Simcoe North MP hopefuls covered a lot of ground Thursday night during the first all-candidates meeting to be held in Orillia in advance of the Oct. 21 federal election.
Well, almost-all-candidates meeting. Incumbent Bruce Stanton declined to attend the event at St. Paul’s Centre, organized by Orillia for Democracy.
Everyone else showed up: Angelique Belcourt (New Democratic Party), Chris Brown (Christian Heritage Party), Gerry Hawes (Liberal), Stephen Makk (People’s Party of Canada) and Valerie Powell (Green).
Climate change
Climate change was one of the most-discussed topics, and one of the more colourful moments of the night happened when Brown responded to a question about how to address it.
“It’s always been changing,” Brown said, adding “many scientists” have noted the human contribution to climate change has been overstated.
Powell, sitting next to Brown, put her head on the table and kept it there for the entirety of Brown’s response, while some in the audience yelled, “Shame,” and, “Liar,” at the Christian Heritage Party candidate.
Powell said the Greens have a 20-step “climate action plan” that would start by declaring a climate emergency and would bring all parties to the table for a solution.
Makk didn’t receive as cool of a reception as Brown did, despite saying “alarmism, hysteria and panic” are not how “mature citizens” address the issue. He added it is “highly unlikely” the effects of climate change are as dire as some say. The People’s Party, he said, would invest in needed infrastructure while keeping climatic factors in mind.
Belcourt said the NDP would eliminate all subsidies to fossil-fuel industries “on the first day in office.”
Representing the governing Liberals, Hawes focused on the party’s actions over the past four years, praising the carbon tax as well as investments in renewable energy and public transit.
Housing
The candidates were asked what they would do to address affordable and accessible housing.
“I take exception to the premise of this question,” Makk said, referring to housing in Simcoe County as a “bargain” compared to other areas.
It’s a bargain, Powell countered, if people don’t mind living in a place with mould or “in basement apartments with no light.”
Brown blamed “money laundering and foreign speculators” for driving up housing prices and said his party would “restrict homeownership to Canadian residents only.”
Hawes used the question as an opportunity to take a dig at the Conservatives, who he says failed to address affordable housing in their nearly 10 years in office.
“It’s no wonder my Conservative opponent is too afraid to be here tonight to address this question,” he said of Stanton.
The NDP would support a national housing strategy, Belcourt said, and would help current homeowners with retrofits that are “mindful of the climate change we are experiencing.”
Health care
While health care is largely a provincial and territorial responsibility, the candidates were asked if they would support a national health-care system with full coverage for all Canadians.
Brown said his party would end funding for abortion and gender-reassignment surgeries, which he referred to as “elective” procedures.
“This is not health care and (is) and a misuse of tax dollars,” he said, adding he would like to leave provincial and territorial responsibility as is.
Hawes took a line from Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s campaign playbook and attacked Ontario Premier Doug Ford for his Progressive Conservative party’s “regressive” actions, including the dismantling of Local Health Integration Networks. He said his party supports a universal pharmacare plan.
The NDP would expand health care, Belcourt said, to include pharmacare and extended benefits “in honour of Tommy Douglas.”
Like Brown, Makk said he was satisfied with the status quo as far as provincial and territorial responsibility is concerned, but added his party would “change or repeal the Canada Health Act” and end the “monopoly for delivery of care to only governments,” allowing for more private options for citizens.
The Greens are “committed to the principles of the Canada Health Act,” Powell said, and would provide free dental care for low-income citizens and would implement a suicide-prevention strategy.
Education
Education is another file that falls largely on the shoulders of provinces and territories, but candidates fielded a question about how they would act on debt accrued by post-secondary students.
Hawes again took aim at Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives — “the cousins of the Andrew Scheer Conservatives” — placing blame for increasing tuition costs.
Belcourt said the NDP wants post-secondary education to be folded into the public education system.
The People’s Party has no agenda to address post-secondary debt, Makk said, adding free tuition would “buy votes from the young” but wouldn’t be in the best interest of the country.
“Only the best and brightest need to go (to college or university),” he said, suggesting the responsibility should be on families and bursaries.
He also added certain programs, including “intersectional gender studies,” should not be paid for by the taxpayer.
The Greens would provide free tuition, Powell said, and forgive the portion of existing debt held by the government.
Brown said the cost to the country of providing free tuition is too great, but he would like to eliminate interest on student loans.
Back-and-forth
The candidates had a chance to ask each other questions. All questions were answered, except for one. When Hawes asked Belcourt about NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s earlier statement that provinces would have an opportunity to veto pipelines, Belcourt said she didn’t have enough information on the subject to respond.
The topic of immigration and multiculturalism was raised a couple of times Thursday night. When Belcourt asked Makk to clarify his party’s stance on multiculturalism, Makk said, “Multiculturalism is great," but added, “I do not see it as the business of government.”
Brown asked Hawes what Trudeau meant when he referred to Canada as a “post-national state.”
The country has become stronger because of immigrants, Hawes responded, referring to Canada as “a beacon to the world” as a result.
Makk added some levity to the evening when he asked Hawes what he would ask Stanton if the incumbent were in attendance.
Hawes said he would ask him why Scheer can’t “speak from the heart” about equal marriage, referring to the Conservative leader’s refusal to say how he personally feels about it.
“It’s obvious that Andrew Scheer does not support equal marriage,” said Hawes, who is gay and is in a same-sex marriage.
It wasn’t the first time marriage equality was brought up at the event. In his opening statement, Brown said a “return to godly principles is indispensable to any true hope” of the country, and he lamented the right to marriage being extended beyond one man and one woman.
Hawes, sitting immediately to Brown’s left, shook his head and smirked.
From the sidelines
When it came time for audience questions, Ken Szijarto asked the candidates what they would be interested in doing if they became backbench MPs.
“Me getting there would be and act of god,” Brown admitted, eliciting laughter from the audience.
He added he would want to be on a committee that looks into abortion.
Hawes would like to be on the heritage and industry committees, and would table a private member’s bill to implement a ranked-ballot system for elections.
Belcourt, who is Métis, would be interested in serving on a committee that deals with Indigenous issues.
Makk is interested in justice but said People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier would likely tap him for telecommunications, as he has experience in that field.
Powell wants to be involved with a national dementia strategy and a climate action plan.
Voters will get a chance to hear from the candidates — including Stanton — during a meeting Oct. 3 in Orillia council chambers. It starts at 6:30 p.m.
