In launching his bid for a second term as Flin Flon MLA, Clarence Pettersen sees virtue in his newfound lack of party affiliation.
Tuesday marked his last day as an NDP MLA. On Wednesday, the day the writ dropped, he announced he would seek re-election as an independent.
“Then I only have to be loyal to my constituency, and I think that’s very important,” says Pettersen. “As a person, I’m a bridge builder. That’s why I was so successful bringing in the $180 million [in capital investments to the riding]. I’m very good with people. I can talk to anybody.”
He may have lost the NDP nomination, but with his past health problems resolved and a record he is proud of, Pettersen says he brings a lot to the table.
“I was able to accomplish things [as MLA] not because it was the NDP party [in government]. I want to get this straight,” he says. “The NDP party has been in 17 years, but in the last four years I changed the whole scenario from ‘everything goes to Thompson or The Pas’ to ‘Flin Flon gets its share.’”
As evidence, Pettersen points to $180 million (he says it might be more) in capital investments made or pledged to the constituency during his time in the legislature. Big-ticket items included a new ER for Flin Flon and a new school dorm for Cranberry Portage.
“I’m proud of everything I’ve done, but I think there’s more to come,” he says. “And I also think the next four years in our constituency are going to probably be the most important four years. I really believe that whoever the [MLA] is, it’s going to come down to leadership, integrity and community involvement. How much do you love this community? How much do you love this constituency?”
Pettersen says Flin Flon the community is “at a crossroads” given the planned closure of Hudbay’s 777 mine in 2020. He favours a new approach to working with the company.
“[Hudbay] is at a point [where] the mineral prices are low. We are not the most important part of their mining anymore and we have to realize that,” he says. “So we’ve got to work very closely with them. We’ve got to form partnerships. There can’t be union agreements where ‘we win, you lose.’ Those are past. We’ve got to work with them and see what they want, and get some long-term partnership that both the unions and the company are happy with.”
Pettersen views stability as the top priority for Flin Flon the community and the constituency. He wants to attract new jobs to the riding while maintaining existing ones.
He supports on moral grounds an all-weather road that would link Lynn Lake and Pukatawagan with Flin Flon, saying, “Every Canadian deserves a road to their community.”
But Pettersen says the road could also bolster the feasibility of potential mines while drawing a great deal of new business to
Flin Flon.
He says Mathias Colomb Cree Nation in Pukatawagan spends something like $500,000 a month in The Pas. A road linking the reserve with Flin Flon, he says, would divert some of those dollars here.
That would be a boon for local businesses, Pettersen says, including Flin Flon’s largest retailer.
“Big companies like Walmart, they can’t be stagnant,” he says. “They’ve got to see growth, and we’ve got – that road basically means the survival of this town.”
In terms of mining, Pettersen says he fought the NDP government over environmental laws he believes irresponsibly restrict mining.
“[If Hudbay’s] Reed Lake [mine] was coming out now, it might not be built,” he says, adding that provincial policies have “scared a lot of junior companies away.”
Pettersen says he favours environmental protections, but he believes if there is a mine within a protected zone, the borders of that zone should be adjusted accordingly.
His candidacy has elicited concern among some New Democrats who fear he could split the NDP vote and allow either the Progressive Conservatives or Liberals to capture the riding.
“I’m not worried about either one of those. I’m running to win,” Pettersen says in response.
The independent candidate says he is willing to work with whoever is in power, adding he has a good rapport with both NDP leader Greg Selinger and PC leader Brian Pallister.
Manitobans head to the polls on April 19.
