JOHN C. TURNER
INDEPENDENT
Age: 55
Occupation: Investigator
Residence: Munson
Family: Common-law married
John C. Turner said he’s always voted for conservative parties in the past but was not happy with how the latest crop of politicians are treating our tax dollars. He decided to get involved after the auditor general outlined how politicians had been using tax dollars to pay for flights for family members and other designated travellers.
Turner, who was a Canadian Armed Forces paratrooper for 10 years and later spent several years rescuing children from cults, said he voted for a member of Parliament and not all the other “add-ons.”
“It’s a terrible waste of money,” he said, adding MPs should be leading by example. By running as an Independent he can retain his conservative views but can bring some new ideas. For instance, if elected he would take a 33 per cent pay cut.
“Quite frankly, I don’t think any of these MPs are worth $157,000 a year — none of them.”
If one MP was to take a precedent-setting pay cut, constituents in other areas would take notice, he said.
“What will happen is there will be people, for example, in New Brunswick saying, ‘Hey, if that guy in Alberta could do it, how come you can’t,” he said. “So it’s really going to be the people who are talking about this stuff. I honestly feel that way.”
One of the biggest issue in the campaign is the question of why there is an election in the first place, he said. “When I talked to people so many say, ‘Why are we having this?’”
While the Conservatives have blamed the election on the Opposition, Turner said the Conservatives were clearly expecting an election and began running attack ads months ago. “They were getting ready to do this. They saw the poll numbers and thought they were going to grab a majority.
“I think (the election) is useless. They pushed the other parties into voting against the government. They played them like a bunch of cheap pianos.”
Another important issue is government honesty.
“Honesty from my own government, that for me as an Independent that’s why I really wanted to run.”
He supports the purchase of F-35 fighter jets that have been criticized as too expensive by Opposition parties. “I think we should buy them. I’ve got no issues with that.
“But you know what if it’s going to be $30 billion, just tell us it’s $30 billion and let the people decide if they are going to vote on that or not. Don’t say it’s $16 billion and we find something different. That’s basic dishonesty.
“They must assume people are stupid.”
Turner said he believes the prime minister deceived the Canadian public when he told them how much the plane deal would cost.
“And you know what, that’s why the other parties asked him about it.”