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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-10-14, Page 88 News Record • Wednesday, October 14, 2015 Candidates discuss poverty and youth jobs CONTINUED FROM > PAGE 7 Under a Green Party gov- ernment, Bill C-24 would be repealed, Splettstoesser said. She said the Conserva- tives' anti -terrorism legisla- tion have not had "much debate" and "90 per cent of amendments were not accepted". Splettstoesser asked, "Why are we constantly trying to fear monger." "We need to be more inclusive," she added. Candidates were then asked why their party lead- ers have not visited Huron- Burce during this campaign. Lobb said Stephen Harper visited Goderich a few years, knows the area well and they often have discussions about issues faced in Huron -Bruce Creces said the Huron - Bruce riding is "vitally important" to the NDP and he is proud to represent the party to local constituents. In response to the query, Splettstoesser said her leader Elizabeth May has connected with 1 million fol- lowers on Twitter but has not been allow to participate in a number of debates. "Every Canadian is important to our leader," she said. "The election isn't over yet," Thompson said, add- ing that he feels "every rid- ing is important to all of the parties': Thompson noted that Justin Trudeau has come to the riding in the past. Lobb later said that Thompson failed to men- tion that Trudeau had charged $10,000 for his appearance. Thompson retorted by asking how much it would cost to have Mike Duffy come here. Candidates were asked what their parties would do to address the 1,200 Abo- riginal woman that are cur- rently missing in Canada. The question struck a nerve with Creces. "It's a travesty," he said. He questioned why the death of two men in Ottawa •1 1 111 1 11 F1 1� EVENING ITH Alin. MUSIC $ux Dan FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20,2015-7 PM — BLYTN MEMORIAL HALL Tickets at the Blyth Festival Box Office call 1-877-862-5984 or www.blythfestival.com franiills.-em CLINTON RADARS 2015-2016 HOME GAMES FRIDAY OCTOBER 16, 2015 - 8:30 PM SEAFORTH CENTENAIRES @ CLINTON RADARS SPONSORED BY: filLDYKSTRA #L41 C .'n NSTRTJ ON OFFICE: 519-482—.9082 CELL: 519-525-8675 sn_: �. s,. last year could constitute "a war", but 1,200 women don't justify an inquiry. He criticized the Harper government for its record on Aboriginal issues. "There are 50 communi- ties in the north that are getting no help because it's not the federal govern- ment's problem!' Splettstoesser said there has been "no action" from the current government. She suggested there should be regular meetings between all levels of gov- ernment and Aboriginal, Inuit and Metis leaders. Thompson called the treatment of Aboriginal people as a "scar" on the country's identity. However, he said former Prime Minister Paul Martin had made progress with the Kelowna Accord, but it was wiped out by Stephen Harper. Thompson said the Lib- erals would commission a national inquiry into the 1,200 missing Aboriginal women. Lobb said such an inquiry could potentially cost $15 million. He claimed there have already been 30 studies completed on the matter. "Law enforcement agen- cies will tell you what the issues are, they just have to keep working at it," Lobb said. The first oral question was whether the candidates would vote for their constit- uents' wishes or stick with their party's line. Splettstoesser said there are less and less "town hall" meetings where MPs dis- cuss issues with their local constituents. "It is very important to consult citizens," she said. "I'm only candidate who has freedom to say, "I truly work for you first and the party comes last': Creces said his party allows for candidates to have differing opinions. "One size doesn't fit all," he said. However, he explained that if there something his party supported that con- stituents had concerns about, he would look to address them. The incumbent Lobb said candidates are voted in to vote with party legislation but noted in the past he has voted for NDP private member bills and voted against Conservative bills. "There is no monopoly on good ideas," Lobb said. "You have to vote in the best interest of your community." Thompson said politi- cians need to be allowed to be "more valuable" to their constituents and that Lib- eral MPs are allowed "free will" in their voting. "We have to find a way to open our political system." He said MPs should not be judged just by their vot- ing record, how what when the cameras are turned off. Lieut. David Hickman of the Salvation Army asked candidates how they would address poverty and increasing costs for utilities and housing. "What is your party plan- ning to help the most vul- nerable," Hickman said. "Poverty is one of the reasons I've gotten into this campaign," Creces said. "Rural poverty is killing us," he added. Creces said the NDP would lower the age of retirement to help create more entry-level positions for young workers. Lobb said under the Harper government, the number of children on pov- erty has decreased by 225,000 and they imple- mented the largest increase to guaranteed income sup- plements in 25 years. "The number of Canadi- ans living in the lower income level has never been lower," he claimed. Through his travels on the campaign trail, Thomp- son said he has found of that one of the primary concerns of voters is the "growing gap between the rich and poor." Thompson said he feels it is time to ask, "the one per cent of Canada who have done very well to pay a little bit more." Splettstoesser said she does not want to see the number of Canadians in poverty go up. She suggested that cuts could be made in other areas, such as the $10 bil- lion budget of the Prime Minister's office and $1 bil- lion in subsidies to the fos- sil fuels industry, to address issues such as poverty. Candidates were then given three minutes to make their closing state- ments to wrap up the evening. Thompson said the "poli- tics of fear" have created a country where people are afraid of those who look or dress different from them. "This is not my Canada," Thompson said. "We have a chance to beat fear with hope." Splettstoesser said she was disappointed that the issue of climate change was not brought up during the debate as she feels it is an important to young voters. "Many people are losing hope. Young people are asking about their future," she said. "The decisions we make today will affect the generations to come." Swapping "red and blue governments" for the past 150 years hasn't worked so it's time voters to consider the NDP, Creces said. "You've been fed a per- petual two-party system. There are alternatives. Think about changing the pattern of politics." Lobb said his party has balanced budgets, created new jobs and cut taxes. He said a vote for the Lib- erals would lead to "inex- perienced leadership" and the NDP would need an "avalanche of taxes" to fund its campaign platform. He told voters that only the Conservatives "can be trusted" to lead the country in the right direction. Give young familie a chance Give seniors their due Clean up parliament... And our environment VOTE - GERARD - OCT. 19 Ready for Change - Join Gerard's Team 519-612-2200 gerard.creces@ndp.ca http://gerardcreces. ndp.ca Authorized by the official agent for Gerard Creces.