HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-10-13, Page 7Table talk
Area people had their chance to question the federal Huron-Bruce candidates at the
Federation of Agriculture sponsored all-candidates meeting in Londesboro Oct. 7. From left:
Liberal Paul Steckle, CHP Henry Zekveld, PC Murray Cardiff, NDP Tony McQuail, Reform
candidate Len Lobb and Libertarian Allan Dettweiler.
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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1993. PAGE 7.
Candidates offer wide political spectrum
Just about every point on the
political spectrum with the excep-
tion of communism was represent-
ed when the six Huron-Bruce
riding candidates in the Oct. 25
federal election spoke at Hullett
Central School in Londesboro
Thursday night.
The meeting was sponsored by
the Huron County Federation of
Agriculture but excellent harvest
weather meant many farmers were
unable to attend and other issues
other than agriculture took up much
of the evening.
The smorgasbord of ideas ranged
from the Libertarian party, repre-
sented by Brussels-area candidate
Allan Dettweiler which wants to
limit government to roles in only
the military, police protection and
the judicial system, to the New
Democratic Party, represented by
Tony McQuail of Lucknow, which
sees government as a way to pro-
tect the individual from the imposi-
tion of big institutions. In between
were various shades of political
opinion ranging from the Christian
Heritage Party and Reform on the
right, through Progressive Conser-
vatives to the Liberals.
A sample of the opinions
expressed on various topics to the
150 people in the audience were:
On the deficit:
From their opening statements
onward, several of the candidates
expressed their concern with the
deficit and determination to do
something about it.
Mr. Dettweiler said the minimal
role of government should be to
protect people from dangers from
inside and outside their country and
should concentrate on police, the
military and the judicial system. He
did, however, agree that minimum
health care must be provided for
those who cannot afford private
insurance. Taxation, he said, is
theft.
Len Lobb for the Reform Party
said that with interest on the nation-
al debt now taking up 33 cents of
every $1 the deficit must be
reduced. He repeated the Reform
pledge to eliminate the deficit in
three years.
Tony McQuail for the NDP said
high interest rates and currency
speculation are part of the problems
of the deficit. When Canada has
higher interest rates than its neigh-
bours it makes it harder for busi-
ness to operate and people are
unemployed. "We have to get peo-
ple back to work to solve the
deficit."
Mr. Lobb countered, arguing the
only way to get people working is
to get the deficit under control.
Murray Cardiff, incumbent Pro-
gressive Conservative Member of
Parliament, said he decided to run
again because he didn't want to
return to the old days when there
was high interest and high govern-
ment spending. "I ran because I
don't think the job is finished."
Arguing that getting interest rates
lower and putting the North Ameri-
can Free Trade Agreement in place
would help the economy, he said:
"Things are just going to improve."
Henry Zekveld for the Christian
Heritage Party said the deficit and
national debt are "way out of hand"
and said a return to the Judeo-
Christian value system was essen-
tial for getting the country back on
track.
On health care:
All candidates supported the idea
of subsidized health care to varying
degrees.
Paul Steckle for the Liberals said
his party has always been against
user fees in health care and for a
national system. He pointed out
that in the U.S. per capita spending
on health care is $2,900 compared
to $1,900 in Canada yet many cur-
rently still have no coverage. Use
fees, he said, would just make it
harder for those with little money
to get proper treatment while those
with money could still abuse the
system. He also argued for a
national set of standards. "I want to
be able to travel across this country
from one province to another and
be sure I am protected."
Mr. Zekveld said the CHP wants
to maintain the medicare system
and will cut expenses in other
social programs to do so.
Mr. Cardiff says the Conserva-
tives are not in favour of user fees,
that they penalize those who can
least afford it. He suggested, how-
ever, that if people got a bill when
they went to the doctor for what the
service would have cost them, they
would be more aware of how much
the government was having to pay.
He rejected a claim by Mr.
McQuail that the medicare system
was in trouble because of funding
cuts from the federal government to
the provinces. The federal govern-
ment have never reduced its pay-
ments to the provinces for health
care, he said.
Mr. Lobb said a poll of party
members showed them that medi-
care was the most important of the
social programs and so his party
would maintain it, cutting other
programs to find the money. The
deficit, however, must be
addressed, he said.
For Libertarians, Mr. Dettweiler
said, "Medicare is the only part of
the social safety net system we
would maintain."
Protection for marketing boards:
All candidates except Mr. Det-
tweiler professed support for sup-
ply management marketing boards.
"Marketing boards would not be
allowed to exist," under a Libcrtari-
to control the importation of food if
they have programs in place such
as supply management, that protect
self-sufficiency of the country
without distorting trade elsewhere.
Mr. Zekveld said the CHP also
stands behind Supply Management.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Mr. Cardiff said his government's
position on seeking stronger protec-
tion for supply management has not
changed. "I believe we have a
strong case for a balanced posi-
tion."
He denied a questioner's sugges-
tion that different members of the
government were saying different
things. Speculation by cabinet min-
ister Gilles Loiselle that the gov-
ernment might have to give up its
position on Article 11 if it stood in
the way of an agreement that would
help other segments of the econo-
my was wrong, Mr. Cardiff said,
and both the trade minister and the
prime minister had said so.
Mr. McQuail teed off on the
question of free trade in his answer.
Article 11 had been in the GATT
agreement since the beginning and
must be supported and strength-
ened, he said. But while we must
do some trading, he said, large-
scale trade supported through free
trade agreements left Canadians
"stuck with the weaknesses of the
rest of the world." when some other
part of the world is caught in an
economic crisis, we all get dragged
down.
Free trade experts were a lot like
other experts who know more and
more about less and less until they
know everything about nothing, he
said. Similarly we are trading more
and more for less and less and we
may end up with nothing, he said.
Mr. Lobb said the best friends of
supply management are those who
are the most honest about it. While
he pledged support for supply man-
agement, if the new GATT agree-
ment passes as written his party
will support it, he said. "We have to
concentrate right now on the post-
GATT period." With multi-nation-
als prepared to exploit the vacuum
left if supply management is lost
under GATT its important that a
government be prepared to move to
install tariffs high enough to protect
farmers until they can adapt to the
new rules, he said
On abortion:
Most candidates expressed their
personal opposition to abortion
even if their party's position was
different than their own.
Mr. Zekveld came out most
strongly on the issue saying his
party is pro-life from conception to
natural death. Members of parlia-
ment must show leadership on the
issue, he said, voting because "this
is right or wrong" not because it is
popular.
Mr. Steckle said he was personal-
ly pro-life and "I will remain true to
my own position."
Continued on page 8
an government, he said.
When asked point blank if their
party, if it formed a government,
would be prepared direct negotia-
tors to get a special deal to protect
marketing boards through strength-
ening of Article 11 of the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT), however, qualifications
crept into some arguments.
Mr. Steckle said the Liberals
stand strongly behind strengthening
Article 11, which allows countries