Liberal leadership candidate Martha Hall Findlay said hello to the internet Thursday afternoon, and fielded questions for over an hour on Reddit, the internet’s go-to bulletin board and social discussion forum. The format was a familiar one to web denizens – something called an “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) where a person of note arrives on the site and answers users queries for a set period of time. Barack Obama did one. It’s a thing.

Anyway, Hall Findlay offered a glimpse at both her current campaign platform and her overall view of some larger social and political issues during the conversation. She also revealed she makes a mean batch of eggnog, for whatever that’s worth.

Earlier Thursday, a story from the Canadian Press noted Hall Findlay “is calling for an increase in the GST, once the economy is in better shape,” and that it would actually be “hypocritical for Liberals to now refuse to consider raising the GST back to seven per cent.”

One Reddit user wondered about that, asking how she could possibly at the same time reduce spending.

“These seem like contradictory goal (sic),” user Borror0 said, arguing that usually a tax hike would serve to fund additional spending. “Should I conclude the entirety of the GST hike would be used to pay down the debt or eliminate the deficit?” Further, he wondered, when it came to cutting spending (assuming Hall Findlay would do that), “where would you cut and to what extent?”

Hall Findlay answered the second half of Borror0’s question, managing to leave out addressing the GST increase directly.

“I would NOT spend more, I would spend smarter,” she said. “Key goals: reduce deficit and debt; spend on the things that Canada really needs to enhance economic prosperity, competitiveness, innovation, and equal opportunity (the goal is prosperity with purpose) instead of the huge amounts the Harper gang spends, for example, on advertising, management consultants, F-35’s and PMO staffing…. (those are just some of many examples of this government’s spending excesses).”

In fact, she got away without actually ever typing “GST” at all for the entirety of her AMA.

And, as it has so often in the past few months, the carbon tax reared its head, as user the04dude quizzed Hall Findlay on her support for the 2008 Liberal “green shift” policy platform.

“Stephane Dion’s green shift was labelled as ‘revenue neutral’ however only half of the proceeds would have returned to the public in income tax cuts, the others would be parceled out to unspecified groups in the form of government tax credits,” the04dude wrote. “My question to you is, should you win the Liberal leadership, do you intend to make this form of carbon tax a part of your platform?”

“I do support a price on carbon,” Hall Findlay replied. “And I do want to be sure that the revenues are used to reduce other taxes,” apparently alongside encouraging other environmental initiatives. “So, if some of that revenue could go to credits that encourage, for example, energy-efficient infrastructure as opposed to just stimulus money for back-yard decks (a la Harper),” she said.

Hall Findlay also confirmed her support for one of the internet’s favourite topics of discussion – the legalization of marijuana.

“What’s your stance on cannabis?,” user soundandfury_ asked, saying her opponent, Justin Trudeau, “has said he is in favour of merely decriminalization.”

“I have for many years said that marijuana should be treated the same as alcohol – full legalization (with the caveat that we need road-side testing capability, but as soon as we say it will be legal, someone will be sure to figure that out),” she responded.

But, she added, the term “’decriminalization’ strikes me as a ‘political’. (sic) Let’s have the guts to do what’s right. It’s economics, and it would do wonders in dealing with the criminal aspect. The Economist magazine has advocated for it for over 20 years. The Fraser Institute – that bastion of liberalism – has also called for full legalization. It’s time, and half-measures won’t cut it.”

By and large, this answer seemed to impress the Reddit community.

“A strong, sensible position on marijuana free from political cowardice, or waffling back and forth. I would have never thought it possible from a politician with an actual realistic chance of winning,” BrawndoTTM responded.

You can read the entirety of the (long) conversation here, or, if you prefer, only Hall Findlay’s answers here.