The People’s Party of Canada candidate for Grande Prairie says he’s looking to “hold politicians accountable” in his second federal election campaign.
A product of Northern BC, Shawn McLean has called Sexsmith home for the past eleven years, and says Canada’s political climate has left him “frustrated,” and looking for another option, more suited to his conservative beliefs.
“Growing frustrated with the political climate there, I sought a place where things aligned more closely with my values—a decision that led me here,” he says.
True conservatism
McLean says he first felt compelled to run during the 2021 Federal Election, after finding himself frustrated with the direction of the Conservative Party of Canada.
“I reached out directly to Pierre Poilievre, urging him to champion true Canadian conservative values- yet, with his unwavering support for O’Toole, I realized I needed an alternative [and] that’s when I discovered the People’s Party of Canada,” he says. “Now, as I embark on my second campaign, I’m eager to connect with each of you.”
The former oilfield Instrumentation Technician says it’s up to Canadians to hold politicians accountable to the people they serve, particularly during this election.
“I’m committed to dismantling censorship, exposing corruption, and challenging the biases that obscure alternatives to the entrenched governmental machine,” he says. “With your trust and support, we can forge a brighter, more transparent future for our community and our country.”
Equalization payments
McLean maintains that equalization payments are simply “unfair,” as all provinces would need to vote for change, so a “rework” would be in order upon election.
“A PPC government would reduce the size of Equalization payments to provinces to make sure the provinces with the greatest need benefit from it, and those that just continue to abuse the system are more incentivized to do more for themselves instead of doing less to get more,” he says.
He adds that if the issue goes unaddressed- the sense of division between Canada’s coasts will only grow.
“Without this key consideration addressed, we will continue to see a division fester between East and West- we’ve had enough over here,” he says.
Corruption
McLean says a vote for the PPC is one that offers a “clear path” away from “Liberal corruption,” and “repeated failures” of the CPC’s leadership.
“If elected, I would move to create an anti-corruption agency, modeled after Singapore’s success and adapted to Canada’s Constitution- this agency would have significant authority to look behind parliamentary privilege and other legal barriers to uncover corruption,” he says. “Transparency would be its foundation, ensuring every action is visible to the public.”
“People are fed up with the Liberals’ unchecked reign, a Goliath-like power, despite Trudeau’s corruption and Mark Carney’s shady past.”
Tariffs
McLean’s stance on Tariffs remains one of mutual benefit between the US and Canada. He says working with the current US administration will be critical in navigating the conflict going forward.
“Diplomacy’s about keeping things level, but it goes sideways when ego and hot tempers stir big talk,” he says. “We see a shot here- instead of locking horns, we’d rather sit down with him, work out give-and-take that helps both countries, and avoid an economic mess.”
“Our military’s underfunded, and exports still rely too much on the U.S- that’s from decades of Liberal and Conservative policy.”
