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Economy - Valley residents and businesses are feeling the pinch of the global economic uncertainty. What economic planks are in your election platform?

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The Green Party will measure what counts: along with the gross domestic product, which tracks how much money changes hands, we will measure whether that economic activity makes us healthier and better educated, and the environment cleaner.

* Invest in Canada: We will restore the tradition of investing in public facilities and services - the things that link us across our vast geography.

* Close the gap: To ensure a thriving and secure middle class, the bulwark of a healthy democracy, and move toward equity, we will: bring in income splitting and low-income support as part of our green tax shift; eliminate income tax for those earning $20,000 or less; work toward a guaranteed annual income in place of the current maze of programs; ensure universal access to excellent childcare and early childhood education; support parents who take time from their career for child

Rearing; cut debt for post-secondary students through measures including a Canadian national student loan and bursary

Program - forgive half the loan for students who complete degree or certificate programs; expand industry-based job training and apprenticeship to reduce the shortage of trained workers.

* Make tax sense: to promote what's good, target what's bad, and ensure we live within our means, we will bring in a $50 per tonne carbon tax and develop taxes for toxic chemicals. Use that revenue to cut payroll and income taxes, and reduce employers' contributions to employment insurance and the Canada Pension Plan.

* Cut corporate tax by $50 for each tonne of carbon emission reductions, to create a $100 per tonne saving when combined with avoided carbon tax.

* Return the GST to six per cent, to invest in infrastructure. Expand the exemptions on food items, and extend them to

children's clothing and books. Provide rebates for rural Canadians.

* Create healthy businesses: to ensure strong, Canadian businesses, in addition to carbon cutting measures that will promote new industries and jobs, we will assist small businesses through green venture capital funds and tax shifting.

* Renegotiate the North American free trade agreement.

* Support the family farm. Provide GST rebates and compensation for protecting ecological services, such as wildlife habitat.

* Encourage production and consumption of Canadian agricultural products, especially organically grown. Harness local knowledge to protect fish stocks. Ban offshore draggers and support only sustainable aquaculture.

Environment - Canadians agree that the devastating effects of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions must be curtailed. Detail your approach to achieving meaningful reductions in greenhouse gases.

The Green Party wants to transform our climate, and economy. In addition to the Green Tax Shift, we will cut greenhouse gas emissions to 30 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050. Use cap and trade, with hard caps, for some large polluters. Expand research and development of low-carbon technologies.

* Improve energy productivity through smarter regulation of large appliances and vehicles, and a national program to retrofit existing buildings. Support only bio-fuels that actually save carbon emissions and don't distort food supplies or prices. that means no corn- or grain-based ethanol.

* Participate constructively in global negotiations.

Agriculture - Soaring production costs, global market forces and stagnant commodity prices are strangling valley farmers. What policies do you propose to restore agriculture to a vibrant industry?

Agriculture is of vital importance to our riding of Tobique-Mactaquac. I think government, federal and provincial, and it's citizens have to have a talk. The Green Party wholeheartedly supports the family farm. The Green Party supports purchasing all of our food from within a 200 km distance from where we live. The Green Party supports the reduction of chemicals in the production of food. But there are questions, even for me. We need to talk. Do we as a society want healthy farms? Farmers must not just survive, they must prosper. Are we willing to regulate the food distribution system in order that the farmer receives a fair share of the price charged to consumers? Are we willing to pay more for this to happen? Is food security important to society, and what must all of us do, not just government, to make sure that this happens? I don't have the answer but I want to start talking. The issues are just too important.

Forestry - New Brunswick's lumber and pulp export markets have almost disappeared. What can your party do to help the forestry industry thrive again?

Forestry is undergoing tremendous pressures and restructuring. It is vital that all players, industry, government and communities work together to ensure the survival of a sustainable forest. Recent provincial changes to silviculture are beyond my understanding.

The Green Party values both living and cut trees. Living trees serve as a storage house for carbon and forest stewards will be awarded with carbon credits, which in a carbon trading system will have economic value to offset thinning, replanting and harvesting costs. People who manage their woodlots for sustainability will be heroes and will be recognized as such! The Green Party will work with the forest industry to develop value added products. The Green Party does not support the export of raw logs.

What other issues do you feel are important to Tobique-Mactaquac voters?

Two issues that are in the forefront of everybody's mind are the two E's- energy and education. Every business person, truck driver, forestry worker wants to know who is going to make the price of gas or home heating oil affordable. I am afraid to say that I can't do that. Canadians will never be the one to set the price. The "world" does that.

The Green Party wants to try a new way. We must invest in reducing energy consumption, we must use less "carbon" fuels, we must use more wind and solar. Why does Mars Hill, Maine, have a wind farm? Why do we spend all the energy to truck biomass from our forest on the Tobique to burn in a biomass boiler in Fort Fairfield, Maine? What is government doing? Ask Steve Harper and his friends in the tar sands.

Students want answers. How to we pay for our education? I get good marks and work two jobs and I am scared to go to school because I am not sure I can pay my student loan off and live. Pretty important questions.

The Green Party would cut debt for post-secondary students through measures including a Canadian national student loan and bursary program and forgive half the student loan for a student completing a recognized degree or certificate program. But is it enough? I'm like Oprah. I think we need to have a talk again. How do we value our students? How much as a society should we invest in our future? Ten, 20, 100 per cent? What should we ask back from the student? Three years in the public service? Two years in Africa working to improve the lives of others? I want to talk about this stuff.

We have great people in Tobique-Mactaquac and on Oct. 14 I am sure they will vote Green. We have great ideas and we need to sit at the table where the decisions are made. Thank-you for this opportunity to share our policies and my thoughts with the people of Tobique-Mactaquac.