NDP candidate supports education 0
Estefania Cortes-Vargas is the NDP candidate in the Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville riding. Photo Supplied
Social work student and a person with a diverse set of skills and background, Estefania Cortes-Vargas is representing the NPD for the Strathcona-Sherwood Park riding in the upcoming May 5 election.
Cortes-Vargas has one year left at MacEwan University, and was previously an educational assistant for four years. Education is a subject close to her heart, and she is focusing on that going into the election.
“I was able to get really familiar with the educational needs, especially of all the vulnerable children,” she said.
“Especially when I was working as a substitute educational assistant, I got to go visit a lot of classrooms and see the different ways and the different approaches that teachers take to helping the kids.... At the end of the day, when you work on a more social justice level, you really understand the needs that are in a classroom.”
Cortes-Vargas said one of the main issues for the Strathcona-Sherwood Park riding is the economic stability, especially with the reliance on the oil industry.
“What we’re trying to do is just balance the budget in a different way,” she said.
“We find that the Jim Prentice government is just making Albertans pay more for less. What we want to do is make things a little bit easier with a practical fund that creates jobs that’s supporting local companies. Most of the local companies are the ones that are important to most Albertans.”
As for the recently-announced Alberta budget, Cortes-Vargas said there were many cuts made.
“They’re really going to affect a lot of areas,” she said, referencing the lack of a full-service hospital in Sherwood Park.
“I feel we need to cut the waiting time by investing in long-term beds. We should eliminate the proposed healthcare levy.”
She added she believed in a more progressive income tax and that there should be fair corporate taxes.
Additionally, she said environment is another issue the NDP would deal with.
“One of the things that the NDP is proposing is addressing some of the issues of climate change,” Cortes-Vargas said.
“The NDP would take leadership on Alberta being a part of change by turning on our focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies.”
She also spoke on the importance of funding for education.
“It will also be important to make sure that having school boards, colleges and universities know that they have stable funding to count on,” Cortes-Vargas noted.
The cuts that the PC budget introduced wouldn’t take into account the 12,000 new students starting in September.”
With a Colombian and Canadian background, Cortes-Vargas described herself as a student with a learning disability and a woman in a loving same-sex relationship.
“I’ve been engaged in politics and social justice activities most of my life. I’m not a stranger to the adversity and challenges that are faced by a lot of Canadians. I know that it’s important to advocate to make sure that anything that is introduced is fair for everyone, and it’s not just for one person,” she said.
megan.voss@sunmedia.ca
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