One Foot Off Center discusses the looming federal election

Castanet is proud to present One Foot Off Center, a podcast tackling the big issues facing the Okanagan.

Rick Maddison, Ron Mattiussi, Scott Lanigan and Jeff Cox will meet every month to discuss how those issues impact everyday Canadians.

Maddison is a well-known entrepreneur in Kelowna and owner of Tempest Media. Mattiussi is the former chief administrator of the City of Kelowna and has worked in local government across the province.

Lanigan is the lead pastor of Trinity Church, one of Kelowna’s largest churches, who has served with various community groups like Journey Home.

Cox is the founder and CEO of Kelowna-based Simply Benefits.

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On this episode, the panel discusses the upcoming federal election party leadership and policies. Jeff Cox criticized the Liberal Party's economic record and what he calls the mishandling of the drug epidemic.

"I can't support a party that, for 10 years, took the the country in one direction, and then did a 180 on almost every one of their policies that they said we needed to live and die by and then today... off we go under new leadership," Cox said.

"Chrystia Freeland couldn't balance the books to save her life, and she's still on the team. Melanie Jolie, not doing a lot. When did Israel not become an ally? When did this shift? Those people are still on the team. I think they're trying to get elected, and I think we're going to go back to exactly where we started," Cox added.

Former city manager Ron Mattiussi emphasized the importance of stable infrastructure grants to support local development, including housing.

"We got to the point now where we're so busy trying to save everything, nothing moves," he said.

"As a society, we want to build houses. We got to look back at what are some of the regulations we have in place? Why are they there? What are they protecting? Is that more important than housing? I think it's time."

Trinity pastor Scott Lanigan agrees there is a need for practical solutions to bureaucratic challenges.

"I think each party offers an element of a solution that actually can make a difference. I appreciate Ron saying, you know, I'm liberal, but there's been some things I didn't like and some things I did like and to me, that's the type of perspective that's going to get us to a better country and more prosperous in the years to come."

The entire panel agrees the largest threat Canada is facing is coming from the south of the border as a result of President Trump's erratic tariff policies.

Mattiussi believes Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre is running the wrong type of election campaign to get elected.

"I think he's following a playbook that doesn't matter anymore. Let's face it, Justin Trudeau had lots of ways you could attack him. [Poilievre] never shifted to the role of a leader. He never shifted away from the fight, and now it's hurting them, because [the Liberals] they've taken away some bullets that he had."

"I think if he is a nice guy, he should act like it," says Mattiussi.

The conversation also touched on the importance of small businesses and the role of educational institutions in regional prosperity.

One Foot Off Center will be published monthly by Castanet on YouTube with an audio-only version on Spotify.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.