The CFP, or Canadian Future Party‘s, candidate for Battlefords-Lloydminster-Meadow Lake is Darrell Patan. He is running in the riding for the April 28 Federal Elections. He is sharing his perspectives on the Vista Radio questionnaire to help you in your choices at the polls.
Question 1: Tell us about yourself in relation to what’s at stake for Canada.
Patan: Well, I’ll be open and honest, just as my party aims to be.
I was a life-long conservative voter, and after the last leader was chosen and the core beliefs of the party became clearer, I knew I could no longer be part of their party.
I’ve always been right of centre and a Progressive Conservative, and those values have been wiped away. So, after 2 ½ years of hard work, we built a true hard centre-party.
To what’s at stake, Canada is facing threats from four larger nations: China, Russia, India, and now the USA. With suspected and proven government interference in both the big parties and another that has almost become militant, we need somebody that will simply work for Canadians without all the showboating that takes place in parliament. Our platform and policy are foremost about our independence, sovereignty, and security. Our official 2025 platform launches Monday, April 14, and once you have seen the other main pillars that include healthcare, housing, and immigration, among other very important policies, I hope you will see why I became a founding member with you too being convinced the Canadian Future Party suits you.
Question 2: What does your party propose to do about the trade wars with the USA and China?
Patan: Diversifying Trade and Security Partnerships with Fellow Democracies
We must move away from dependence on undemocratic states, defined as those who do not use regular and free elections to manage the transfer of political power. This includes China, which has a plan to decouple from economic engagement with the West over the next five years; let’s get ahead of their game.
Democratic values must be placed front and centre. Canada must promote trade with European allies and encourage the expansion of NATO, CANZUK, and the EU to include democratic states on all continents. The pillars of trade have always been based on trust between partners and the security required to conduct these exchanges, both of which are essential to economic prosperity.
Question 3: How would your party diversify export markets away from U.S. dependency?
Patan: Interprovincial Trade
The CFP will tackle Canada’s long-standing overreliance on the U.S. market by implementing a bold trade strategy rooted in economic sovereignty and national unity. Our plan begins by breaking down internal trade barriers between provinces and territories, ensuring that Canadian businesses, workers, and consumers can freely trade and move across the country. The CFP will incentivize the removal of these barriers and, over time, introduce consequences for those who continue to restrict interprovincial trade. This approach will empower all provinces and territories to contribute fully to building a stronger, more connected Canada.
Energy and Natural Resources
To expand global opportunities, the CFP will introduce tax and policy incentives to help Canadian businesses diversify their exports beyond the increasingly protectionist U.S. market. Strategic investments in industries like mass timber will not only reduce our dependency on U.S. exports but also support housing, climate, and job creation goals. Additionally, our climate strategy will prioritize practical emission reductions that lower energy costs while supporting Canada’s core industries. CFP policies will help future-proof Canadian access to markets with carbon regulations, such as the EU, ensuring our industries remain globally competitive and Canadians continue to benefit from strong, secure, and sustainable economic growth.
CFP supports a West-East pipeline to get Canadian oil to our democratic allies and for the approval process for resource development projects to be made simpler while, at the same time, we create an Energy Fund to direct revenue from fossil fuel extraction to support new carbon-neutral technology. Just as revenues from the horse-driven economy of the 19th century powered the transition to fossil fuels in the 20th, so must the carbon economy power the change to renewables.
Canada must embrace nuclear energy: if you believe climate change is real and a threat, then we can go nuclear within a generation. The challenge of safely storing and disposing of nuclear waste is minor when compared to the risks of rising sea levels, a melting Arctic, and global social disruptions caused by rising temperatures. Existing nuclear technology can be complemented by research into small modular reactors; both offer significant opportunities for Canada to protect our planet and grow wealthier by sharing our technology with reliable overseas partners. SaskPower’s proposal for the development of nuclear power from a small modular reactor (currently being evaluated in Estevan and Elbow areas) is a great example of this type of investment.
Question 4: On immigration – What are your thoughts or those of your party on how to get greater involvement of immigrants in the national development of Canada?
Patan: The Liberal government’s immigration policy, driven by short-term economics and politics, ignored its impact on housing, healthcare, education, and social cohesion. A target of 500,000 new arrivals per year and over 3 million temporary residents have overwhelmed Canada’s systems. Immigrants are not at fault — government mismanagement is. It’s time to fix the damage.
Immigration is vital to Canada’s future. But it must be fair, managed, and rooted in readiness. It must also respect the differing needs and capacities of provinces and territories. Canada’s values—liberal democracy, equality, and freedom—must be upheld by all Canadians, new and old. The CFP will deliver a principled, humane, practical, and nation-first immigration system with the following key reforms.
Rebalance Temporary Immigration
- Cap annual temporary residents at 200,000, returning to pre-pandemic levels
- Create provincial and territorial targets that make temporary visas contingent on their capacity (e.g., housing, healthcare, infrastructure)
- Focus temporary immigration on filling real labour gaps, especially in the skilled trades and healthcare
- Implement a special visa class for US professionals in high demand such as healthcare, defence, research, trades, etc.
- Temporary programs must not:
- Replace investments in post-secondary education
- Suppress wages
- Displace Canadians from entry-level jobs
Strategic Temporary Immigration Targets
- Set provincial quotas for international students and foreign workers
- Prioritize areas with current or long-term labour shortages
- Align immigration with employment and education outcomes
Post-Graduate Work Permit Reform
- Limit eligibility to:
- Regulated professions
- High-demand and innovative fields or PhD graduates
Restore Integrity to the System
- Reallocate resources and retrain civil servants to:
- Eliminate asylum and deportation backlogs
- Improve fraud detection and admissibility screening
- Clear all non-deportation temporary processing backlogs within one mandate
Pathways to Permanent Residency
- Create routes for long-term seasonal workers with proven economic and community contributions
- In partnership with national regulating bodies, tackle credential recognition for qualified professionals through international mutual recognition agreements that lead to a national licence.
Modernize Immigration Selection
- Maintain and refine Canada’s immigration levels plan through public consultation
- Make the Tradesperson Pilot Program permanent and increase skilled trades to 30 per cent of federally selected applicants (currently zero per cent)
- Expand provincial selection powers—offering Quebec-style control to willing provinces or territories to ensure immigrants meet their needs and are within their capacity to absorb new immigrants
Ensure Work Readiness in Regulated Professions
- Grant permanent residency for principal applicants in regulated professions only when regulatory bodies confirm clear pathways to licensing within one year of arrival
Strengthen Settlement Services
- Reform funding to:
- Reduce administrative burdens
- Provide stable core funding to high-performing agencies
- Fund some services for temporary immigrants to improve their integration into society
Enhance Security and Integrity
Safely integrate technology, including AI, to improve fraud detection and security screening.
Question 5: On Indigenous issues – How do you or your party propose to get buy-in from First Nations on projects of national interest?
Patan: CFP will launch a comprehensive national reconciliation framework developed in full partnership with Indigenous peoples and their representative organizations at the national, provincial, and territorial levels. We will also resolve all outstanding land, treaty, and governance claims within 10 years, clearing the path for renewed nation-to-nation relationships.
Question 6: On pipelines – How do you or your party propose to get Quebec on board with national projects and building pipelines through Quebec?
Patan: Pan-Canadian Utility Corridor
Canada’s first transcontinental railroad, linking eastern and western Canada, was completed in 1885. In 1962, the Trans-Canada Highway opened, providing continuous vehicle traffic to the East and West coasts. Canada launched the world’s first commercial communications satellite, Anik A1, in 1972, bringing communications to Canada’s north. Canadians can envision and build what is needed for our vast country.
The CFP advocates for a coast-to-coast Pan-Canadian utility corridor that is government-owned and operated, with extensions into the Arctic. The Utility Corridor, under sole federal jurisdiction, will allow industry to build infrastructure such as pipelines, power lines, fibre optics, etc. Roads or railways can be built in the corridor to facilitate mineral and resource extraction; pipelines will only be built based on expressed demand from domestic and allied markets.
Ignoring human mobility while envisioning the movement of goods and services is shortsighted. While demand has increased, commercial transport offerings have declined, stifled by companies favoured by past governments and oppressive regulations. The CFP supports the modernization of Canada’s national transit systems to ensure accessibility, productivity, and connectivity across the country but recognizes that these massive investments can only take place in a country where our independence is assured. Until then, major programs must be paused. We need to focus.
Question 7: What are potential solutions to housing affordability and homelessness?
Patan: National Housing Plan for Affordability, Innovation, and Access
The CFP recognizes that safe, adequate, and affordable housing is a national priority requiring federal leadership and collaboration with provinces, territories, and municipalities.
Canada’s housing crisis—both in ownership and rental markets—demands urgent, bold, and coordinated action.
The CFP is committed to restoring federal leadership in housing, investing in non-market and climate-resilient homes, and protecting the dignity of all Canadians. Our housing plan addresses today’s crisis with practical tools, innovative thinking, and long-term vision—putting people, not speculation, at the centre of Canada’s housing future.
Accelerate Housing Development with Climate-Ready Design
- Continue targeted federal investments and intergovernmental coordination to increase housing supply nationwide
- Prioritize rapid-build technologies such as modular housing, beginning on federal lands
Restore Direct Federal Investment in Non-Market Housing
- Reinstate the federal government’s role in directly funding non-profit, co-operative, and low-income housing through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
- Launch a federally funded land acquisition program for affordable housing. This temporary program will:
- Help rebalance the housing market
- Fully fund land purchases for eligible housing developments
- Require a 99-year covenant ensuring land and buildings cannot be sold or repurposed
- Eligible projects include:
- Low-income housing
- Co-operative housing
- Non-profit seniors’ residences, especially in areas outside major urban centres
Removing land costs will significantly reduce mortgage burdens and allow for truly affordable rents, especially for low-income Canadians often left out of “affordable housing” schemes.
Address Housing Within Federal Jurisdiction
- Tackle housing shortages under federal control, including military housing
- Convert underused federal office buildings into family-friendly rental housing using innovative construction methods
Expand Canada’s Construction Workforce
- Create dedicated federal immigration pathways for skilled tradespeople and construction workers—both temporary and permanent—to meet growing labor demands and avoid bottlenecks in the housing sector
Invest in Construction Innovation
- Fund large-scale pilot projects with post-secondary institutions, the private sector, and provinces or territories to test and scale up technologies that lower construction costs and speed up delivery
- Promote modern, efficient construction methods across all new federal housing initiatives
Address Homelessness with Evidence-Based Solutions
Despite billions in federal funding, Canada faces rising homelessness, worsened by inflated home prices and underperforming programs like Reaching Home.
The CFP will:
- Eliminate homelessness caused by housing market failure through non-market housing options and Housing First programs
- Tackle mental health and addiction as core drivers of chronic homelessness
- Support expert-led, evidence-based reintegration strategies to help people transition from homelessness to stable housing and community life
We will assess and reform existing federal programs to ensure accountability and effectiveness in delivering long-term results.
Question 8: What do you propose to do for the riding if elected?
Patan: It is very simple – work for the entire riding, regardless of the individual. Make sure the farmers have the programs or assistance in place to help both crops and livestock still get delivered in these uncertain times.
Give the ordinary person hope by trying to secure money for the city for these low-income housing initiatives and addressing the homelessness that has become a very sad reality across our riding.
Finally, to help our party convince the other parties, or if ever in a mandate position, to keep the promises given to the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit well over a hundred years ago. To come together and solve the biggest issues they have so we can then join as partners to help both their prosperity and ours.
Question 9: Are there any final thoughts on any topic that you would like to share?
Patan: Yes, I am just a simple man. I have worked hard my whole life, have a family, and have hopes and dreams for my children. Also, I am not highly educated or experienced in politics. However, what I do have is 53 years of being a resident of this riding, living the same humble life as most. Sometimes, we need the ground-floor politician that can truly connect with his constituents because he is simply one too.
I can only promise that I will do whatever I can to help every resident from every corner of my riding. I will go to Ottawa to keep it honest and open, but most of all, I will make sure it is fair for the people and not only the politicians.
Details on the CFP’s platform area available on its website.
