Candidates face each other in Bolton meeting

September 18, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Bill Rea
The national debt, the refugee situation, the future of the Senate and the environment are key issues in Dufferin-Caledon.
That was demonstrated Tuesday night as the four people seeking to be Dufferin-Caledon MP squared off at an all-candidates’ meeting in Bolton. The session was hosted by the Caledon Chamber of Commerce, and each candidate was given the chance to go on the attack. There was also some heckling, aimed mostly at Conservative incumbent David Tilson.
New Democrat Rehya Yazbek led off the discussion with the words, “I’m not a career politician.”
She did say she’s an experienced negotiator and is used to finding solutions through consensus.
She also said she is like most in a middle-class family. “We are deeply concerned about the economic future of our children,” she said.
Yazbek asked the audience if they are ready for change, and who should represent that change. She repeated the suggestions that Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is not ready, adding he has said small business owners are rich people who cheat on their taxes.
She put forth her party’s leader Tom Mulcair to lead change, pointing to his government experience and presenting him as the only party leader with a truly national team.
Tilson said his record as an MP since 2004 speaks for itself, adding Dufferin-Caledon has benefitted from federal infrastructure funding. He pointed to such projects as the expansions of the Caledon Community Complex, Caledon Centre for Recreation and Wellness, Mayfield Recreation Complex and the Caledon Trailway. He also recalled June 2014, when his private member’s bill increased the penalties for people caught vandalizing war memorials.
Liberal Ed Crewson led with his 26 years experience as a municipal politician, as he lashed out at the governing Conservatives for the way they’ve been treating people.
“We’re not being respected as citizens,” he charged, adding Prime Minister Stephen Harper has abdicated his responsibilities on several issues. He added Harper lacks vision for the government and Canada, and has lost touch with the country.
Crewson said this election is about returning democratic institutions, adding he has a vision and plan to support seniors, veterans and youths, while protecting the environment.
Green candidate Nancy Urekar stressed her party represents more than one issue, but has much broader policies.
They include not having whipped votes in the House of Commons, having guaranteed livable incomes, cutting taxes for those making less than $20,000 annually, reinstating veterans’ affairs offices that have been closed, setting up a national housing plan, and conversion of renewable energy as a way to create jobs.
The candidates addressed the priority of paying down the national debt.
Tilson agreed it’s a priority, pointing to the amount of interest payments that are made annually to service it. But he also pointed out Canada’s economy is strong, and the country’s credit rating is still high. But he did maintain that government surpluses should go to paying down the debt.
Crewson agreed it’s important, but he also pointed to the Liberals’ plan to run deficits for a couple of years as a start to its massive infrastructure investment plans. He said Canada is the only G7 country in a recession (the second since the Harper government came to power). The plan to spend a total of $125 billion over 10 years on infrastructure will create jobs and move the economy forward, and Crewson said that will enable the government to start paying off the debt, as Liberal governments have done in the past.
Yazbek said the NDP has a strong plan, which includes reducing small business taxes in order to create jobs, while trying to kickstart manufacturing.
Urekar pointed out the government pays $93 million per day in interest payments on the debt.
“What great things we could do with that money!” she declared, adding the party has a three-year budget with plans to start paying the debt off.
She also pointed to this week’s announcement that the government had a surplus last year, expressing concern that it was achieved during a recession.
Tilson lashed out at the Liberals’ plan to go into deficit, adding they have no plan to pay down the debt.
“There’s no recession,” Tilson added, to angry shouts from the floor. “It’s a myth.”
He also boasted about the $2 billion surplus last year, adding the government is $5 billion in the black so far this year.
“We have the strongest economy in the G7, and we’re not in a recession,” he declared.
Crewson countered that he’s been knocking on doors and has encountered people who are overjoyed that some candidate cares. There’s a feeling that the rich get richer, while everyone else has to work harder for the same money under Harper.
He added the Liberals plan to run a deficit for just two years, but the resulting infrastructure will be a benefit, and he observed it could result in high-speed internet for all of Caledon.
Yazbek charged the Harper government ran up seven straight deficits, adding some $146 billion to the national debt since 2008.
Urekar observed the Conservatives don’t manage the economy conservatively.
“What are we going to leave to our children?” she asked.
Tilson argued the surplus was the result of revenues and money not spent, but Yazbek said it came from cutting services. She cited cuts of $872 million in the Veterans’ Affairs budget and $1.4 billion in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Urekar wasn’t impressed with Tilson’s comments on how well the economy is performing. She said Gross Domestic Product is up 1.5 per cent in Canada, but it’s up by about two per cent in the United States and 2.4 per cent in the United Kingdom.
Crewson was glad there’s a surplus, but he wondered at what cost. He suggested cuts to Veterans’ Affairs have led to higher suicide rates.
Addressing the matter of refugees, Crewson referred to the recent pictures of the dead child lying on a beach in Turkey.
“It’s absolutely terrible what’s going on in Syria,” he remarked, adding if Canada doesn’t reach out to help, it adds to the tragedy. “They are our neighbours.”
He said the Liberals propose taking in 25,000 refugees, and spending $100 million on processing and sponsoring them.
Urekar commented that Canadians have always been people who helped out in the world. “That’s changed a bit,” she said.
She was concerned about the idea of screening for security reasons, suggesting it’s fear mongering when it comes to families with children. She added people don’t leave their homes because they want to.
Tilson said he met with officials in the European Union in the spring, and this was a major topic. He said there are 60.7 million refugees in the world, and four million have fled Syria since 2007. All countries have an obligation, he said, adding security checks are essential.
But he said the government is committed to taking in an additional 10,000 refugees, and contributing $100 million in humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugee camps.
“We have an obligation to help these people, and we’re going to do our best to do that,” he said.
Yazbek said the NDP have a plan to address the issue, including getting 10,000 refugees out of Syria this year, increasing Canada’s presence in the area to speed things up, working with area countries to remove bureaucratic obstacles to resettlement and increasing Canada’s contributions to humanitarian assistance agencies.
The abolition of the Senate came up, with Yazbek coming out in favour of it.
“It absolutely has to happen,” she declared. “We don’t need a Senate. It’s long overdue.”
Urekar favoured reforming the Senate.
“We need that second look at things,” she said.
“The Senate has value,” Crewson declared, adding it can’t be abolished without the approval of the provinces.
He agreed it needs reform, suggesting a non-partisan group of appointees, based on merit.
Tilson pointed out the Supreme Court has ruled the Senate can’t be abolished without all the provinces agreeing, and it can’t be amended without seven of the provinces agreeing.
He also agreed it needs reform, promising to talk to senators of both parties and urging them to clean up their act.
“If they don’t, the rest of us will,” he said.
On the topic of carbon emissions and climate change, Tilson said the government is working to reduce emissions, in line with the other major industrialized countries. And he said things are on track. Tilson said a lot of the problems are caused by coal, but observed 80 per cent of the energy in Germany is from coal, 40 per cent in the U.S. and only 11 per cent in Canada.
He also said other parties talk about carbon taxes, but argued they will do nothing to reduce emission or stop global warming. The money would go to programs that are not needed.
Yazbek said Canadians cannot trust Harper, pointing out he withdrew from the Kyoto Protocol and has not set target for emissions. Mulcair, she added, plans to invest in transit and cut subsidies for fossil fuels.
Crewson promised that a Liberal government will call a First Ministers’ conference in the first 90 days to work on a plan for climate change. It will also end the subsidies on fossil fuels and work on creating green technology.
“We’re going to unmuzzle the scientists who have been muzzled,” he said. “We’re going to free the researchers.”
“We have to change how we do things,” Urekar said, adding the Greens have a plan to charge a fee for dirty energy. It will mean gas will cost more, but there are also the plans to give all Canadians older than 18 an equal cheque to offset that.
In terms of transparency, accountability and integrity of government, Urekar said the Green Party is the only one that is not doing attack ads.
“It’s about issues, not people,” she said.
She also pointed to the party’s opposition to whipped votes.
Tilson said MPs and senators should release details on what they spend, adding taxpayers are entitled to know where their money goes. He added he’s concerned about the CBC, which operates on public money, yet Canadians can’t find out what Peter Mansbridge makes.
Yazbek said there hasn’t been much accountability from the government in the last term.
“I’m trying very hard to hold in all the negative stuff I could say,” she remarked.
Crewson commented the Conservatives spent $750 million over 10 years on advertising, and $100 million this year. He added Tilson spends $50,000 annually on ads. He said the Liberals will appoint an advertising commission to make sure ads are non-partisan.