Matt Henderson, NDP Winnipeg South Centre

Why do you want this job?

I want this job because I've been disappointed with the last 10 years of governance in Canada. When I look at my kids and their kids, I see that if we continue on this way, we'll certainly have an erosion of things that have made Canada great, including health care, pensions, environmental assessment and democracy. What's great about Canada is when we work together to try and make the country fair and where everybody has the means for a decent life. So that's what I'm pushing for and that's what I want to see in Canada.

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

I think the biggest issue that's at stake right now involves disrespect for the citizenry of Canadians demonstrated by the government. There's disrespect in terms of a lack of evidence used to create legislation, there's disrespect in terms of lying in Parliament and being held in contempt of Parliament, and there's disrespect for having critical conversations about climate and allowing scientists to do their work.

I feel we need a government that is responsive to Canadians and that is honourable. In our riding we have issues dealing with poverty and social housing, which has been cut considerably by both the Liberals and the Conservatives in the last decade. Butwe have a tremendous opportunity with Kapyong Barracksto demonstrate to the rest of Canada what reconciliation [with First Nations] looks like. It's a challenge but it's also a real opportunity to show Canada how Winnipeg South Centre can share space.

What would you do with the Senate?

The NDP's position is quite clear in that we would abolish it.

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

I would do very much what I do in the classroom, and that's where we expose it and look at history. I think what we need to do as a community is go through a giant history lesson to see where we have come from, where we have shared space really well in the past, and how we can do that in 2015. A lot of that is just getting into the same room with each other, because there's a lot of othering that goes on where we assign labels like "them" and "those people." We should use education as a means to learn about our collective history.

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

The government needs to apply leadership, not only within Canada but also on the world stage. I think that we have to cap emissions, and that's what the NDP has said it would do. We need to sit down and work with the provinces to determine how we move toward less reliance on fossil fuels. We need to provide an environment for innovation and creativity, where we can create jobs in the energy sector through green energy and through energy efficiencies. It comes down to leadership, both here and abroad, and it comes down to going into November with a plan in Paris [which is hosting a UN climate change conference] to say this is how we're going to cut emissions and meet our target.

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

I really think what the Danes have done with investments in infrastructure and in public transportation has been a real model to the rest of the world. In Winnipeg, we've seen we struggle with some infrastructure fatigue, sofrom the federal government you need a commitment for predictable and stable infrastructure plans. SoI'm quite jealous of the Danes when it comes to their foresight on infrastructure and public transit.

Under what circumstances is deficit spending a good choice?

Certainly in 2008 with the recession it seemed appropriate, but I don't think now is the time. Now is the time to achieve some stability economically.

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

The stats show that crime is going down but also some of the tactics by the Conservatives haven't really worked at all. I think it comes down to attacking the root cause and that is generally poverty. We have a tremendous amount of poverty in this country, we have a tremendous amount of poverty in Winnipeg and we have a tremendous amount of poverty in this riding. We need to address this and that's something the NDP and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation has done for over a century.

What should be done about homegrown terrorism?

We have to look at the de-radicalization of kids here and the young people who are going over. It's about coming together with communities. We need to get all the communities together and have the adult conversation about this, as opposed to knee-jerk reactions.

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

I ran in the Pride Run this year. I support all communities, particularly the LGBT community. It's just a no-brainer.

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

My brother is dealing with health issues and part of the big issue has been access to affordable pharmaceuticals. I think the struggle there is we haven't had federal leadership in negotiating, on behalf of all provinces, for pharmaceuticals that are affordable. Right now we have provinces fending for themselves. Tom Mulcair and the NDP government have demonstrated that leadership when it comes to having affordable prescription drugs in this country for all Canadians to access.

What would you do to get more people to vote?

I'm trying to get people engaged by going door-to-door. I'm knocking on thousands and thousands of doors each week and talking to people about the issues. It's about inspiring voters, so I say I'm going to get back to them on election day and see if they're going to come out and vote. It doesn't matter what their age is, all Canadians need to be engaged and challenged, because this is probably the most important election of our lifetime.

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

It depends on what your municipality wants to do. If we're looking at the future, public transit seems to be the place where municipalities are going. Everybody can access public transit, so it's fair in that sense. Butwe need to look at all aspects of all municipalities in terms of what their needs are.

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

The NDP has been quite clear on its policy on decriminalizing marijuana.

At one point in my youth, I have tried marijuana.