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Infrequently Asked Questions

Saint Boniface

"Be kind, always."

Shelly Glover (Conservative)

What is a pressing issue unique to your riding, and what would you do about it?

The Youth Criminal Justice Act is the most pressing issue unique to her riding because there are kids out there who are falling through the cracks and there are parents who are frustrated, Glover said.

"We have adult criminals who are targeting kids with money or drugs to get them to commit crimes knowing they don't have any punishment or any real accountability," she said. "Our youth are our future. We have to do everything in our power to protect them."

What do you like least about politics?

Glover is relatively new to politics, saying she got involved when, as a mother and as a police officer, she got frustrated with the direction the world was taking.

"Now, after being involved in the election and political process, what I like the least is when parties speak negatively about one another or when private and personal issues are attacked," she said.

What is your riding's best-kept secret?

Quantity and quality keeps Glover coming back for more to what she says is Saint Boniface's best-kept secret: The Paladin Restaurant on Des Meurons Street.

"The Paladin is by far my favorite restaurant," she said, adding that it's always full, and has six or seven specials each night. Glover recommended the mushroom soup and pasta dishes.

What is the best advice you've ever received?

Glover says her parents told her to "be kind, always," and she's now passing this advice along to her children.

"As a police officer and a mother, I am in situations where discipline becomes an issue. I am in contact with people who are in tragic situations, not by choice, but by circumstance, and I really don't like it when they are treated badly," she said. "So I just say to be kind, always."

What book could you not finish?

The Flowers in the Attic series by V.C. Andrews.

"There have been a number of books I have started and never finished," she said, adding she does most of her reading on vacation. "I wish I would have finished the V. C. Andrews collection."

What is your usual mode of transportation?

"I have five children and in order to get everyone around we use a van," Glover said. She finds her vehicle very handy, especially when she is running around to soccer games.

View Shelly Glover's Canada Votes Profile »

By Candace Bowles, a student in the Creative Communications program at Red River College.

"A wise person once told me that if I wanted to be successful I should just do what other successful people have done."

Justin Gregoire (Christian Heritage Party)

What is a pressing issue unique to your riding, and what would you do about it?

While Gregoire said he wasn't "super-familiar" with the issues of the riding, but he's concerned about "moral issues" in the riding, especially in terms of pro-life and pro-family matters.

"I guess kind of my first thing upon being elected would be to figure out how … I can best help out my constituents at that point," he said. "I'd rather represent them on those types of issues there."

What do you like least about politics?

Gregoire doesn't like the "bickering" and "bringing down the other parties" that goes on.

I don't think that's the professional way to do it," he said. "I think you should just talk about, you know, what are the things that you're going to change, instead of bringing yourself up by bringing the other party down."

What is your riding's best-kept secret?

"I just like, I guess, the French culture. You don't find that anywhere else in Western Canada," he said, adding that he enjoys the Festival du Voyageur, the Franco-Manitoban Centre, and other things related to French culture.

What is the best advice you've ever received?

"A wise person once told me that if I wanted to be successful I should just do what other successful people have done. That's probably the best advice," he said. "Just a really simple philosophy that makes a lot of sense."

What book could you not finish?

"I don't think there's a book I've ever not finished," he said. "Everything I've started, I've finished."

What is your usual mode of transportation?

"It's my car," he said. "I like things done quick. So, Point A to Point B."

By Brenlee Coates, a student in the Creative Communications program at Red River College.

"We must have a healthy environment and help the economy."

Marc Payette (Green Party)

What is a pressing issue unique to your riding, and what would you do about it?

Climate change is a pressing issue in all ridings in Canada, Saint Boniface included, Payette said.

"We must reduce greenhouse gases and pollution and we will use the revenue for that to cut income taxes and payroll taxes," he said.

"We must have a healthy environment and help the economy."

What do you like least about politics?

"It would be nice to have some respectful debates which I think there used to be," Payette said, adding that he feels there is a lack of decorum in debate, and with the last couple of years, it has worsened.

What is your riding's best-kept secret?

The Seine River and the Red River are his riding's best-kept secrets, Payette said.

"With the Seine River, you can take a canoe ride and not realize you are in the city," he said. "You are surrounded by forest and on a sunny day with a blue sky, it is very enjoyable."

What is the best advice you've ever received?

"The best advice is not to lie," he said. His mother told him this at a young age, he said.

What book could you not finish?

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.

Coles Notes have helped Payette get through long books, he said, but he never finished the Dickens classic.

"It was about 800 pages, I think, and there was no movie out then so I couldn't even watch it," he said.

What is your usual mode of transportation?

Walking.

Payette wants to do all he can in order to help the environment and feels there are a few bonuses that go along with that.

"I walk to help my health, help the environment and help my pocketbook," he said.

View Marc Payette's Canada Votes Profile »

By Candace Bowles, a student in the Creative Communications program at Red River College.

"If you want to get a job done the best way to do it is do it yourself."

Matt Schaubroeck (NDP)

What is a pressing issue unique to your riding, and what would you do about it?

Culture and theatre have been cut drastically in Saint Boniface under the Conservative government, Schaubroeck said -- especially the franco-Manitoban theatre.

"I am looking to get all the funding reinstated and more," he said.

What do you like least about politics?

"What I least like about politics is the attacking that goes on between people," said Schaubroeck.

He does not like these attacks for the fact that they are just "shallow petty arguments."

What is your riding's best-kept secret?

Schaubroeck enjoys spending time in Winnipeg's Whittier Park, north of Provencher Boulevard near Fort Gibralter, site of the annual Festival du Voyageur.

"There are paths where you can go hiking and biking," said Schaubroeck. "It is just a beautiful part of town."

What is the best advice you've ever received?

"If you want to get a job done the best way to do it is do it yourself," Schaubroeck said.

What book could you not finish?

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

"I couldn't finish it for the life of me," Schaubroeck said. "It just made me angry."

What is your usual mode of transportation?

"I walk everywhere. I don't have a car," said Schaubroeck.

View Matt Schaubroeck's Canada Votes Profile »

By Candace Bowles, a student in the Creative Communications program at Red River College.

"If you don't lie, you can't get caught in those lies."

Raymond Simard (Liberal)

What is a pressing issue unique to your riding, and what would you do about it?

Simard said he's been hearing about a lack of childcare spaces from people right across his riding. Many families are having trouble finding spaces for their children, and Simard says he's ready to take action.

"What [the Liberals] are ready to do about it is create 165,000 childcare spaces across Canada with national standards and funding for training for qualified people and paying them well -- paying childcare professionals what they deserve," he said

What do you like least about politics?

What Simard likes least about politics is the stereotype that comes along with the job.

Contrary to the stereotypes, politicians do work hard, he said, and they do care about what they are doing.

"When I was in business practice, I was a respectable businessman and when I went into politics, I was the crooked politician," he said. "I find that very distasteful when I work hard to go to my schools and talk to young people and show them we are just regular people of the community."

What is your riding's best-kept secret?

Simard enjoys Saint Boniface's multicultural flavour.

The east Winnipeg riding is known for its strong francophone community, he said but it also has a whole variety of other communities.

"The Anglican community, the Muslim community -- there are mosques in my riding, people don't necessarily know that," he said.

"It is really something when I am invited to events in the Polish community, Ukrainian community; they are really strong here as well. So I would say that that is something that most people don't know about."

What is the best advice you've ever received?

Simard said received the best advice from his parents early in his life.

"I think honesty, integrity and hard work are what my parents certainly taught me well over the past years," he said. "I think in the end that always serves you well. And if you don't lie, you can't get caught in those lies."

What book could you not finish?

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.

Simard started reading this book six or seven years ago on vacation and said he probably won't continue reading it any time soon.

"It was too complex, too deep to read on holidays," he said. "I love reading books, but sometimes you have to be in the right frame of mind as well."

What is your usual mode of transportation?

Simard says he relies on his own vehicle -- a Lexus ES 330 -- because being on time is important to him.

"I usually travel with my vehicle because I never just go to the office -- I will be going from one event to the other and it is important for me to be on time because I have people waiting for me," he said.

View Raymond Simard's Canada Votes Profile »

By Candace Bowles, a student in the Creative Communications program at Red River College.