Federation City, Greater Acadia – As the current election heats up, we at the Greater Acadian Times had the chance to sit down with Christine Belle, current Prime Minister and candidate for the Social Democrat Party. As of now, the SDP leads with a plurality of votes both in the electoral race as a whole and within the Forward Acadia Coalition. Our own Maxwell Gaunt sat down with Ms. Belle to ask her about her plans to tackle issues facing the Acadian people.
The following is a transcript highlighting the key moments from said interview:
Gaunt: “Good morning Prime Minister. Thank you for taking the time to sit down with us.”
Belle: “Good Morning Maxwell. Happy to be here.”
Gaunt: “Excellent. Now I wanted to start off with the accomplishments you managed to tackle in your short time as prime minister. Most notably the handling of the Kerlian Crisis. How would you that has turned out?”
Belle: “Quite well I would say. Overall, relations with Kerlile have normalized somewhat since then. We’re no longer at the point of a potential nuclear exchange.”
Gaunt: “There are some who question the ‘lax response’, in their words, to the crisis. They say that, instead of normalizing relations with Kerlile, we should be increasing sanctions and building up our military presence on the border.”
Belle: “We tried that. It pushed them into the arms of Xiomera, who gave them more advanced weapons which, in theory, could’ve allowed the Kerlians to do significant damage to our country. I doubt those who say such things would be quite as gung-ho about it if their house got bombed.”
Gaunt: “And on the subject of Xiomera, many Acadians view them as a threat, especially those in the Caxcanan Immigrant communities. The rampant intimidation of those, particularly of Xiomeran and Huenyan descent is alarming, wouldn’t you agree?
Belle: “I agree wholeheartedly. Xiomera has shown that it does not care about the sovereignty of other nations. Both from their actions of intimidation in Acadia, as well as their ongoing assaults on Huenya and other Caxcanan states. We need to stand up to defend freedom and democracy, as well as national self-determination.”
Gaunt: “And how would you tackle those issues at home. The intimidation I mean.”
Belle: “We already have measures in place. The Mounted Police are working hard to keep a lid on those illegal police stations that plagued our country many months ago. We’ve also set up hotlines for people to call if they receive intimidating calls or harassment. We’ve already seen rates of these crimes go down.
Gaunt: “And how would you tackle Xiomera’s aggression abroad?”
Belle: “We already are working to reduce the damage Xiomera could cause on the international stage. Our efforts to arm Huenya to resist Xiomeran invasion has already borne some fruit. And we’re working closely with partners in the Union of Caxcanan States to help bolster their ability to resist Xiomeran aggression.”
Gaunt: “Alright, let’s move on to more domestic issues. Housing. Many Acadians are struggling to find a place to live. Your government has passed a number of measures to increase the number of new units being built. However many Acadians feel it is not enough. Would you support greater measures to increase housing funding?”
Belle: “The issue there is that housing takes time to construct. Our measures are more than enough to meet demand. It will just take time for construction firms to actually build the home.”
Gaunt: “So you feel you are already doing enough?”
Belle: “As of our current data, yes.”
Gaunt: “And would you ever be open to increasing funding to housing solutions?”
Belle: “If the need develops, yes.”
Gaunt: “Good, good. With how violence seems to be propagating, particularly with current events in Zongongia, many are worried that our military is not ready to keep Acadia safe. Some have even called a renewed call for conscription to increase troop numbers. What would you say to that?”
Belle: “I can assure you and the public that our military is more than ready to meet the challenges we face. The reality is that the nature of war has changed. Masses of troops are no longer a benefit. In reality, they are a detriment. Troop quality is more important today than in the past, especially with how technology-oriented the battlespace is.”
Gaunt: “One final question. The Economy. While growth has been stable, many are stating that with increased immigration the overall quality of life of Acadians is going down. What would you say to this?”
Belle: “Well, I think this is a manufactured issue. Really, the economy is doing well. Our productivity is up. Firms are growing or being established by immigrant citizens. Overall, I’d say Acadia is doing well.”
Gaunt: “Thank you Prime Minister. That will be all. Thank you again for taking the time to speak with us.”
Belle: “Thank you for the invitation.”
