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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-01-18, Page 88 Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday, January 18, 2006 Huron -Bruce candidates tackle issues in Holmesville By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF HOLMESVILLE — It was standing room only Friday night in Holmesville at a Huron -Bruce all -candidates meeting. Hosted by the Huron County Federation of Agriculture, the meeting gave local candidates the chance to face off against each other before Monday's fed- eral election. Agriculture and what the respective parties would do to improve things for farmers dominated the meeting, with words such as "consultation," "leadership" and "backbone" used several times. Opening comments Four -time Liberal incumbent Paul Steckle said during open- ing comments he has enjoyed his 12 years representing the riding and has always provided honesty. He said the Conservative Party's election promises amounting to $75 bil- lion would put the government in serious jeopardy, leading to a deficit or a cut in services. Conservative candidate Ben Lobb, running for the first time, said the election is about "val- ues and priorities." He said the Conservatives want to "clean up" the government, crack down on crime, improve health care, provide real tax relief and help parents with the cost of raising children. He also wants to work closely with the agricul- tural community, make small business in Huron -Bruce more attractive, promote industry, foster a good quality of life and represent Huron -Bruce with honesty. "The solutions are complex," Lobb said, referring to problems in the agriculture sector. He said between 1993 and 2003, Canadian farm debt doubled, while farm income is falling. The Green Party's Victoria Serda, also in her first federal election race, said she wants to be a voice for positive change. Serda, a former organic farmer and now a teacher who home - schools her daughter, said she and her husband couldn't afford to continue farming. She is con- cerned for Canada's future and says the current government doesn't have a vision for sus- tainability. Green Party principles include ecological wisdom, social jus- tice, a participatory democracy, non-violence, sustainability and respect for diversity. "We need a government that we can believe in," she said, adding that the Greens are a grassroots party but one which is growing. Grant Robertson of the New Democratic Party, who ran unsuccessfully in the 2004 fed- eral and 2003 provincial elec- tions, said new leadership is needed in Ottawa. "We're on the verge of losing this generation of farmers," he said. While speaking of the need for a change, Robertson said the Conservatives are not the answer. He said the Conservatives may sound good during election time, but sup- port large corporations. "Farmers need help and they need it right now," Robertson said, explaining the NDP's plat- form includes $1 billion in immediate emergency assis- tance for farmers and overhaul - FARMERS FEED CITIES Huron -Bruce federal election candidates faced off last Friday in Holmesville at an all -candidates meeting hosted by the Huron County Federation of Agriculture. From left are incumbent Paul Steckle (Liberal), Ben Lobb (Conservative),Victoria Serda (Green), Grant Robertson (NDP), DennisValenta (Independent) and Dave Joslin (Christian Heritage Party). (photo/Scott Nixon) ing the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization (CAIS) pro- gram. "Send Ottawa an MP they can't ignore," he said. First time candidate Dennis Valenta, an Independent, wants to change Canadian divorce laws, which he says are unfair to men. He said his wife left him five years ago and he received "a nasty education in family law." While getting the support of 4,000 people to overhaul divorce laws, Valenta said he was ignored by Steckle; when he approached the Conservatives, "that didn't work well, either." Valenta said he has been cam- paigning for six months talking to farmers and has learned the farming voice is not heard in Ottawa. He said he has the "backbone" to address any issue in Ottawa. Dave Joslin of the Christian Heritage Party, a veteran of the campaign trail, said his party recognizes the foundation of traditional family values. He spoke of making safety a priori- ty, protecting the weak and innocent from conception to natural death, banning abortion and euthanasia, "which have no place in a caring society," elimi- nating early parole for violent criminals, scrapping the gun registry and developing alterna- tive fuel sources. "The CHP will make life better for us all," Joslin said. Question period The first question put to can- didates asked them what they would do to create equity with U.S. farmers. Steckle said the Liberals implemented the CAIS program five years ago, with the involve- ment of farmers, but it hasn't been successful and needs to be repaired. Lobb suggested Canada fight the U.S. on corn subsidies at the World Trade Organization (WTO), something Brazil did successfully for sugar and cot- ton. Serda said the Green Party wants to feed Canada first. "Produce what we eat and eat what we produce," she said, speaking in favour of the elimi- nation of subsidies. Robertson said farmers have been ignored for 12 years. He said they need stable funding, leadership at the WTO and backbone at NAFTA. "We need an Agriculture Minister working for farmers, not agri-business." Valenta said the bureaucrats "don't know what a farm is," and said dedication is needed to tackle agricultural issues. "That takes a man with broad shoulders," he said. Joslin said he isn't happy with CAIS and that it should be either modified or scrapped. The Christian Heritage Party proposes a two to five cent tax at the consumer level to be used for emergency funding for farmers. And he added Canada needs a better relationship with the U.S., but also pointed out there is a strong streak of protection- ism south of the border. "I'm pro -U.S., but I'm not blind pro -U.S.," JOslin said. He also said some environ- mental regulations place unnec- essary burdens on businesses in Canada. On the topic of supply man- agement, Lobb said the govern- ment needs to stand up for the rights of all farmers and sup- port the interests of supply managers. Serda added supply manage- ment should be expanded to all sectors, and that the Green Party wants to see agriculture become more localized and not as reliant on other govern- ments. Robertson stressed the impor- tance of risk management and the need for the agriculture community to move forward together. Valenta promoted the idea of having more meat processing plants in Canada, something he said would create more jobs. Joslin said the issue of supply management is something farmers will have to agree on; as it stands, he said there are those want it "on the table" and those who don't. Steckle said supply manage- ment works. He said the Liberals have doubled trade but haven't put more money into the farmgates. "We've made great progress selling commodities but we as farmers have to stand togeth- er." Concerning the improvement of agriculture policy, Serda said her party believes in consensus and a solution for everybody. "I know the agriculture sector is really hurting and we need to do something to fix that." Robertson said consultation is "very important" and the NDP will work with the province and farmers on risk management. Joslin said one problem in Canada is the size of its civil ser- vice, which consists of one civil servant for every five people. He said Canadians need to down- size the government and "get rid of the fat," including a lot of its bureaucrats. Steckle said everybody has to share some of the blame for the current state of agriculture in Canada. When questioning turned to greenhouse gases and global warming, Valenta said he ques- tions global warming, because when he was in school teachers were talking about an impend- ing ice age. He said he wants "to see the planet taken care of," but Canada should opt out of Kyoto because it's a waste of money. Joslin added, "Kyoto is based on junk science," and cited a scientist who stated global warming may not be as harmful as was once thought. Joslin said the Kyoto agreement will simply result in Canada sending a lot of money to other countries who don't clean up their act. Steckle said everybody has a responsibility to clean up the environment. He noted the garbage he sees on area streets and said there are too many lights left on when they don't need to be and too many cars left idling. He said developments in nuclear and wind energy are positive steps in improving the pollution problem. "I believe in Kyoto," he said. Lobb said the Conservatives would develop a Clean Air Act to reduce pollution and help lower smog. Kyoto needs to be reviewed, he said, adding the U.S. has done better than Canada in some areas of improving pollution. Serda said the Green Party would do more to protect the environment for future genera- tions. Referring to some doubts expressed about global warm- ing, she said "not all these sci- entists (who make warnings about global warming) are wrong ... it really is a reality." Robertson said emissions in Canada have gone up 24 per cent since the early 1990s, even though the Liberals said they would reduce them. He said home heating is a significant contributor to pollution and the NDP has a retrofit program to help Canadians make their homes more energy efficient. He said when he was a child there were probably only two children in his entire school with asthma; now, there are more than that in every class- room. During audience question period, candidates were asked about what the future will be like for young farmers. "Things are not good out there," Steckle replied, adding they probably won't be for many years. He said without fmancial help from family mem- bers, some young Canadians won't be able to pursue farm- ing. "The government has to help," Steckle said. Lobb said the government has to listen to farmers, something he said isn't happening now. Farmers have told Lobb CAIS doesn't work and the Conservatives will make it sim- pler. Serda proposed the idea of See CANDIDATES page 9