Earlier this year, Josée Léger did a short profile for The Athenaeum on Kings-Hants Liberal candidate Kody Blois when it was announced he was running in the federal election. After reaching out to him several weeks ago, Blois agreed to do a follow-up interview so the student body could get a more in-depth idea of who he is, what his party stands for and why Blois believes you should vote for him. On September 20th, 2019 I sat down with Blois for him to answer some questions voters in his riding may have.
A brief summary of the platform that Blois is running on during this election:
As a representative of the Liberal Party, Blois expressed that it is his responsibility to articulate the views of the party. At the time of the interview, the Liberals had outlined some of their key priorities such as Canada’s Pension Plan (CPP) and support for seniors, however, they had yet to unveil their major platform which Blois indicated that he “will be a catalyst supporting that as a Liberal Party member.”
Blois shared that he had the ability to be on almost 10,000 doorsteps in the area so far and intends to come up with local priorities that are based on concerns shared from the individuals in Kings-Hants that he has talked to.
“Agriculture is the backbone of the economy here in Kings-Hants, so I will be an advocate for agriculture,” he noted. Blois then went on to discuss how he will be outspoken and a proponent for the agriculture industry within Nova Scotia if elected.
Supporting sport and recreation is a place of importance for Blois as he believes it has tremendous benefits for our community. Additionally, Blois touched on the arts and the level of significance culture has in communities.
Regarding the Liberal Party Blois said, “On the doorstep, some of the big things I hear are about the environment being a top priority, healthcare and the federal government’s role, rural broadband internet, cost of living, affordability” While Blois notes that there is a plethora of different issues, the ones he mentioned are just some of the big ones that the Liberal Party wants to deal with if re-elected.
The most important Public Policy issue within Nova Scotia?
Every candidate, as well as every citizen, all have different priorities and values regarding politics and political change. It is vital for candidates to express what they believe needs to be focused on within their jurisdiction.
Blois admitted that he didn’t know if he could narrow down the most important Public Policy issue to just one, as there are so many issues that need to be tackled. Instead, Blois offered his biggest three: “They would be the importance of agriculture, sustainability, and supporting the people who need the support the most within a community.”
Touching on these issues, Blois said that there is already a good local movement to supporting local agriculture in the area, however, he would want to enhance this support in whatever way he can.
How has Blois’s past experiences prepared him for this election?
Prior to becoming immersed within the political world, Blois played competitive hockey at Brock University. During the interview, Blois remarked on how competitive sports teach goal setting and working hard in order to achieve the goals you have set out. Most significantly his time in hockey has prepared Blois because “they say politics is a team sport and that you need to work collaboratively with others around you.”
“The ultimate thing for me is my background growing up in a working-class family,” Blois noted.
He went on to discuss that affordability is a big issue and on many of the doorsteps, he sees people struggling. Blois emphasized that when you see people struggling, you have to be able to relate to it.
“My father was a truck driver and my mom’s an administrative assistant. While sport is a piece of it, my upbringing in a working-class family is what has been important to me so I can relate to working folks in my riding.”
What will help Blois secure the student vote?
Here in Kings-Hants particularly, students are arguably one of the most important groups within Blois’s electoral district. When discussing what he has that will result in students voting for him, Blois discussed how he is a young candidate at only 28 years old. He understands the cost of education and the burden that cost can be for students wanting to gain an education. He notes that this is something that his opposing candidates may not be able to relate to.
“For young people, the environment is important. I will be an advocate for that,” Blois announced when discussing how the climate crisis primarily weighs heavy on the minds of students right now.
Touching on the Climate Crisis:
The day of our interview was the first day of Global Climate Change Week. Prior to conducting the interview, Blois took me to the Clock Park to hear him speak to Lily-Beth, a young student plagued by the Climate Crisis.
Blois told Lily-Beth that he can see the Climate Crisis is real, he can see it heavily in the agriculture from talking to farmers in the surrounding area. For Blois, there is no convincing him that climate change is something that needs to be invested in to make a proper change. He wants to be an advocate if elected in investing time and money to help fix this crisis.
While Blois explained some of the challenges of fixing climate change to Lily-Beth, he also explained solutions governments could implement such as the single-use plastics ban or solar power. Blois then asked her for suggestions on what she believes to be the solutions to climate change.
Throughout their interaction, Blois never attempted Lily-Beth to hurry up, regardless of his busy schedule for the day, and instead indulged her and asked her to share and speak more. Later on, Blois noted that although Lily-Beth is ten years old, it doesn’t discredit her ideas and he takes what they discussed seriously and to heart.
“It is the time to adapt,” Blois stated. Although it is difficult to adjust to a greener future, Blois stressed the necessity for Canada to make the effort to do so.
Trudeau’s ‘Brown-face’ picture and why you should keep faith:
In the few weeks prior to our interview, some detrimental information has come out regarding the leaders of both leading parties: Justin Trudeau’s ‘Brown-face’ picture and Andrew Scheer’s same-sex comments. I felt that it was important, if he was able to, to hear Blois’s response to Trudeau’s photo and what he has to say to his party supporters that may encourage them to keep their faith with his party and Trudeau moving forward?
Blois discussed that Trudeau out-right apologized right away and has taken responsibility for the photo instead of making excuses for it.
“As it relates to the question of why to continue supporting the party, I would look back to the past four years.” Blois then went on to discuss how 92% of the promises made in the 2015 election have been met or are in the process of being met.
He went on to say that the party has done some really good things and his worry is that if Canada ends up under a Conservative government, that there will be major backtracking on many of the amazing social programs, climate initiatives and support systems that have happened in the past four years.
“We take a step backwards on the environment. We take a step backwards on women’s reproductive rights and many issues that Acadia students hold dear,” Blois stated.
Blois will be hoping for your vote.
For more information on the Liberal Party as well as others, you can read this article. Additionally, the resources available to students and why your vote matters.
