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Infrequently Asked Questions

Winnipeg South

"In Canada, we have a very polite society, and it serves us well."

Rod Bruinooge (Conservative)

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

"My riding is going through the largest amount of growth in the province," said Bruinooge. "Because there is such a growth in residents, the existing infrastructure is somewhat taxed by the new amounts of traffic that are flowing.

"I've been advocating strongly for a number of projects to come to the area, including the Waverley underpass, as well as enhancements to some of the other roads," added the incumbent candidate.

What do you like least about politics?

"Being away from Manitoba is my least favourite thing about the job," said Bruinooge.

"I really can't complain because it's been a great honour to serve the residents of Winnipeg South."

What is your riding's best-kept secret?

For Bruinooge, it's all about the parks.

"For instance, King's Park in Fort Richmond, it's just a beautiful place to hang out that few people know about."

What is the best advice you've ever received?

"Probably the best would be from my parents, which was to always respect everyone you meet," he said. "It's something I try to do on a daily basis.

"Everyone deserves to be treated with respect. In Canada, we have a very polite society, and it serves us well," he said.

What book could you not finish?

"I was unable to finish A Brief History of Time [by Stephen Hawking], actually," said Bruinooge.

"The first half was quite comprehensible for me, and then the last quarter became a little too focused on quantum physics."

What is your usual mode of transportation?

Bruinooge's family uses a 2007 Dodge Caravan.

"We transport our family around in that, and it serves us well."

View Rod Bruinooge's Canada Votes Profile »

By Dan Falloon, a student in the Creative Communications program at Red River College.

"When I knock on a door, and the sign says they're Conservative . . . I ask them why they're Conservative, so I can learn to talk to them better."

David Cosby (Green Party)

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

Cosby said he thought that the issues in the riding were not unique, but were national in scale. He also he thought the riding's residents might have opened up about their concerns more if he was the incumbent.

What do you like least about politics?

"I don't care for the mudslinging, the accusations that are unfounded," said Cosby.

"I'd rather a debate rationally and based on honesty and integrity."

What is your riding's best-kept secret?

"I don't know," said Cosby. "If there is one, I haven't found it."

What is the best advice you've ever received?

"I'm going to say one from work from 20 years ago," he said: "Never assume. It makes an ass out of 'u' and me -- which is how you spell 'assume.'"

He added: "When I knock on a door, and the sign says they're Conservative . . . I ask them why they're Conservative, so I can learn to talk to them better."

What book could you not finish?

If a book's not interesting, "I quickly forget what I'm reading because I don't give it very much time," he said.

What is your usual mode of transportation?

Car. "I have a Honda Accord, and my girlfriend's is a Honda Civic," said Cosby. He has a car "because I live in North America, and we've built our cities around the car."

Cosby said that he'll often be found in the Civic, however, as he and his girlfriend carpool.

View David Cosby's Canada Votes Profile »

By Dan Falloon, a student in the Creative Communications program at Red River College.

"You can't beat a mother's advice."

John Loewen (Liberal)

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

A pressing issue is the lack of infrastructure, Loewen said.

"Part of the problem is these communities, the development plans don't include things like recreation centres, enough schools, and even land for churches, which is the things that make a community," he said.

"[The Liberals] are talking about surpluses. Anything over $3 billion is going to be turned back to the municipalities for infrastructure."

What do you like least about politics?

"What I like least about politics is the fact that politicians themselves aren't held in very high esteem," said Loewen. "With the new Conservative party and all the personal bashing, it lowers the bar for everybody."

What is your riding's best-kept secret?

"People don't really understand the diversity of culture that's in this riding and how much outreach is going on between the cultural mosaic and the community at large," he said.

"You look at the French culture that's thriving in St. Norbert, the strong Muslim community, Chinese communities are very strong. There's a big Italian community in the Caboto Centre."

What is the best advice you've ever received?

"I think the best advice I've ever received is from my mother growing up, to do the right thing," said Loewen. "You can't beat a mother's advice."

What book could you not finish?

First Nations? Second Thoughts by Tom Flanagan.

"[It was] on what he thought the solutions were to some of the crises that the aboriginal communities are facing," said Loewen. "I was so disturbed by it. I just couldn't read it."

What is your usual mode of transportation?

"I ride my bike downtown from my home," said Loewen. "It takes me about 35 minutes to get downtown.

"My daughter convinced me to do that, and I really enjoy it."

View John Loewen's Canada Votes Profile »

By Dan Falloon, a student in the Creative Communications program at Red River College.

"It's not what you want, it's not what they want, it's what God would want for you."

Heidi Loewen-Steffano (Christian Heritage Party)

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

"The pressing issue is the lack of preparedness towards crime, criminal behaviour and activity," said Loewen-Steffano. "People have a very naive understanding of how prevalent it actually is."

What do you like least about politics?

"That every debate gets whittled down to simply being a competition of character assassination, as opposed to focusing on the issues at hand," Loewen-Staffano said.

"It goes from being issue-oriented to character-oriented."

What is your riding's best-kept secret?

"Its cleanliness. Each household is very, very neat, and yet unique unto itself," she said.

"They all maintain the yards. The streets are maintained beautifully. The boulevards are maintained beautifully -- and yet, every business site is unique, every property is unique. They're not copycats of each other."

What is the best advice you've ever received?

"'It's not what you want, it's not what they want, it's what God would want for you,'" Loewen-Steffano said she was advised.

"That was actually told[to me] by a good friend of mine when we were discussing marriage. But I find that it relates best to just about everything."

What book could you not finish?

Interview with the Vampire [by Anne Rice]

"The imagery was not something that should've been deemed entertainment," Loewen-Steffano said.

Laughing, she added, "That's kind of all vampires for you -- but that was just way over the top."

What is your usual mode of transportation?

"Fully loaded eight-passenger van," she said. "'Fully loaded' meaning at maximum capacity -- the mom mobile."

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

"You should never ever forget that people give you the power and they can easily take it away."

Sean Robert (NDP)

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

"We've had a lot of concerns about the environment," said Robert.

"As member of Parliament, I would like to implement a national methane strategy, so it would be to capture the methane gas coming off of landfills, from livestock and from sewage."

What do you like least about politics?

"Going door-to-door…if they have a negative opinion of the NDP, I'm instantly hated," said Robert. "Even before I introduce myself, I'm already the person who . . . they don't like.

He added: "It shouldn't be this negative. We should be able to have a debate of ideas, instead of just 'you're the bad guy.'"

What is your riding's best-kept secret?

St. Norbert, with the Seine River and the Trappist Monastery, Robert said.

"It's really quite well hidden," he said. "I think a lot of people in Manitoba don't really know too much about it, yet there's this beautiful monastery with so much history."

What is the best advice you've ever received?

"In a public service role, I think that's really the best advice, is to the best of one's ability, is to try to keep the public happy and respond to their needs promptly and efficiently," said Robert.

"You should never ever forget that people give you the power and they can easily take it away."

What book could you not finish?

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

"I'm sure it's beautifully written in Russian, but my skills in the Russian language just aren't up to snuff," said Robert.

"Reading it in English, it just carried on far too long and . . . really got kind of boring."

What is your usual mode of transportation?

"This summer, and actually, this election campaign, I've made a promise that I'm not going to use a car, so I'm taking my bike everywhere," he said.

"I thought this would be a great opportunity, seeing as how I want to push an environmental agenda," he added. "This is leading by example."

View Sean Robert's Canada Votes Profile »

By Dan Falloon, a student in the Creative Communications program at Red River College.