Ottawa Citizen reporter Natasha Baldin joined the Green Party’s candidates as we watched the election results live at the Riverside Pub.
“When people think Green, they think of the environment, and if you ask people what their priorities are right now, they will say the economy or trade or immigration is on their mind, but not the environment,” said Ottawa West-Nepean Green candidate Prashanta Dhakal.
Read here: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/ottawa-green-party-optimistic
The Ottawa Citizen has compiled questions and responses from readers in and candidates for Ottawa West-Nepean. Prashanta’s responses have been included in the article. Please read below.
We do have issues with not being able to build homes quickly enough. We have regulatory hurdles and we have policies that make a lot of mom-and-pop landlords not want to be landlords. That’s part of the problem, but a bigger part of the problem was that our population growth grew too quickly. And it was completely in our hands because that population growth came from immigration. Immigration is good. I’m a first-generation immigrant myself, but it has to be controlled. It has to be at a sustainable level.
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/ottawa-west-nepean-candidates-federal-election
Reporter Delaney Smith has written a summary of the Ottawa West-Nepean All Candidates’ Debate from April 8 at Ben Franklin Place.
Dhakal agreed on the need for federal support [to municipalities[ but urged a more strategic approach.
“We need conditions attached to that funding,” Dhakal said. “We shouldn’t encourage urban sprawl. We should focus on cities that prioritize public transit.”
Please read the summary below:
Titled Dhakal: Election promises must be sustainable in the long term, I make the case that we need sustainability in all aspects of our lives – environmental, economic, and cultural. Reactivity takes a lot of our time and resources and often fails us all in the long term.
The Green Party’s mission has always been to protect our planet. In this election, I offer you the opportunity to also choose a stable and predictable society. Choose an economic model that isn’t propped up by unsustainable population growth. Choose higher GDP per capita, economic resiliency and affordable housing over a singular focus on expanding GDP. Choose to ensure the durability of our social safety nets. Choose to support local startups and incubators. And choose to keep our bright, young kids here.
Please read the full article here: https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/election-promises-sustainable
A campaign is all about bringing people, ideas, and hard work together to create something that is otherwise intangible without its ingredients.
We were out today with volunteers to set up the first of many Green Party signs to tell people that there is a green choice in this election! This is a lot of work, so we’re very grateful for volunteers taking their time and energy to help Ottawa West-Nepean make informed decisions in the upcoming election.
The Ottawa Citizen has covered our first debate for the April 28, 2025 election.
Several questions addressed climate change, to the consternation of People’s Party of Canada candidate Glen Armstrong, who claimed “uncertainty” around the science of climate change and voiced doubts on the validity of carbon-capture programs. “Carbon dioxide is a natural substance that is absorbed by plants. So why the carbon capture?,” he wondered, only to be schooled by the Green Party’s Prashanta Dhakal. “Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant in small quantities, but it’s bad in large concentrations,” Dhakal explained patiently. “We need a certain amount of carbon dioxide in order to keep the planet warm, but, if there’s too much, it’s like a blanket, it can overheat the climate … It’s absolutely known science. This is nothing new and I don’t know why we’re talking about this now.” He received a round of applause for keeping his cool on the issue.
– Lynn Saxberg, Ottawa Citizen
