The Citizen, 1995-06-07, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 1995.
Candidates cast aside gloves for final debate
By Cameron J. Wood
The Advance-Times
In the final of three local debates,
the candidates for Huron cast aside
the gloves and went toe to toe bare-
knuckled on several issues ...
including the confusion
surrounding the F. E. Madill senior
students all-candidates meeting at
which three hopefuls chose not to
attend.
The June 1 debate, hosted by The
Advance Times, came on the heels
of several polls that revealed the
Liberal campaign had slipped into
second place and was at risk of
dropping dangerously low behind a
surging Progressive Conservative
Party. The polls also revealed a
bouyed NDP campaign, leaving the
heat for the Tories alone.
The biggest bone of contention
was levelled at the local PCs and
the involvement in organizing the
Madill debate. Both Liberal
candidate John Jewitt and NDP
candidate Paul Klopp opened their
address to the some 150 people in
attendance with an explanation for
the absence at that debate. Family
Coalition Party candidate Phil
Cornish, one of the two who did
attend the students' debate, pointed
out that he was able to leave court
in Goderich to attend, which added
fuel to the fire among several
public members following the June
1 session.
In his opening address at the
Armouries meeting, Cornish spoke
on the sentiment that small
business proprietors in Ontario are
feeling over-run by government
regulations.
"In Ontario, we have a sick
economy ... and we're heading
towards a sick society. The
problem is there arc many people
who have recognized the symptoms
of what is going wrong — the
symptoms are clear: since 1990,
Ontario has lost over 67,000 net
jobs, youth unemployment is up 58
per cent, we have 1.3 million
people on welfare — one in nine
adults in Ontario. The problem is:
Have we made the right
diagnosis?"
Cornish said the FCP has
recognized the problems and their
root causes. Previous government,
he said, has operated under a
system of management by crisis.
"That is not the way to get good
leadership in this province."
Ontario needs to form a
`Ontario needs
moral
principle'
government based on moral
principle, not policy. Included in
this is calling for a return to core
values: frugality, family unity,
integrity, resourcefulness,
reliability and accountability.
"Without principles, policies are
fleeting. They change when
circumstances require. This is why
leadership in Ontario has not been
evident. The Family Coalition
Party is a real alternative. We are a
credible force in this election," he
said.
Jewitt, as previously mentioned,
explained his absence at the Madill
debate in his opening speech in
addition to his personal history. He
also spoke on the need for lean
government, fiscal restraint and
wise spending.
"It is time in Ontario to have a
government that does what
Ontarians do every day of their
lives: plan smartly, spend wisely
and live within their means."
Jewitt also said the Liberal Party
has addressed the concerns of the
rural community and small
business in their provincial Red
Book and in their plan to balance
the operating budget within four
years. He said the Liberal promise
of a five per cent tax cut over five
years was more realistic than the
PC plan of a 30 per cent income tax
break.
"This (five per cent) will go
ELECT
directly to small business, with tax
.breaks on investment in new
technology. As a result, more jobs
will be created by the private sector
in Ontario. It's time we had a
government that knows its job is to
ensure Ontario has an economy that
can create jobs," he said.
Helen Johns, the PC candidate,
said the social structure in Ontario
is stretched to the limit. She told
the audience that the Tories were
committed to making the necessary
adjustments in the province to
"make do with less". Government
spending would have to be cut, she
said, to achieve a balanced budget.
Under the Conservative plan,
some 725,000 private sector jobs
would be created through a
proposed 30 per cent income tax
cut. "We have to cut taxes
substantially." Johns said the Harris
plan would put more money back
into the pockets of Huron County
and Ontario residents to spend
Continued on page 7
CILIBERAL-
Welfare a hand up, not out
Continued from page 1
do this, I will quit in two years'."
In terms of student welfare,
Johns said people in Ontario need a
program that will provide them
with a "hand-up, not a hand-out."
She touched on the matter of
Alberta giving their own welfare
recipients bus tickets to anywhere
in Canada to relieve their own
welfare rolls. Most often, this
means a trip to Ontario, which pays
the highest welfare rate of any
North American province, state or
THE EDITOR,
A lot has been said about welfare
fraud in this election campaign.
Some want workfare, or learnfare
and some want to cut benefits.
Some want to punish people
while others have sympathy for
those on welfare. People are
concerned about "welfare moms."
Half of those on welfare are
children. Those on assistance, for
the most part, want to work.
As with many complex social
issues, the truth is somewhere in
the middle. Taxpayers are
understandably offended by the
idea that some people are taking
advantage of the system. Given that
this issue has generated so much
interest, I am putting my views on
the public—record.
I support the work of the
Eligibility Review Officers (EROS)
hired by the Bob Rae government
to review every welfare file in
Ontario. The Rae Government was
severely criticized by some special
interest groups for hiring these
"welfare cops". But let's make no
mistake about it. The welfare
system needs to be protected for
those truly in need and, taxpayers
Continued from page 4
billion in 1984-85 to an estimated
$6.8 billion in 1994-95. Welfare
expenditures as a percentage of the
provincial budget over the past 10
years have more than doubled.
Our Workfare plan will make
welfare what it was supposed to be:
A hand up — not a hand out.
Central to any effective reform
must be a recognition that
employment growth alone does not
reduce welfare caseloads. As Mike
territory.
She said under the Tory
workshare program, people would
be asked to spend some time
volunteering in the community to
be eligible to receive payments.
Students would have to attend
school, or be enrolled in a training
program.
Cornish said there needs to be a
system for retraining and education
connected to welfare. Short term
solutions, such as the NDP's
jobsOntario program, are not
working, he told the students.
need to know that the government
is working to tighten up the system
to protect it from fraud.
As your MPP, I want to tell you
that I don't want a meaner more
punitive Ontario. We should take a
positive approach to those on social
assistance that want to work. The
other political parties will tell you
that jobsOntario isn't working and
that if elected, they would scrap it.
Perhaps this is because once you
get past punishing welfare
recipients and silly promises about
tax cuts and balancing the budget,
they don't have much on offer by
way of job creation plans.
jobsOntario is working. Welfare
levels have fallen in Huron in the
past year. jobsOntario Training has
led to 775 new jobs in Huron
County. This includes jobs at
places like Helm Welding in
Lucknow and Huron Fuel Injection
in Clinton.
When Mike Harris and Lyn
McLeod talk about killing
jobsOntario, they are talking about
killing jobs in our county and
throwing people onto the welfare
lines. That's not my approach.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Klopp, MPP Huron.
Harris has said, "Even in the boom
years we must build in incentives to
move people off social assistance
and back into productive lives."
Real welfare reform is a central
component of our Common Sense
plan. The system needs better and
more aggressive management.
Workfare genuinely lowers costs to
the taxpayer and provides hope and
opportunity for good people
trapped in a bad system.
Helen Johns
PC Candidate, Huron.
Letters
MPP defends welfare
Johns says system must change
JOHN JEWITT
YOUR PROVINCIAL LIBERAL CANDIDATE IN HURON
John Jewitt believes that experience is proof of
ability and achievements are proof of dedication
UFifth generation Huron County family
UMarried for 36 years to wife Barbara
tit Proud father of 5 adult children, and grandfather of
soon to be 7
C7Long-standing and active member of the
Londesboro United Church
U Former Boy Scout leader
U Farmed for 40 years in Hullett Township
Welder for 15 years at Champion Road Machinery,
Goderich
Hullett Township Councillor from 1968 to 1980,
Reeve from 1974 to 1978
tj Trustee on the Huron County Board of Education
from 1980 to 1994, Chair 1987 to 1989
U Seaforth and District Community Centre Building
Committee Rep.
4 Blyth and District Community Centre Building Rep.
U Former member of Seaforth and Community
Hospital Board
Life-long resident and supporter of small business
in Huron County
ij Long-time member of Canadian Standardbred
Horse Society
Ci/ Long-time member of the Canadian Trotting
Association
Chief Ranger, Canadian Order of Foresters,
Kinburn
U Past Master, Hullett Masonic Lodge
U Piper, Clinton Legion Pipe Band since 1980
John Jewitt has always been someone who listens to people's concerns and ideas. He
has never been afraid to stand against the tide in any political arena, and his record
proves that he can achieve results.
"I have known the Jewitt family, both John and his father, all of my life and
1 regard them with high respect. John is a principled man with high
standards, and a family to be proud of."
Mr. William Elston, Morris
The Liberal Party alone has the Leader, the Team and the Plan to restore sound fiscal
management, protect education, health care, and develop other essential services that
the people of Ontario expect. John Jewitt should be a part of that Team at Queen's Park
because he alone will be the true Rural Voice from Huron.
for more information or a ride to the polls on June 8 call
JOHN JEWITT CAMPAIGN HEADQUARTERS
23 Victoria Street Clinton (519) 482-1220
or
Wingham Committee Room, 198 Josephine Street (519) 357-4242
AUTHORIZED BY THE C.F.O. FOR THE JOHN JEWITT CAMPAIGN