Tom Paulley, NDP Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley

Why do you want this job?

Some people say I'm crazy to want it, but I want to represent the voters in this riding in a more effective way in a government that really cares about all Canadians, not just the corporate elite.

What's the biggest issue for the country and in your riding?

I think the biggest issues for this riding are pensions. We need to improve our pension system so folks on pension don't wind up in poverty. More appreciation and help for our veterans. There's a large population of them within this riding. And to save Canada Post because we want our mail to be reliable, accessible and safe, and there are a lot of folks in this riding that are on the older end of the demographic that will find it difficult to trudge in the winter to the community mailbox, whenever those are coming.

For the country, I think it's the direction this country will go. Do we keep with Stephen Harper and his way of doing things, the scandals that have taken place during his term in office? Or do we want the New Democratic Party to govern scandal-free and with a solid platform that would help all Canadians? Or do we want the Liberals? Don't forget, not so long ago the Liberals were in the biggest scandal with the sponsorship matter.That's where it stands for the country. I hope people vote for the party I represent, for the NDP, and me in particular.

What would you do with the Senate?

Abolish it.

Winnipeg was described as the most racist city in Canada what would you do to combat racism?

There are several initiatives that the federal government can do that have been lacking in the past, and that is to stop taking aboriginal people's concerns to court. I'm just thinking of the Kapyong matter that has been dragged through the courts. Nowthe government's not appealing that decision, which is good. Sit down with aboriginal representatives, the Assembly of First Nations, on a nation-to-nation basis and talk about how we can better implement treaty rights and provide more health-care services and social services, if need be, to the aboriginal population of this country.

What role should the federal government play in dealing with climate change?

Climate change is a big issue. We can put into effect a legislation that would control emissions that are spewed out into the air, strengthen our waters and fisheries acts so those who cause pollution pay for what they doI think those are some of the things that can be done.

If there was one government policy you think is done better in another country, what is it?

It seems to me the Americans have put a lot of money into medical research. That seems to be coming up with a lot of interesting things, like stem cell research. I think that would be a good government policy from another country that we might think about doing here.

Under what circumstances is deficit spending a good choice?

If the economy is in a recession, deficits might have to be entered into for a short period of time to stimulate the economy. Continued deficits, however, could be a problem. For a short term you might need a deficit to stimulate growth.

What do you believe is the single most effective way to fight crime?

The single most effective way to fight crime is to pour more resources into prevention rather than at the back end in prisons. As a former correctional officer, I worked with so many inmates who lack education skills, literacy skills, and a lot of the inmates were unemployed or underemployed. If they had a lot of educational training, including academics and training in industries and job-related training, that would be far better than just locking people up. Cheaper, too. People need to have decent employment so they don't think crime is an option.

What should be done about homegrown terrorism?

I believe right now we have the laws in place that can deal with that. I don't think we have to go overboard on home-grown terrorism.

If there were a gay pride parade in your riding, would you go? Why or why not?

I would go because the gay community is part of our larger community.

Have either you or your family had a frustrating experience with the health-care system, and what would you do to fix the problem?

We haven't had any frustrating encounter with the health-care system. We have to put more funding into health care. Over the years, billions of dollars have been taken out. A lot of that money should be put back in. Medicare used to be funded 50/50. I'm not necessarily saying go back to 50/50, but we have to get more federal money into the system so that we can have more nurses, doctorsand technicians we need. That would hopefully cut down on waiting times and frustrations.

What would you do to get more people to vote?

Advertising to get more people to vote, indicating that every vote does count. We're part of a democracy, and it's a fundamental responsibility of citizens to partake in the democratic system, and one way is by voting.

What's a better use of federal dollars: fixing roads or building rapid transit infrastructure?

Both would be good because you need good roads to run buses on. If I had to choose, I would say rapid transit, which would include buses and rail.

Would you support legalizing a small amount of marijuana? Have you ever tried it?

No, I've never tried marijuana. NDP policy is to decriminalize marijuana. I don't think anybody with a marijuana cigarette should be thrown in jail with the key thrown away.