Federal Election 2021: Beaches-East York candidate Reuben DeBoer, Green Party, answers our questions

Reuben DeBoer, Green Party candidate for Beaches-East York, answers four questions from Beach Metro Community News regarding this month’s federal election.

(EDITOR’S NOTE:  Candidates were instructed to keep their answers to approximately 150 words, and some of the responses have been edited to keep them as close as possible to the agreed word count.)

QUESTION 1: Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself and why you decided to run in this election?

I am running as the Green candidate this election to advocate for practical implementation rather than neglected promises. I previously ran provincially and federally at Eglinton-Lawrence before moving to the Beaches in June. I am eager to bring my experience and knowledge with me to my home riding, advocating for increased metal health resources, data protection, major poverty reduction, affordable housing, sustainable financing, and helping communities recover from the effects of the pandemic.
I hold a Master’s degree in Sustainability Management and I have worked closely on multiple local initiatives, including the TTC Relief Line (now Ontario Line) and the Urban Design Study of the Gardiner Expressway. I am a certified Project Manager, leading projects for one of Canada’s leading diagnostic medical testing laboratories; ranging from finance to digital integration to corporate strategy. I am dedicated to improving the quality of life for the Beaches-East York community.

QUESTION 2: What will you and your party do to reach justice with Canada’s Indigenous Peoples regarding the past abuses of the Residential School system, and will you commit to fulfilling the calls to action made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015?

All Canadians have a moral obligation to deepen our understanding and facilitate justice for the original peoples of this land. Indigenous People’s place in society must be cherished and respected. Through my work with the Green Party, I commit to:
• Fully implementing the calls by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission & Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women report, including #75: “develop and implement strategies and procedures for the ongoing identification, maintenance and protection of residential school cemeteries”
• Providing sustainable funding for new and existing Indigenous Healing Centres to rectify the harms caused by residential schools
• Honouring the original request from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for funding the work on the Missing Children and Unmarked Burials Project
• Supporting the Canada’s Human Rights Tribunal orders requiring the government to compensate the child and family victims of Canada’s discrimination; and ensure non-status First Nations’ children living off reserve have access to Jordan’s Principle.

QUESTION 3: Given the high numbers of seniors who died in long-term care facilities from COVID-19 and the deplorable conditions many of them were found to be living in by Canadian Forces personnel called in to help, what steps will you and your party be taking to help protect seniors in the future?

COVID-19 has brought to light the humanitarian crisis that’s unfolding in long-term care (LTC) homes across Canada, an issue the Green Party has raised for years. The Green Party’s National Seniors Strategy already includes implementing Guaranteed Livable Income which supplements pensions and national Pharmacare so all seniors can afford to fill their prescriptions.
Additionally, with the Canadian Forces report on current long-term care facility conditions, parliamentary Greens have already presented a petition calling on the current government to create national standards for care and staffing levels in LTC facilities under the Canada Health Act, and to

eliminate profit-making by government-funded LTC facilities. Finally, our plan acknowledges senior care must not be limited to care homes, but should include investment in a national “Aging in Place” approach to ensure every Canadian can live in their home safely and comfortably for as long as possible.

QUESTION 4: What do you think is the issue in your riding that you can have the most impact on if you are elected MP?

If elected MP for BEY, my impact will be to advocate for the implementation of policies and the financing of strategies all major parties have talked about for years but made little progress. As a successful project manager I am committed to completing projects on time, on target and within the original scope. I will take this same approach to parliament, who have been complicit with delays, broken promises and half measures.
In a political landscape full of distractions and obstacles, planning for success and accounting for the roadblocks along the way is the only way to ensure Members of Parliament can not only make promises, but keep them. My strong understanding of world class financial instruments and implementation will help get the solutions we need around long term strategies for public health, poverty reduction, international relations and, as always, serious climate action.
I believe in being stewards of what we have, while planning for a sustainable future.

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