Voters in Hastings-Lennox and Addington have had their first chance to hear from the candidates running in the September 20 federal election.
The Napanee Chamber of Commerce hosted an all-candidates event on Thursday, featuring five of six candidates running in H-L&A including Liberal Mike Bossio, Conservative Shelby Kramp-Neuman, the Green Party’s Reg Wilson, People’s Party of Canada Candidate James Babcock, and independent Jennifer Sloan.
New Democratic Party candidate Matilda DeBues wasn’t able to attend the event, but did have a representative read a prepared statement during the evening’s introductions.
The event saw candidates outline their platforms and priorities, while answering questions on pandemic recovery, abortion and LGBTQ rights, farming, the need for better rural internet access, candidates’ community involvement and more.
While the format didn’t allow for much back and forth debate between candidates, some took the opportunity to criticize the current government and to clarify some points made by other candidates throughout the night.
Here’s a round up of some of the topics that were discussed, with the full event expected to be available to watch on the Napanee Chamber of Commerce YouTube page, on Wednesday.
What steps will your party take to make sure small business can bounce back, thrive and flourish?
Liberal candidate Mike Bossio, who represented the riding from 2015 to 2019, pushed the record of the current government, noting that the Liberals have supported small businesses with loans and grants, throughout the course of the pandemic.
He told the crowd, and about 100 viewers online, that he would continue to fight to bring economic development dollars to the region, as he has done in the past.
The Conservative’s Shelby Kramp-Neuman touted her party’s plan to increase loans for small businesses, saying the current offering from the federal government doesn’t do enough.
Sloan, who is the wife of incumbent H-L&A MP Derek Sloan and is running as an independent, said that avoiding further lockdowns is a key to helping businesses bounce back, while pledging to help small businesses “fight for their right to stay open.”
That sentiment was echoed by PPC candidate James Babcock, who said that the wage subsidies and other offerings from the feds softened the blow slightly, but the bigger issue is not allowing businesses to be able to open.
Wilson said the Green Party would continue to push investments in environmentally friendly technology, while providing money for small businesses to increase their own green initiatives.
With many businesses struggling to find employees, how would your party attract more workers?
Many of the candidates agreed on this topic, pointing to the continuation of the CERB (Canada Emergency Recovery Benefit) as being a factor in people not wanting to go back to work.
Wilson pointed out that some people are making more money on the CERB than they would be when they’re working, with Sloan saying she feels the CERB needs to be “rolled back, not snapped back” in order to not leave people too vulnerable.
Babcock followed the same line, saying that he believed rolling back the CERB would lead to more people going back to work, while also pointing out the need to start investing in manufacturing.
Kramp-Neuman said her party has a plan to “recover one million jobs lost in the pandemic within one year” and would provide incentives for business owners to invest in main streets and start new ventures.
Bossio took most of his time on the question to clarify the differences between various programs to increase rural internet and cellular access, but did say that the Liberals are investing $7 billion in skill development, to help people find work, especially if they have to change jobs.
How would you continue to protect the rights of women’s reproductive freedom and marriage equality for the LGBTQ community?
Kramp-Neuman began this section of the night by telling viewers that if elected, she would “represent everyone in my riding regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.” She went on to say that she doesn’t believe politics should play a part in a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion, or not, and that she would “stand up for women to have a choice.”
Sloan however, took a split stance on the issue, saying she is “pro life and I’m not sorry for that” and that “I value life at all ages, in the womb and outside of the womb.” She continued on to say that in terms of the LGBTQ community, she has always treated people with the utmost respect while working as a nurse practitioner saying “if someone came into my office and they’re human, I’ll treat them.”
Wilson said the Green Party is “very focused on LGBTQ rights” and that the community deserves respect as Canadian citizens, like anyone else. He added that he thinks “women are pretty smart and responsible” and can make their own decisions on abortions, noting that he supports that right.
Babcock told the crowd that he “falls on the pro-choice side” of the abortion debate saying “there are some reasons that I think are valid to get an abortion, so you should have the choice to do so.” He also added that members of the LGBTQ community should have the same rights as other Canadians, saying “to me it’s just common sense, treat others how you would like to be treated.”
Bossio said he “definitely believes in a woman’s right to choose” and touted the Liberals’ commitment to the LGBTQ community by establishing the LGBTQ Secretariat, which he says is making an impact on people in those communities.
What would your party do to create more affordable housing?
When it comes to addressing the housing crisis, Babcock says that with increased immigration, along with rising inflation and increased demand, there’s going to be upward pressure on housing prices and that should have been expected. He says interest rates should be locked in for a period and then slowly raised over time, while also reducing the number of immigrants that are allowed into the country.
Kramp-Neuman says the Conservative plan is to release 50% of unused federal properties to be used for housing, while also banning foreign investors from buying homes if they’re not planning to live in them. She says the Conservative plan will “also make it easier for families to get a mortgage.”
Sloan pointed to a need for more rent-geared-to-income housing, especially for seniors and questioned why more unused buildings, like old schools, aren’t being used to create housing.
Wilson agreed that incentives to modify buildings into housing might help the issue and said on a personal note that he’d like to see municipalities give bonuses to developers who build affordable living units, as well as single-family homes.
Bossio noted that the Liberals are investing $65 billion into new affordable housing units across the country and that he’s been involved in workshops with developers to try and convince them to build more affordable units “but there wasn’t much interest in that from a business perspective.”
Closing statements
Candidates were given four minutes each at the end of the night to entice voters into choosing them on September 20.
Wilson called the climate crisis “the elephant in the room” and is encouraging the electorate to vote with their kids and grandkids in mind. He says the Green Party is the only one with a plan that can reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030, as is being recommended by a panel of scientists from around the world.
While being an independent MP could be seen as a disadvantage, Sloan framed it as an advantage for her and pointed to the experience of her husband, who has been an independent since being kicked out of the Conservative caucus. She says “I don’t have to ask somebody what I should stand up for” and that she’ll be heard more than if she was a backbencher in another party.
Kramp-Neuman called the election a Liberal “power grab” and says “bad behaviour shouldn’t be rewarded.” She says the Conservative plan will support investments in infrastructure, the agri-food sector and take steps to help rural Canada keep up with the rest of the country.
Bossio countered that the Conservatives’ plan is anti-climate and would reward wealthy Canadians by leaning towards the privatization of health care. He says “we’ve already had a conservative representative in this riding and we know how that goes.” He says voters know what to expect with him.
Babcock again noted that another lockdown would be “a huge mistake”, pushed back against vaccine passports and says his party will “fight for freedom” and that other parties are “in favour of censorship, segregation and discrimination.”
You can get more information on the local candidates by clicking here to visit our Decision 2021 Web Page, with the full event expected to be available to watch on the Napanee Chamber of Commerce YouTube page, on Wednesday.
You can also click the links below to read each party’s federal platform.
