{"id":4745,"date":"2015-10-02T10:26:48","date_gmt":"2015-10-02T14:26:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/huntsville.dopperonline.ca\/?p=4745"},"modified":"2015-10-03T10:32:24","modified_gmt":"2015-10-03T14:32:24","slug":"highs-and-lows-at-algonquin-theatre-candidates-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/highs-and-lows-at-algonquin-theatre-candidates-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"There were cheers and jeers at Huntsville all-candidates debate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The debate raged on at Huntsville\u2019s Algonquin Theatre Wednesday night, as candidates running in the October 19 federal election battled one another to convince the audience who is the best person for the job.<\/p>\n<div style=\"float: left; margin-right: 14px;\"><strong> <broadstreet-zone zone-id=\"45658\" keywords=\"\" soft-keywords=\"true\" zone-alias=\"\"><\/broadstreet-zone><\/strong><\/div>\n<p>The economy and job creation, Bill C51, climate change, healthcare, support for small businesses, food security, the Liberal\u2019s intended spending spree \u2013 these were just some of the topics on the minds of those in attendance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The economy <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Incumbent Conservative MP Tony Clement was criticized for the loss of manufacturing jobs during his mandate. He was asked what he would do to get those jobs back and who he represents at the House of Commons, the Harper government or his constituents.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"modern-quote full\"><p>\u201cI represent the people of Parry Sound-Muskoka. It\u2019s the proudest position I\u2019ve ever held in my life.\u201d<cite>tony clement, conservative party<br \/>\n<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He conceded to the loss of jobs and said the area was \u201chit hard when the great recession happened, but I\u2019m here to talk about the great successes that are happening in Parry Sound Muskoka too.\u201d Clement cited Crofters Organic in Parry Sound \u201cexporting jam to the world.\u201d He said the same of Muskoka Roastery and its exports abroad. He spoke of the area\u2019s five craft breweries.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4855\" style=\"width: 344px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/AlbertandMatt.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4855\" class=\"wp-image-4855\" src=\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/AlbertandMatt-300x131.jpg\" alt=\"AlbertandMatt\" width=\"334\" height=\"146\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/AlbertandMatt-300x131.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/AlbertandMatt-1024x447.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/AlbertandMatt.jpg 1158w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 334px) 100vw, 334px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-4855\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, Marxist Leninist candidate Albert G. Smith and NDP candidate Matt McCarthy.<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cMuskoka Brewery is in the old Alcan plant and it is being re-purposed to manufacture beer.\u201d Clement also spoke proudly of Lofthouse Brass in Burk\u2019s Falls manufacturing valves and exporting them to China. He said he\u2019d like to continue helping local businesses along that path.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"modern-quote pull alignleft\"> \u201cThese are good small industries, craft breweries and making jam, but there\u2019s nothing to compare with the job losses in the steel sector and in the automotive sector that have all gone overseas and the losses in these sectors were carried out when Mr. Clement was Minister of Industry.\u201d <cite>Marxist Lenninist candidate albert G. smith<\/cite><\/aside>\n<p>Clement countered: \u201cI don\u2019t sneer at any full-time jobs in our community. I don\u2019t care if you\u2019re making jam or car parts &#8211; every job is a valuable job in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations were also raised by Smith, who said they would result in more job loss.<\/p>\n<p>Green Party candidate Glen Hodgson agreed. \u201cYou know right now as we sit here in this auditorium, they\u2019re negotiating a secret treaty \u2013 the Trans-Pacific Partnership.\u201d He said it threatens this nation\u2019s sovereignty, will result in job losses and a degradation of environmental and labour standards. Hodgson said his government would enact \u201cthink small first legislation\u201d empowering small and medium business. \u201cGreens understand the importance of small business and the importance of businesses that are tied to the communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve heard a lot about what small businesses are doing for Mr. Clement, but I\u2019d like to talk about what the NDP is going to do.\u201d NDP candidate Matt McCarthy said the NDP plans to create \u201cquality middle-class jobs in manufacturing that families need to thrive.\u201d He accused the Conservatives of doing nothing to stem the loss of jobs, the Liberals of rubber stamping thousands of foreign takeovers during their time in government, and said he was surprised to hear Justin Trudeau say that Ontario needs to move away from manufacturing. \u201cThose are good jobs and we need to bring them back to Muskoka.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Liberal candidate Trisha Cowie said this area has the second highest unemployment rate in Ontario. She said a Liberal government would give the middle class a tax break by increasing taxes on the top one per cent of income earners. And she said her government would invest billions of dollars in infrastructure.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"modern-quote full\"><p>\u201cWe\u2019ve lost 66,000 jobs in this country in April and yet the government deemed itself worthy of a pay raise. So I think we can start there by cutting their jobs,\u201d <cite>Gordie Merton,  Canadian Alliance Party.<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_4837\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/test.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4837\" class=\"wp-image-4837 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/test-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"test\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/test-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/test-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/test.jpg 1805w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-4837\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Canadian Alliance Party candidate Gordie Merton speaks to the audience.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong> Anti-Terrorism Act, Bill C51<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Canadian Alliance candidate Gordie Merton said he vehemently disagrees with Bill C51, which he said is being used as an excuse to trample on Canadians\u2019 Charter of Rights. \u201cBill C51 shouldn\u2019t have been passed in the first place. It\u2019s a disgrace for this country and around the world,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can have security and our Charter of Rights without Bill C51.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clement, whose Conservative government enacted the anti-terrorism legislation, was steadfast in its defense.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"modern-quote pull alignright\">\u201cIt allows our security personnel to share information in order to interdict or prevent a terrorist attack on Canadian soil. What it doesn\u2019t do is allow security forces an untrammeled ability or right to snoop on any Canadian.\u201d <cite>tony clement, conservative party<\/cite><\/aside>\n<p>Clement also said to applause from the audience that any Canadian with dual citizenship who commits a terrorist act, should have his or her Canadian citizenship revoked.<\/p>\n<p>Marxist Lenninist candidate Albert G. Smith had a different take: \u201cTrue security lies in the fight for the rights of all people and when people have rights they will fight for their rights and defend them.\u201d He said he\u2019s spoken to several law enforcement officials and was told Bill C51 was not necessary for them to do their job.<\/p>\n<p>McCarthy said the NDP have been opposing the bill from the start. \u201cThe NDP proposed over 200 amendments to the bill and when they were rejected we voted against it,\u201d he said, adding that should the NDP form government, they are the only party promising to repeal the bill.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Matt says he\u2019s the only government that will repeal it, he really needs to read my platform,\u201d noted Hodgson.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"modern-quote full\"><p>\u201cWhat do Jean Chretien, Paul Martin, Joe Clark and Elizabeth May all have in common? The answer of course is they all came out very clearly against Bill C51.\u201d<cite>glen hodgson, green party<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_4843\" style=\"width: 239px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/hodgson1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4843\" class=\"wp-image-4843\" src=\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/hodgson1-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"Green party candidate Glen Hodgson\" width=\"229\" height=\"152\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/hodgson1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/hodgson1-1024x681.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 229px) 100vw, 229px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-4843\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Green Party candidate Glen Hodgson<\/p><\/div>\n<p>He said the Greens recognized right off the block how dangerous the legislation is. \u201cAnd the danger comes from not just the bill itself but also what is a terrorist under this bill, because it is very unclear,\u201d Hodgson said to applause. He said the concern is that engaged citizens, like those protesting pipelines, could classify as terrorists. He also expressed concern over the lack of oversight attached to the bill.<\/p>\n<p>Liberal candidate Trish Cowie said terrorism is constantly morphing and Canada needs to stay ahead of it.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"modern-quote full\"><p>\u201cThere are some useful things that were in that bill. Our job now is to make sure that amendments are made to make sure that it aligns with our Charter of Rights.\u201d <cite>trisha cowie, liberal party<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>She said the Liberals would go through the bill and make those amendments so that \u201cprotesters like environmentalists and native people do not have to be concerned that they\u2019re going to be arrested or taken down for their protests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong> Long-form census and government transparency<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Clement again found himself on the defensive. His government was criticized for muzzling scientist and cancelling the long-form census, information, he was told, required to create proper rather than partisan policies.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"modern-quote full\"><p>\u201cIf you\u2019re interested in representing all Canadians you want the best information possible. Cancelling the long-form census is wrong.\u201d <cite>glen hodgson, green party<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Hodgson said the Greens would bring it back again, re-invest in the CBC and re-invigorate the scientific community and \u201ctake the muzzle off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cowie said the information garnered from the long-form census is useful for things like not-for-profits and business plans and the Liberals would bring it back. \u201cUnfortunately we have a government that is afraid of information and that\u2019s proven in the way that they control their messages to the public and my friend Glen here pointed out the muzzling of the scientists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also brought up Trans-Pacific Partnership talks. \u201cWhy is it clouded in secrecy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith accused the Conservative government of being \u201cproudly determined to bring us back to the dark ages.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clement noted the National Household Survey, which replaced the long-form census, went to one in five households \u201cwhich experts say provides useful, usable data. We still have the mandatory census, we still have the mandatory labour force survey, there\u2019s lots of useful data out there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clement said Canada is a world leader in the establishment of open data by default. \u201cAnd I\u2019m proud of the fact that Justin Trudeau is stealing that policy and putting it in his platform\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Genetically Modified Organisms \u2013 ban them?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Clement said he\u2019d be happy to talk about the Conservative\u2019s policy on agricultural issues, which \u201cis based on science,\u201d he said to jeers from the audience. \u201cIt\u2019s OK, you can boo the incumbent\u2026,\u201d he said, adding that if there are other countries that have banned the use of GMOs, they\u2019re basing it on \u201cjunk science.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh boy,\u201d exclaimed Merton. He said Russia, France and Germany have banned GMOs. \u201cIf the leading powers in this world have banned GMOs, I think it\u2019s time that we should reopen that and take a look,\u201d he said, adding that the position of his party is that \u201cthere will be no chemicals in our food.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith called it a no-brainer and it goes right along with the issue of cloud seeding.\u201cIt may be a Green saying that if your grandmother wouldn\u2019t recognize it, don\u2019t eat it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McCarthy said research funds must be provided to ensure the food that\u2019s put on grocery store shelves is safe. \u201cRight now Canadian research funding is tilted way too heavily toward economic benefit.\u201d He said local food producers and the Canada Food Inspection Agency need to be supported.<\/p>\n<p>Hodgson said he supports labeling to at least give people the ability to choose what they eat. He said the Greens would want to move towards banning GMOs, and he said the Greens have been talking about these issues for years.  He said it&#8217;s nice to see the other parties have finally caught up to the Greens and are starting to listen.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"modern-quote full\"><p>\u201cWhat I\u2019m going to ask you is instead of always playing catch-up, we\u2019re asking you to vote for us and to look at our ideas and support our ideas, so we can get out in front of these things instead of playing catch up.\u201d <cite>glen hodgson, green party<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Cowie had a slightly different take. While she agreed with labeling GMO foods, she called the process a double-edged sword. \u201cI understand that it has been beneficial in helping alleviate some poverty and hunger in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clement added that there is a burgeoning food producing market that has received start-up funding and support from the Harper government and it\u2019s an issue that will continue to be on his radar if elected.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Abolishing the Senate and Free Trade?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>McCarthy said his government would restore democracy by making sure that un-elected and unaccountable senators shutting down democratically passed legislation are no longer able to do so.<\/p>\n<p>Cowie said there are issues that are much more pressing, adding that her government would put in place an unbiased committee to elect senators. She also reminded those present of senator Romeo Dallaire and the good work he has done.<\/p>\n<p>Smith said his party believes Canada needs a new and modern constitution.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"modern-quote full\"><p>\u201cThe constitution that we\u2019re living with today was created in the middle of the 19th Century. This is the 21<sup>st<\/sup> Century and there are vestiges of privilege written directly into the old constitution.\u201d <cite>albert g. smith, marxist leninist party<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Hodgson said it frustrates him when bad politicians do bad things that reflect poorly on Canada\u2019s political institutions and the constitution.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think you throw out the Senate because you have some bad senators.\u201d He said the Greens will propose some possible models to reform the Senate or abolish it only after that option has been taken to the people. \u201cYou can decide in a referendum. I\u2019m not going to tell you that we should take down a political institution that\u2019s existed for over 100 years because of some of the things that have gone on now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Merton said senators should be voted in, not appointed. And big issues would be taken straight to the people \u201cto eliminate the corporate leashes on the politicians within the House of Commons and the Senate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also said his party would reinstate democracy by getting Canada\u2019s sovereignty back and repealing the North American Free Trade Agreement. \u201cSo no more free trade, but rather fair trade.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"modern-quote full\"><p>\u201cThis is kind of bizarre but Albert and I agree and I believe that the Senate is a 19th Century institution trying to be relevant in the 21<sup>st<\/sup> Century. It has to be reformed massively or be abolished.\u201d<cite>tony clement, conservative party<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_4853\" style=\"width: 209px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/doppleronline.ca\/huntsville\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/clement.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4853\" class=\"wp-image-4853 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/clement-e1467837446766.jpg\" alt=\"clement\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-4853\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Conservative Party candidate Tony Clement.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>On free trade, Clement retorted: \u201cWe are a trading nation. Our industrial sector can compete with the world and win and if we start closing these doors to trade, we will lose jobs, we will lose opportunity, we will lose economic growth and we will be a backwater and that\u2019s not the way Canadians think. We want to be competitive in the world and Canadians can be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McCarthy retorted: \u201cMr. Clement, if you want to talk about trade while we\u2019re having a discussion about restoring our faith in government, then I would take this opportunity to point out that there is a new rule right now that was inserted shortly before this election began that stated a government would now be allowed to continue a trade deal in the middle of an election when we don\u2019t know who the government will be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Climate change <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Clement said Harper has committed to reduce carbon emissions by 30 per cent by 2030. \u201cJust as the US and China, just as France and Germany, we are part of that global consensus going into the Paris negotiations.&#8221; He said his government plans to meet those goals by making polluters pay, continuing to invest in green technology and ensuring that \u201cwe have a robust economy that can power and finance this transition. So I think our approach is balanced and definitely doable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith said the transition to a greener economy has already begun, but Canada has fallen behind. The Marxist Leninist candidate said Norway nationalized their oil and used that money for infrastructure. \u201cThey took the oil money\u2026 and they turned that into electrifying the entire country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McCarthy said the NDP would remove subsidies to oil companies and invest in clean technology.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlease don\u2019t tell me that you believe that our current Conservative government is one of the leaders in addressing climate change,\u201d said Hodgson. \u201cYou know that that\u2019s not true. The fact is all the other old-line parties, regardless of what they say in terms of a climate change plan, they are all in favour of building pipelines. Those pipelines are going to take tar sands oil out of the ground and going to send it to markets, which are going to increase carbon emissions,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you are in favour of pipelines, then your climate change plan is not going to cut it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hodgson noted that his party\u2019s plan to address climate change is the only one that is being supported by David Suzuki.<\/p>\n<p>Cowie said part of the $20 billion infrastructure spending promised by the Liberals will be going to green infrastructure. She also said her party would phase out fossil fuel subsidies and invest that into green technology and research. She also said a Liberal government would work with the provinces to come up with a carbon tax.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to get back to clean energy and clean gas,\u201d said Merton who cited Canola oil. \u201cWe can use that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Small Business<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cowie was put on the spot when she was asked to respond on behalf of her leader who was heard saying in an interview that most small businesses are nothing but a tax dodge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile I can\u2019t extrapolate on Mr. Trudeau\u2019s words, I can clarify that what he was referring to in a larger sense is this idea about using businesses as tax havens and there are loop holes that need to be closed up.\u201d She said her party proposes reducing the  income tax rate  to small businesses by 2017 from 11 to 9 per cent.<\/p>\n<p>Greens, said Hodgson, will also cut the small business tax and provide incentives and infrastructure support to decrease operating costs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know what Mr. Trudeau was thinking,\u201d said Merton. \u201cSmall businesses are hurting. All the way here I was speaking to the taxi driver who was driving me.\u201d He said she told him that her profits were being taxed by government. He agreed with reducing that tax.<\/p>\n<p>Clement said Trudeau\u2019s comments were disappointing. He said his government has reduced and is proposing to continue reducing small business tax.<\/p>\n<p>He warned against the \u201cmassive\u201d new payroll tax being proposed by the Liberals. \u201cSimilar to what Kathleen Wynne is forcing down your throat here in Ontario and if that comes about throughout the rest of Canada all small business better hold on to their wallets because it is going to be very difficult to continue to operate in places like Huntsville and throughout Muskoka.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Smith said there is a deficit of things that are made in Canada and there is opportunity for small businesses to help turn that around. \u201cI met a man last night, he said \u2018I don\u2019t buy anything from China\u2019 and I was surprised that he was clothed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"modern-quote full\"><p>\u201cIf we make things in Canada and buy them in Canada and keep them in Canada, that\u2019s the way we can grow. The large corporations are gone. They\u2019re selling more GM cars in China now than they are selling in North America.\u201d <cite>albert g. smith, marxist leninist party<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>McCarthy said he too was surprised with Trudeau\u2019s statements. \u201cI think we need a leader who knows what he\u2019s talking about. Who has a principled experience to lead Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cowie talked on the issue of nasty and divisive approaches and asked everyone present to watch the Liberal\u2019s video called <em>The Budget Will Balance Itself<\/em>. \u201cDon\u2019t take it out of context, watch it in context and watch it make sense.\u201d She also encouraged everyone present to watch the clip with Trudeau\u2019s small business comments. She responded to Clement\u2019s payroll tax comments and reminded those present that it\u2019s not a payroll tax, \u201cInvesting in CPP, we\u2019re talking about investing in your future, in your retirement, in giving you a dignified retirement. If we want to talk about what a payroll tax is, I\u2019d be curious to know Mr. Clement what are we paying you for your pension?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clement shook his head and retorted \u201cthat\u2019s nasty and divisive, that\u2019s nasty and divisive Trisha, apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is it wise to run deficits?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cowie was asked whether spending 20 billion dollars and burdening future generations was wise.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4850\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/cowie.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4850\" class=\"wp-image-4850 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/cowie-300x191.jpg\" alt=\"cowie\" width=\"300\" height=\"191\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/cowie-300x191.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/cowie-1024x651.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2015\/10\/cowie.jpg 1489w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-4850\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Liberal Party candidate Trisha Cowie.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>She replied: \u201cWe\u2019re going to be burdening them with failing infrastructure. We need to make this investment now. \u201cWe\u2019re at a time where rates are low, we\u2019re also at a time in Parry Sound Muskoka in particular (when) we have infrastructure crumbling beneath our feet.\u201d She made reference to a culvert on Hwy 169, she also spoke of Hwy 141 being shut down. \u201cIt\u2019s the perfect time to be investing in this.\u201d Cowie also said investing in infrastructure would create jobs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf a leader,\u201d said Merton, \u201cis thinking that it\u2019s good to carry on deficit and debt, maybe we should be looking at a new leader. We already have enough debt to deal with, each of you are dealing with it and we\u2019re dealing with it and we don\u2019t need another one, we don\u2019t need more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Clement said his government is in a surplus position to jeers from the audience. \u201cThe fact of the matter is that we\u2019re in a surplus and that took a lot of effort and after all of that effort to go back into $10 billion a year deficit\u2026 I think is nonsensical, particularly at a time that the economy is growing again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith said his party believes carrying debts and deficits are always a bad idea, because the rich are the ones who benefit when they buy the bonds the government sells. \u201cYou\u2019re paying debt service on this and this takes away from social services and thing that we could be doing in infrastructure. We believe it\u2019s always a bad idea to borrow money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McCarthy spoke of the situation in Greece. \u201cWhat I see happening in Greece is a nightmare. They\u2019re budget is being balanced by foreign governments and banks,\u201d he said, adding that the French word for bond literally means obligation. \u201cIt\u2019s an obligation to the creditors.The NDP has a proud history of balancing the books, beginning with Tommy Douglas who balanced 17 budgets in a row and introduced Medicare.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Greens don\u2019t believe in running deficits either, said Hodgson. \u201cI think the figure on our current deficit is $9 billion a year we pay in interest \u2013 that\u2019s money that\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said if you don\u2019t believe in running a deficit you\u2019re going to have to tell people how you are going to pay for your promises and that\u2019s something his party has done. \u201cOur platform is fully costed out. We\u2019re going to cancel the subsidy to fossil fuel industries, saving billions. We\u2019re going to cancel F-35 fighter jets, saving billions and we\u2019re going to put a price on carbon.\u201d The audience applauded.<\/p>\n<p>Cowie referred to the 10-billion-yearly deficit being planned by the Liberals, if they get into power, as moderate. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about .5 per cent of our GDP, that\u2019s what 10 billion dollars is. It\u2019s a drop in the bucket,\u201d she said, adding that if Canada&#8217;s infrastructure needs aren\u2019t addressed now, they will turn into an even bigger problem later.<\/p>\n<p><strong>And, finally, here&#8217;s what they said about healthcare<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>McCarthy began by saying he would fight to protect Canada&#8217;s healthcare system. He said the NDP plans to work with provincial governments to increase transfer payments so Canadians don&#8217;t have to &#8220;make excruciating decisions like which towns are going to have a hospital.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Cowie said the Liberals that day announced that they would be committing $3 billion over the next four years to healthcare and prioritizing home care services. &#8220;That doesn&#8217;t even include the investment that we&#8217;re already making in  infrastructure, which includes social infrastructure, such as seniors&#8217; residences.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She said the Liberals would reduce the cost of medication by buying in bulk. &#8220;We&#8217;re going to do it the Costco way.&#8221; She said the Liberals will work with the provinces to come up with a new healthcare accord &#8220;in order to make sure provinces know the amount of funding that they&#8217;re going to be getting.We need a new formula.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Merton said healthcare is a huge issue, especially in his town of Gravenhurst, which has a large elderly population. He said in-home care needs to be updated and better funded. &#8220;And the Bracebridge hospital, if anybody&#8217;s been there let me know of your experiences because I&#8217;ve heard a lot of bad about it so we need to upgrade it there as well.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Clement reminded those present that hospitals, doctors and nurses fall under the mandate of provincial governments under the Canadian Constitution.<\/p>\n<p>He said the Harper government, since first being elected in 2006, has increased transfer payments to the provinces and territories at six per cent compounded per year, in excess of the rate of inflation and population growth in the country. &#8220;For Ontario, that means an extra 10 billion dollars have been transferred by federal government taxes to the provincial Liberal government, here in Ontario,(to) Mr. McGuinty and Ms. Wynne for healthcare purposes. If they can&#8217;t manage 10 billion extra dollars to make sure we could have two properly functioning hospitals in the District of Muskoka, that is wrong. That is on their shoulders and we should demand better.&#8221; Clement added that he&#8217;s been doing just that.<\/p>\n<p>Smith said his party believes that there should be a seamless national healthcare system. &#8220;This would stop the passing of the buck from the provincials to the federals,&#8221; he said to applause.<\/p>\n<p>Hodgson said there is a crisis coming in healthcare that the other parties haven&#8217;t been addressing. &#8220;And the crisis is that when our healthcare was founded the average age of Canadians was 28. The average age right now is 44.We have an aging population and that is placing significant pressure on our healthcare system and none of the old-line parties have a plan to support our seniors and our aging population, that&#8217;s going to create a crisis in our healthcare system.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He said unfortunately, &#8220;right-wing governments love a crisis because that leads to privatization.&#8221; He said the Greens would introduce a pharmacare program, which other parties have copied, and are the only ones with a solid plan and the only party &#8220;that recognize as long as we keep making people sick, we&#8217;re never going to have enough money to take care of our healthcare system. We need to clean up our environment. We need to care of our people,&#8221; he said to a loud applause.<\/p>\n<p>McCarthy said the NDP does have a plan, It would provide 40,000 more spaces for homecare. &#8220;Which is something that our community needs with a median age over eight years older than the provincial average.&#8221; He said an NDP government would also provide more affordable and accessible housing for seniors and introduce a pharmacare program.<\/p>\n<p>The candidates will meet again at the Dwight Community Centre on October 5, starting at 7 p.m.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong style=\"font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.857;\"><broadstreet-zone zone-id=\"45657\" keywords=\"\" soft-keywords=\"true\" zone-alias=\"\"><\/broadstreet-zone><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The debate raged on at Huntsville\u2019s Algonquin Theatre Wednesday night, as candidates running in the October 19 federal election battled one another to convince the audience who is the best [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[26],"class_list":["post-4745","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-breaking"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.8 - 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