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YORKTON – Valerie Brooks is the Green Party candidate for Member of Parliament in Yorkton-Melville.

Brooks, who previously ran for the Green Party in the 2024 provincial election and the 2021 federal election, is determined to bring progressive values and a fresh perspective to the riding in the upcoming federal election.

"My drive to run—and always has been—is to give voters a real choice for change," said Brooks in an interview with Â鶹´«Ã½AV.ca

"Running for the Green Party allows people who want to vote progressive a viable choice because the Green Party has values that I think would make our communities strong and protect our environment," added Brooks.

A key pillar of Brooks' campaign is her advocacy for electoral reform, particularly proportional representation. She believes this change would not only transform the way Canadians vote but also restore faith in the democratic process.

"One of my biggest things with the Green Party is we are advocates for electoral reform with proportional representation," said Brooks.

"That would change the way people vote. Voter confidence would increase. Participatory democracy is one of our main core values. Engagement in their government and how their government runs would increase with voters because their vote would count," added Brooks.

Brooks criticized the current first-past-the-post system, arguing that it discourages voter turnout and perpetuates political apathy. 

She also highlighted the Green Party's commitment to ethics and integrity in politics, emphasizing the party's refusal to accept corporate donations. 

"We don't accept that for a couple of reasons. We don't think that it's ethically right and we don't want to be beholden to any corporation or any billionaire," said Brooks. 

"What we want to do is cleanup loopholes in taxes. All that kind of stuff is on the table to look at and reform. If voters aren't confident in how their elected representatives get elected then we're losing our democracy. We're losing the strength of our democracy and that is scary," said Brooks.

"When we look at what's happening in the [U.S.] right now, that's what could happen here if we don't clean up our system," said Brooks.

"We've been called the 'conscience of parliament' because we're all about strengthening ethics, strengthening rules and regulations around elections, and strengthening donation rules and addressing loopholes," said Brooks.

"Getting rid of the ability to corrupt the system—that's what we stand for. That is a huge part of who we are," added Brooks.

Brooks, who holds a Master’s Degree in Education and has over 20 years of experience as a teacher and administrator, is passionate about addressing local issues in the Yorkton-Melville riding. She pointed to the impact of Chinese tariffs on canola and the need for stronger Indigenous relations as pressing concerns.

"There's no need for the Chinese tariffs on canola to be continued and that's not getting enough press right now," said Brooks. 

"One of the things that I'm really serious and concerned about is how we're treating our sovereign Indigenous nations within our riding. Are they getting any press for any of the things they need or the things they can contribute to our riding in terms of their knowledge and Indigenous knowledge," added Brooks.

Brooks also called for greater autonomy and resources for municipalities to tackle local challenges, including homelessness. 

"What we need and what we want is to see more resources—more jurisdictional autonomy for local municipalities—because they know how best to solve the issues that they have," said Brooks.

Reflecting on the broader political landscape, Brooks expressed concern about the adversarial nature of Canadian politics and the inefficiencies it creates. She argued that proportional representation would lead to more collaborative and effective governance.

"Right now it's an adversarial system. The Conservatives don't like anything the Liberals do—even if it's good. The Liberals don't like anything the Conservatives do—even if it's good," said Brooks, adding, "with proportional government, it's different because they're forced to have coalitions and co-operative collaborative coalitions. They would still have to work together collaboratively and bring the ideas from each party to the table."

Brooks believes this approach would result in stronger, more enduring legislation and significant savings for taxpayers. 

"If we had a government that worked to govern—to actually govern and not just get re-elected—we would be way more efficient in building something that works," said Brooks.

As the election approaches, Brooks is urging voters to consider the Green Party as a viable and ethical alternative. 

"I'm in it to actually change the system so it works better for Canadian voters and better for the Yorkton-Melville constituents," said Brooks. 

"I just need more people who believe in me and who know me to stand up and be brave and say 'this is a viable candidate, I'm voting for her,' because then more people would take a look."