Unsure who to vote for? Want to know more about your local candidates? Black Press Media has asked candidates to provide a short biography as well as answer key questions to help readers understand more about who is running in their ridings in the upcoming federal election. Be sure to check back for updates and videos

Juliette Sicotte - Liberal Party - Okanagan Lake West-South Kelowna

Bio

Juliette Sicotte is proud to be the Liberal candidate for Okanagan Lake West-South Kelowna. Proud of her M茅tis/Cree heritage, she was raised with the values of determination, resilience, and community in Snow Lake, Man., where she grew up in a family of eight. 

Her journey has taken her from Snow Lake to Yellowknife to Vancouver, and for 30 years, she has called Kelowna home. Throughout her career, she has connected with entrepreneurs and small business owners in various sectors, including mining, fine arts, fashion and technology.

From her own experience, Juliette knows that removing interprovincial trade barriers is key to boosting the Okanagan香蕉视频直播檚 economic activity, strengthening national unity and protecting Canada香蕉视频直播檚 sovereignty. Supporting sustainable infrastructure for agriculture and housing that accounts for climate change and making life more affordable for Okanagan Lake West-South Kelowna is the goal.

Juliette香蕉视频直播檚 vision is a future where every Canadian, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to succeed and thrive 香蕉视频直播� a future grounded in unity, sustainability, and economic prosperity.

Questions

1. What will you do to address the rise in non-violent and property crime? In some communities, donation boxes at charity shops have been robbed and in other areas, thefts, shoplifting and related incidents have been seen.

1. Besides immediately supporting funding programs that deal with persistent offenders at this level, we need to instil a new sense of purpose in our young people. 

The Liberal party is taking action with a comprehensive plan that tackles crime at its roots. Our Made in Canada plan supports law enforcement, keeps violent offenders off our streets, and puts community safety first.  

Poilievre香蕉视频直播檚 Conservatives want to import broken policies from the United States. The Liberal plan includes recruiting 2000 new RCMP and CBSA officers, a crackdown on illegal drugs and guns coming from the United States, providing more funding to prosecute violent criminal gangs, and proposing stricter bail laws for home invasions and car theft.

2. Considering numerous expressions of hate in this riding in recent years 香蕉视频直播� at least six incident in Summerland alone since 2020 香蕉视频直播� and considering online bullying and harassment, what changes would you propose to address hate speech and harassment, physically and online?

2. I won香蕉视频直播檛 nurture it. Bigotry has always been there. I can tell you that from my experience, but we all know where this new open bigotry is coming from. 

We all know that using mean-spirited suggestions of misogynistic, racist and anti-gay rhetoric to 香蕉视频直播渙wn the Libs香蕉视频直播� is a divisive tool for some in politics. 

I香蕉视频直播檝e never met anyone who claims to be racist. 

I hear a lot of dark innuendo coming from Poilievre and minions concealed as, 香蕉视频直播渏ust giving you the facts.香蕉视频直播� Anyone can be targeted. What to do? Start early. Make it so that our young people get around the country and the world more, and support youth exchange programs. 

So what香蕉视频直播檚 a solution that doesn香蕉视频直播檛 take 20 years to bear fruit? Prosperity tends to weaken the bigot's point of view. Building a sustainable diverse economy with real opportunities for every age group is a social goal as well as economic.
 
3. The Okanagan Valley has an aging population, In West Kelowna, 21.4 per cent of the population is 65 and older. In Summerland, that number rises to 31.9 per cent and in Peachland, those 65 and older make up 38.5 per cent of the population. What will you do to ensure there is enough housing and long-term care services to meet the needs of this segment of the population? If this is not an issue you would advocate for, why not?

3. This is a critical issue for me. Everyone is affected. 

Seniors must have easy access to housing and services. I mean easy for them to access. An app on an iPhone doesn香蕉视频直播檛 help my 88-year-old mother-in-law. She香蕉视频直播檚 still sharp as a tack but the level of complexity that confronts her to simply get information can be an enormous disincentive. Especially for someone on their own for the first time after a spouse's death. 

I think you can judge a society by the way they treat their elderly and we need to improve drastically. Hopefully every one of us gets the opportunity to grow old but that shouldn香蕉视频直播檛 mean growing irrelevant.
 
4. If elected, how would you advocate for Okanagan farmers who are being impacted by both sides of the trade war? Famers are having difficulty accessing affordable inputs that are largely produced in the USA, like fertilizer, and are fearful that they will be unable to sell products south of the border at a profitable price.

4. I would support and pursue funding to balance any tariff damage and also climate damage to make our farmers and orchardists whole. 

Now, more than ever, our agricultural sector is a critical strategic industry. Inputs like fertilizer can be manufactured here in Canada. 

This won香蕉视频直播檛 happen overnight but we香蕉视频直播檙e the world's largest producer of potash and these tariffs should redirect fertilizer production to Canadian domestic markets.
 
5. If elected and your party doesn香蕉视频直播檛 form as government, how will you best represent your riding?

5. With decency and dignity. I香蕉视频直播檒l continue to promote simple decency in our discussion and dignity in how we treat each other and how the government should treat its citizens. 

I would continue to espouse the things we香蕉视频直播檝e brought up here but also other issues to continue making community life in the Okanagan a pleasure and not the every man for themselves struggle that I fear a Poilievre government envisions for this country.