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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-10-08, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015. PAGE 19. Residents question state of Canadian science Continued from page 8 veterans of one conflict shouldn’t have their needs weighed against those of a veteran of another conflict. “Get rid of that class system, you know, it shouldn’t matter if you served in Bosnia or if you served in Afghanistan – you’re a Canadian veteran, you’re willing to lay down your life for this country and you deserve the benefits that should be coming to you,” he said. Another question from the floor asked whether or not the candidates would be willing to vote against their party’s stance on a particular issue if it wasn’t going to serve the Huron-Bruce riding. All candidates but Lobb said they would, while Lobb said the three needed a bit of a wake-up call about party politics in Ottawa. “If you run for a political party... and your party is government, I have news for all the candidates up here: you’re going to vote on what you ran on and if you don’t then you’re being disingenuous tonight,” Lobb said. “If you have an issue with something in your party’s platform, I think you should have had that vetted long ago. Those are the realities.” Thompson said he has based his campaign on the concept of being able to speak his mind in Ottawa and basing his comments on what’s best for Huron-Bruce, not the party. “Ridings across Canada and particularly Huron-Bruce need an MP who can be the voice of Huron- Bruce in Ottawa, not Ottawa’s voice in Huron-Bruce,” Thompson said. “That means voting against or speaking against your party in the event that measures are being put forward that are contrary to the interests of Huron-Bruce.” An MP speaking his mind, however, doesn’t just have to happen on the floor, Thompson said, an MP can be highly effective when shaping policies during closed-door caucus meetings to ensure the riding’s voice is being heard. ORAL QUESTIONS The first question from the floor came from Helen Dykstra, who asked the candidates if they felt any party that receives 39 per cent of the vote should have 100 per cent of the control of Canada, as the Conservative Party did in the last federal election. Splettstoesser said she felt the number of people who voted for the Green Party needed to be represented. The party received nearly one million votes in 2008, but had no elected representatives due to the current “first past the post” electoral system. The Green Party, she said, would support proportional representation, which, given that same 2008 example, would have seen 10 Green Party MPs take seats across Canada. Creces said the NDP has been the only consistent advocate for proportional representation over the years, but added that the Liberals have recently thrown their support behind it. “Now that the Liberals are in third place, they have also jumped on that boat after refusing it for years, but the NDP has always championed having an equal number of seats for your votes,” Creces said, adding that the current voting structure is a “sad case” for Canada. He said that some parties have taken advantage of the current structure in quickly turning their backs on those who didn’t vote for the party. “Harper said this, and I was hopeful in 2011, I remember him saying this, ‘we won’t forget the 60 per cent that didn’t vote for us, but he did on day two,” Creces said. Thompson denied Creces’ claim, saying, “Gerard, I’ve got news for you, the Liberals are not in third place.” He said the Liberals were committed to having a “national conversation” on how to abolish the first past the post system. What the new system would look like, he said, he didn’t know, but the current system has to be changed. Lobb, however, said he was in favour of the current system and that it worked well for ridings like Huron-Bruce. “Those that say they want proportional representation are the also the ones that criticize the senate for being unelected and not accountable, but with proportional representation, you have the very same thing. You have people appointed by party figureheads,” Lobb said. “When you have a system like we have here, when you vote for a particular person and they’re elected and they’re the Member of Parliament, if you think they do a good job, that’s great, if you don’t think they do a good job, you vote for someone else. “The system works. Just because you’re in third place or second place every once in a while, doesn’t mean we have to shake the whole thing up.” A number of the final questions concerned science and what those in attendance called the “gutting” of Canada’s scientific community under Harper’s leadership. Several candidates criticized the treatment of Canada’s scientists by the Harper government, while Lobb defended the work being done. “I know what Mr. Lobb is going to tell you in a moment, that science is alive and well in Canada, that Canada is a Shangri-La for scientific research and scientists and let me tell you... that we have a government that has just brutalized science and scientific research and knowledge,” Thompson said, calling the era devastating and saying that the Conservatives create policy out of ideology, rather than the Canadian tradition of evidence-based science. Lobb did, indeed, defend the Harper government’s investment in science, saying that the national media “has it wrong” when it comes to science. “Our government has invested heavily, more heavily than any other government before it, because we know the return on investment for science and technology and research and development,” Lobb said. Lobb said that in the field of neonicotinoids, the Liberal provincial government has based its policies on ideology, while the federal Conservatives have based their policies on science, which is why they have been endorsed by the Grain Farmers of Ontario. Dr. Jim Hollingsworth, in asking a question from the floor, called the Harper government “profoundly unscientific” saying that thousands of scientists have been fired under Harper and that those who remain are scared to provide independent findings, calling it a “national disgrace”. Lobb challenged the question, saying that its premise was incorrect, reiterating the investment the Conservatives have made in science over the years. Splettstoesser then challenged Lobb saying that if the Conservatives based their decision- making on science, then they wouldn’t turn their backs on climate change. Thompson told Hollingsworth that he didn’t reject the premise of his question and that in Lobb’s statement, those in attendance were hearing the voice of Stephen Harper in Huron-Bruce. “This Harper government’s war on science is not only a violation of decades of Canadian experience... but I think it’s even more troubling because of what it represents more broadly,” Thompson said. “This is a government that does not believe in evidence-based policy-making and that’s the foundation of Canadian government.” The federal election is set for Monday, Oct. 19. Next week’s issue of The Citizen will feature each candidate answering a number of questions pertaining to all aspects of life in Huron County. Community ownership brings you an award-winning team Earlier this year The Citizen won three awards at the Canadian Community Newspaper Association awards: Second Place in its circulation category for Best Overall Newspaper; Second Place for Front Page and Second Place for best Editorial Page. Our community-ownership model has helped bring you this award-winning newspaper. Because our shareholders invested to provide service, not maximize profit, we have maintained a larger editorial staff than many community newspapers. That sense of community service means Editor Shawn Loughlin and Reporter Denny Scott go the extra mile to bring you the best newspaper possible. They're helped in their efforts to give comprehensive coverage by weekend photographers Vicky Bremner and Jim Brown. Further extending community reach are correspondents Linda Campbell (Belgrave), Marilyn Craig (Blyth), Betty Graber-Watson (Brussels), Jo-Ann McDonald (Walton), Brenda Radford (Londesborough) and Mark Royall (Auburn) as well as many reporters for community groups who regularly send in reports. All these people are responsible for helping The Citizen win national awards. The Citizen Celebrating 30 Years 1985~2015 Pictured, back row, from left: Photographer Vicky Bremner, photographer Jim Brown. Front row, reporter Denny Scott and editor Shawn Loughlin. Get information on Huron County attractions on the Stops Along The Way section of our website www.northhuron.on.ca