Dave Phillips officially joins race as independent candidate
BY MEDICINE HAT NEWS ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2019.
Dave Phillips is now officially registered to run as an independent candidate in Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner.
Phillips, who resides in Sundre, last ran as an independent in the 2015 provincial election, where he received less than one per cent of votes.
He says he’s running in the federal election “mostly because (Justin) Trudeau has signed our government over to the United Nations through a non-binding agreement,” referring to the UN Global Compact on Migration.
Phillips says he’s also galvanized by unemployment rates and the opioid crisis, but his “best idea” is to charge people at the U.S. border for entry into Alberta, giving the proceeds back to Canadians in U.S. currency “to stimulate the economy.”
He said he wants to bring back pennies and paper dollar bills, “so everything adds up.”
Phillips said he’s not convinced that supervised consumption sites are helpful for dealing with the opioid crisis.
“I don’t know if they’re the answer, because they could be contributing to the problem, because it makes things too available for the kids to get into,” he said.
“I’m not saying I don’t like the idea, but I don’t think it’s the answer.”
Instead, Phillips suggests an opioid phone line for people to call to get help.
“I may even answer the phone myself,” he said.
Phillips also wants to “inspect every damn package that comes from China,” since that is where much of the fentanyl supply originates.
However, his views on foreign policy strike a much less aggressive tone.
“If I had my way, I’d bring home all our troops that are in foreign countries as aggressors, because you don’t start something you can’t finish,” said Phillips.
Asked which specific wars he was referring, he said, “I have f—ing no idea what the f— we’re doing. Can’t keep track of everything. But I know that we’re dropping bombs on people and s—, which we shouldn’t be doing.”
He says the troops would be redeployed to CFB Suffield and the U.S. border.
Phillips says of all the main parties, he’s most impressed with the People’s Party of Canada.
“They’ve got all the answers, but I think I’ve got a few more,” he said.
Phillips joins People’s Party candidate Andrew Nelson, incumbent Tory Glen Motz, New Democrat Elizabeth Thomson, Green Shannon Hawthorne and Liberal Harris Kirshenbaum.