who have involved themselves in being landlords, for money, for profit, and so we need to be really, really careful about how these structures are built and how accessible they are to our constituents locally.

So yeah, that's something that we're not unaware of and are working towards.

Castanet: The Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies riding is vast. Do you see that posing any challenges for you as an MP?

Madden: Well, we live in this glorious age where we can connect through many different ways. COVID taught us that we can connect almost as well virtually using tools like Zoom.

I have no interest in spending most of my time in Ottawa, other than the times I need to be there. If I get to be the MP for this riding, my office will be very accessible, I would hope, based in Salmon Arm where I can meet folks face to face and deal with their day to day issues in person.

However, if I do not happen to be here, why not connect on Zoom? It's virtually the same thing.

Castanet: What would you do as MP to make sure small businesses in Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies are in a position to succeed?

Madden: Oh, there's a number of different challenges for small businesses locally.

For me, myself, one of the experiences I've had as a small business owner is the convoluted tax system that's been put in place in this country, which makes it needlessly hard to actually comply with tax laws.

We should have a streamlined system where it's far, far easier for small businesses to pay their CRA remittances. And it's also the case that, because it's such a disjointed and bizarre, quite frankly, system put in place, the larger corporations are able to abuse that system and not pay their fair share.

And so definitely, tax reform and bringing the archaic tax system in this country up to a modern standard is one of the key things I’d focus on.

Learn more before you vote

Get ready to cast your ballot by finding out about all the Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies election candidates here.

Castanet is also partnering with the Kamloops & District Chamber of Commerce and community business improvement associations to host an online election forum on Tuesday, April 22, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Viewers can submit questions for candidates during the event, which will be live streamed on Castanet. Voters will be able to go back and watch after the forum has concluded.

All candidates in the Kamloops-Shuswap-Central Rockies and Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola ridings have been invited to attend.