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Alberta 2015 provincial election

Responses from the Electoral Candidates
Responses were collected up to this date and time: 4:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 21, 2015. Any responses received by ACE after this date and time will be catalogued and added to our website at a later time. Responses are arranged according to the date we received them. The first response received in each party appears at the top of that section.

individual candidate responses
David Mayne Reid, Green Party of Alberta candidate for Calgary-Bow
Coral Bliss Taylor – Green Party of Alberta candidate for Chestermere-Rocky View

Date: Monday, April 20, 2015/7:48pm
Subject: Re: Arthritis in Alberta
From: David Mayne Reid, Green Party candidate for Calgary-Bow

Response:

Thanks for sending me your survey on how the Alberta Government should deal the many serious issues regarding arthritis. I must point out that at this stage I am merely one of a number of candidates in the upcoming election and perhaps the best person to answer your questions would the Green Party of Alberta Leader, Janet Keeping.

However I will say the following. I have two friends and a number of relatives who have suffered from the unpleasant and debilitating effects of arthritis and myself have some degree of arthritis in my knees and hips. Thus I am all too familiar with the serious effect of this nasty disease. As a retired research scientist, a biologist, my instant response is we desperately need to give a lot more and long term funding to arthritis research. Until we gain a much more sophisticated understanding of the environmental, genetic, molecular and biochemical causes of this disease a good cure will not be found. Simply dosing people up with pain killers that have numerous unpleasant side effects is necessary, but is only a stopgap measure that does little to solve the deep underlying problem. Much better screening for potential arthritis is absolutely essential and the government needs to do much more to help those suffering from arthritis to live much less painful and fuller lives.

Yours Sincerely,

David M. Reid

Date: Tuesday, April 21, 2015/9:42am
Subject: Re: Arthritis in Alberta
From: Coral Bliss Taylor, Green Party candidate for Chestermere-Rocky View

Response:

Hi Cheryl,

I can't say at the moment that I have a plan for this issue specifically, especially as I'm not an expert in the field. What I can say though, is that I intend to address issues in consultation with experts and stakeholders including those who are directly affected. Greens have participatory democracy as a guiding principle, and I personally have done work and research in public consultation. I look forward to the chance to meet with diverse Albertans about their issues and views, collectively establishing what we think is the beat route forward in each case, and then representing them in the legislature as a people's voice.

I hope this answers your question!

Coral