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The Times Advocate, 2008-10-08, Page 1010 Times -Advocate Wednesday, October 8, 2008 Lambton-Kent-Middlesex candidates ready for election By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF LAMBTON-KENT-MIDDLE- SEX — With the federal elec- tion less than a week away, voters in the Lambton-Kent- Middlesex riding have five candidates to choose from. Running against incumbent Conservative Bev Shipley are Joe Hill of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Micheal Janssens of the Christian Heritage Party (CHP), Jim Johnston of the Green Party and Jeff Wesley of the Liberals. Joe Hill (NDP) Hill, who could not be reached by the Times - Advocate in time for press, was born in Chatham and raised on a family farm near Dresden and Wallaceburg, working in field operations for Northern Electric for 20 years. In 1984, he transferred to Dallas to work in engineering, customer service and sales support for Nortel. He also worked in Europe in telecom consulting before returning to Canada in 2002. Hill sits on the executive board of SHARE, a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting people with handi- caps and disabilities. He also serves as secretary of the Sarnia branch of the Ontario Health Coalition. Micheal Janssens (CHP) At 21 years old, Janssens is already j running in his - second elec- tion *F , and said he's enjoying his second Micheal campaign. Janssens The financial advisor says he originally became involved in politics because he was "appalled on a moral level" with what is hap- pening in Canadian society. "We've abandoned our moral centre," Janssens said, calling for the end of abortion. "It's a slaughter and it has to stop." Janssens says we've lost our sense of absolute right and wrong and there has to be a return to a moral centre. Janssens said voter cynicism Joe Hill is at a high point. He said vot- ers are "disgruntled" about the last two years under Stephen Harper's Conservatives because the Conservatives promised to make government more accountable "and basically did nothing." Janssens did, however, praise the government for raising the age of sexual con- sent from 14 to 16, but added the CHP would raise it to 18. Janssens said there is a lot of panic about the economy, but there shouldn't necessarily be. He said these downturns in the economy usually last about 16 months but "they always come back." He said investors have to be protected, but the system can't be over -regulated. He pointed to the CHP's tax plan which would eliminate income tax and replace it with a consumption tax, with an exemption on essentials. He said the CHP plan is viable and provides people with incen- tives to earn more. As for the environment, Janssens calls Kyoto "a panic reaction to bad science," and explains the money being spent on Kyoto should be used for research and development of green technologies. He added Liberal leader Stephane Dion's green shift plan will cost consumers. Another of Janssens' con- cerns is the Human Rights Commission (HRC), which he says should be abolished. Janssens said the HRC is an assault on freedom of speech and silences those with dis- senting views. Janssens said the CHP's pop- ularity is increasing and has 60 candidates in the 2008 election, up from the 44 who ran in 2006. He said Canadians are becoming cyni- cal about the main parties and says there are no differences between the Conservatives and Liberals. Jim Johnston (Green) Johnston, in his second cam- paign, describes his campaign as "fantastic," adding he's get- ting a better response to Green Party policies than he did in the 2006 election. Johnston also noted the other parties are using Green policies in their respective platforms, an acknowledgement of the importance of the environ- ment. Going into the election, Johnston said the three biggest issues were the envi- ronment, the economy and government accountability. Johnston, president of London software company Paradynamics Inc., encour- ages the voters to assess the parties — he said if voters reinforce the behaviour of politicians by continuing to vote for them, then those politicians will continue behaving in the same way. Johnston said the Green Party has done a good job of getting its word out to voters and having party leader Elizabeth May in the recent leadership debates was impor- tant. He said the party still needs to organize its ground campaign, which costs money, but he's been getting a good response as he campaigns door-to-door. Johnston described the LKM riding as a conservative riding and one in which its voters tend to trust its government. He said, however, he's still hearing a lot of mistrust of the Liberal party from LKM voters. Pointing to the environment, Johnston said the Green Party wants to curb greenhouse gases and implement a tax shift by reducing income taxes and introducing a carbon tax and a cap and trade program. He said the Liberal Green Shift plan doesn't go far enough. Concerning the economy, Johnston said he's certain some of the problems now seen in Germany, Ireland and the UK will hit Canada, although our banking system is stable. Johnston said the Green Party wants to help local industry by investing in infra- structure. Another of Johnston's con- cerns is the aboriginal issue, which he said has been a low priority for governments of the past. He said it's incumbent on the govern- ment to act on good faith to find a fair and equitable solution for aboriginals. Jim Johnston Johnston also wants to see increased co- operation among the political parties in Ottawa. He said all parties agree something needs to be done about agriculture, but they're not willing to sit down to reach a solution. Johnston agrees with the thought that this election was- n't necessary, adding the results will probably be the same as in 2006, with a Conservative minority. He adds Harper "took liberties" with the law to call the elec- tion and the Conservatives haven't even released an elec- tion platform. Bev Shipley (Conservative) Incumbent Shipley, seeking his second term as MP of the riding, said he's had a positive, well-received campaign so far. He said the Conservatives have been paying down the debt and lowering taxes, leav- ing more money in the taxpay- ers' hands to stimulate the economy. He said any attempts to increase taxes will sti- fle industry. And while Canada has strict bank- ing regula- tions, Shipley said this country isn't immune from the global problems with the economy, although we won't find ourselves in a posi- tion of having to make massive bank bailouts. Shipley said agriculture and small business are the most critical sectors in his riding and said the government needs to be there to provide a safety net. Shipley said Canadians have been pleased to see the Conservative government invest into the military not only for international service, but for domestic work, for example the sovereignty of the Arctic, which is a recent issue. Shipley said Harper is a leader who keeps his promises and voters appreciate that. Asked about the necessity of the election, Shipley said Harper met with the other party leaders, all of whom were against the prime minis- ter's economic plan. Shipley said there was a clear distinc- tion between the Conservatives and the other parties — the other parties all wanted to raise taxes, he said. He accused Dion of building his election platform "on the fly" "That's not leadership," Shipley said. Speaking of the environment, Shipley said the Conservatives have spent $8 billion on the environment since 2006 and Bev Shipley has a balanced plan without taxing Canadians to pay for it. "We will not cripple the economy," Shipley said. JeffWesley (Liberal) Running in his second feder- al campaign and with six years of experience as mayor of Wallaceburg and two years as a member of Chatham -Kent council, Wesley said "jobs, jobs, jobs" are the most impor- tant issues affecting the LKM riding. He said there has been a "gutting" of manufacturing jobs and added it's wrong of the Conservatives to take a "hands-off" approach to the economy. Wesley said leadership is needed to deal with the econo- my and, if elected, Wesley said he'll pull together a group of leaders from the business and labour sectors and sit them down with officials to bring jobs and investment to the rid- ing. "When I say I'll do that, I'll do it," he said. Referring to the Liberal "Green Shift" tax plan, Wesley said the Liberals are the only party with a plan to take funds and re- invest them JeffWesley into the econ- omy. He said the Conservatives haven't put their program before the public or revealed the cost. Wesley said the Conservatives broke their 2006 promises about agricul- ture and said Harper's govern- ment merely renamed the CAIS program. Another issue of concern for Wesley is aboriginal issues. As a former manager of munici- pal and aboriginal relations, Wesley had a working rela- tionship with 100 First Nation communities negotiating and resolving land claim and abo- riginal title issues. Wesley said he's the only candidate in LKM with the expertise to deal with aboriginal issues. As for the election itself, Wesley said voters are asking him why it was even called, labeling the election as a waste of $300 million. Wesley said there wasn't a reason for the election and, by calling it, Harper was only thinking of his own political fortunes. Exeter and Area Probus Club celebrates second birtbday By Yvonne Reynolds SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE EXETER — The Exeter and Area Probus Club will cele- brate its second birthday Oct. 15, and you are invited. Probus, an abbreviation of "Professional" and "Business," began in England over 50 years ago. A British psychologist quoted at the time said "one-quarter of all British managers are dead within six months of retirement, and the same trend is occurring elsewhere". He added that interaction with other like-minded people is essential to physical well-being after retirement. A group of retirees meeting regularly for morning cof- fee in Welwyn Garden City, UK, discovered the truth of this. They had among them a wealth of experience, as shared through lively and entertaining conversations. Why not form a luncheon club? The first club in North America was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Galt in Cambridge in 1987. Probus has spread world wide, with 26,400 members now in Canada. The Exeter club was established through the efforts of Grand Bend Rotarian and Probus member Bill Metcalfe, working with a steering committee from Exeter. Probus clubs specialize in exploring topics and activities of common interest, both at regular monthly morning meetings with entertaining and informative guest speak- ers, and in between times with small groups getting together for pursuits as disparate as hiking, theatre mati- nees and wine making. Current president (and retired banker) Ken Agnew notes that "the potential is so great — opportunities for many diverse groups within our club, all under the Probus umbrella. I've met so many interesting people. And we've only started!" Each club is autonomous, non-political, non-sectarian, non-profit, and non -fundraising. The basic purpose is to provide regular gatherings for retired men and women from a variety of backgrounds who appreciate and value opportunities to meet others in similar circumstances with similar levels of interest. Past guest speakers at the Exeter club include grocer Mike Hansen, restaurateur James Edlington, meteorolo- gist Jay Campbell, humanitarian Fred Knip, Community Living executive director Bruce Shaw, South Huron Hospital CEO Deb Hunt, Mayor Ken Oke, furniture manu- facturer Don McCaffery and playwright Paul Ciufo. Each brought us a greater appreciation of that individual's involvement in this community and beyond. Extra -curricular activities have included a tour of the Grand Bend water plant, the Stephen Truscott play at the Blyth Theatre, a visit to a farm museum in Kirkton and the Donnelly Vigilante Tour. Exeter Probus meets the third Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. in the Sunday School room off the park- ing lot at Exeter United Church. Guest speaker Bill Metcalfe's topic at the Oct. 15 meeting is humour. You are cordially invited to come and share in some laugh- ter — and some birthday cake.