WELLINGTON COUNTY – The Wellington and Halton Hills federations of agriculture joined forces on April 16 to host a virtual debate for candidates in Wellington-Halton Hills North.
For many who tuned in, it was their first opportunity to see and hear who was running.
Farming and associated businesses are a large part of the economies of Wellington County and Halton Hills, Wellington Federation of Agriculture (WFA) president and moderator Barclay Nap explained, and thus questions for candidates had an agricultural theme.
Conservative MP Michael Chong, who has held the seat since 2004, said he grew up in the riding, worked on farms as a young man, and understands the needs of his constituents.
“I understand the duality of the Canadian agricultural system,” he said in his opening remarks.
“Supply management is under threat (from the United States) and we need to open access to international beef and pork markets.”
NDP candidate Andrew Bascombe, who has a background in construction, moved to Acton in 2019 and ran in the election that year.
He noted the Liberals have held power for the past 10 years and Chong, while a Conservative, has held his seat for more than 20 years.
“We have to move beyond the ‘that’s the way we do it’ mentality,” he said, urging voters to vote differently if they want government to change.
“How can we return the same party, the same candidate year after year and expect a different result? I will be that change.”
Liberal candidate Sean Carscadden was a helicopter pilot with the Canadian military for some 20 years and is now a pilot for Ornge air ambulance.
In those roles he has travelled across the country and he said Canadians are more united than divided.
“We have one party leader who is inflammatory and divisive while the other is calling on us to unite,” he said.
The Liberal plan includes tariff protection, agriculture protection and increased trade within the country, he said, as well as plans for housing, affordability and military investment.
“Ask yourself who do you trust to represent the riding, who do you trust the lead the country, and who do you trust to lead us out of this economic crisis?” he asked. “Mark Carney has a plan.”
Green Party candidate Liam Stiles said he’s running for his 16-month-old baby.
The climate crisis, with such outcomes as forest fires and floods, and affordability are his primary concerns, he said in his opening remarks.
And now with a child, “I have a duty to be part of the solution,” he said. “And the Greens are the only ones that take the climate crisis seriously.”
He added the party would cut income taxes for those who earn less than $40,000 a year and has a plan to increase the number of family doctors and mental health supports.
Nap then asked a number of questions of all the candidates.
How to protect farmland while achieving attainable housing
Bascombe said the problem is the type of housing that’s being built.
He works in construction and said the average home is between 1,500 to 5,000 square feet and not enough parking is included in these subdivisions.
“We need to build smaller homes,” he said, adding that would also be faster.
Carscadden was all for protecting farmland from growth, asking, “Who will feed cities if we take away farmland?”
He said the Liberals will introduce policy to reduce development charges by half for multi-residential units and will encourage high-density construction.
Stiles said the Green Party would only build new housing in urban areas and would encourage people in large homes to alter them to become multi-unit dwellings.
The party would also have a stash of blueprints for homes that would be ready for developers to use, he said, noting, “That would save time – it means they could build right away.”
Chong said it’s time to slow population growth and focus on increasing production and investments to boost the economy.
He was also against paving over farmland.
“We need to be smarter with how we build,” he said.
How to offset the impact of U.S. tariffs on farms and the food supply chain
Carscadden said the Liberals have increased the agriculture stability plan by $6 million to help farmers replace lost income due to tariffs.
He said the supply chain “needs to go lateral instead of south” and include more food processors.
He added the Liberals will increase apprenticeship grants and find new markets for products normally sold to the U.S.
Stiles said the Green Party “would remove barriers to inter-provincial trade and increase trading partners overseas.
“The government needs to support the agricultural community so they don’t build a deficit,” he said, adding quotas help stabilize prices.
Chong said Canada needs to impose counter tariffs until the U.S. removes all of its tariffs.
And tariff revenue should go to tax relief for affected workers and businesses.
He said the Conservatives would establish a $3-billion fund for low-interest loans and short-term credit lines for farmers.
“And we should renegotiate the Canada-U.S. trade agreement and defence and security agreement. We have some leverage in the Arctic,” he said.
Bascombe said the NDP will support improving supply chain management and will find diversified markets for Canadian farmers.
Supporting farmers and the food supply chain for the long term
“The most important element is profitability,” Chong said.
“We need an economic framework nationally so all sectors are profitable.”
He added farmers should lead those policies and the capital gains tax should not increase.
Bascombe agreed industries need to weigh in on the supports and policies that will help them succeed.
He also suggested students need to learn more about agriculture in school.
Carscadden said breaking down inter-provincial trade barriers and having more domestic food processing will fill the void from lost U.S. markets.
He said the Liberals will have new apprenticeship programs as well.
Stiles said more funding needs to go into research – to produce crops resilient to floods and drought, and developing carbon neutral fertilizers.
“Fertilizers are a very large producer of carbon,” he said. “We need to find another method.”
Supporting builders, reducing development fees to keep housing costs down
Stiles said development decisions really should fall to municipalities, which know their constituents and communities very well.
“Less oversight from federal and provincial programs,” he said. “Cut the red tape.”
Chong said eliminating the GST on home purchases will make them more affordable for owners.
But reducing development charges (DCs) will bring the cost of new builds down dramatically.
“We have to incentivize municipalities to cut their DCs,” he said.
Bascombe said builders need to stop building huge estate homes and start building homes that are reasonable – in both size and cost – for a family, which will add lower-cost homes to the overall inventory.
He said foreign investors drove up the price of housing and noted setting realistic mortgage rates will also help buyers.
And supporting municipalities with funds for infrastructure projects will help them meet growth needs, especially if DCs are reduced, Bascombe added.
Carscadden agreed.
“I have heard from local mayors that growth needs infrastructure,” he said.
“We will cut DCs for multi-residential units and make sure municipal budgets are whole.”
Will your party scrap the carbon tax on agricultural fuel?
Chong said he supports an east-west pipeline for natural gas.
“Many rural areas don’t have access to natural gas, so farmers use oil or propane to heat and that’s more expensive,” he said.
“We have to eliminate the carbon tax on these fuels as there is no other alternative for farmers.”
“Scrap it,” Bascombe agreed. “Go after the big (carbon) producers, not farmers.”
Carscadden too, would advocate to exempt farmers from the carbon tax. Alternatives could also be explored, he said.
Stiles cautioned, “if we don’t move away from fossil fuels, we will have a crisis.”
He said there needs to be more research into carbon-neutral practices for farmers.
“That is the path forward, not more pipelines,” he said.
Patchy broadband coverage in rural areas
Bascombe said his government would work with internet providers that provide access to expand broadband programs.
It would be “an alternative to Starlink,” he added.
Carscadden said as Canada establishes its sovereignty in the north, it will need to be more connected.
That technology “will apply to rural communities as well,” he said.
Stiles said technology companies are monopolies the government needs to work with “to establish oversight on monopolies,” he said.
Chong said rural internet is much like natural gas in rural areas.
“They don’t have access to affordable internet,” he said.
He added the federal government needs to work with communities, as they did during COVID-19, to bring high speed internet to rural communities.
Addressing differences between Canadian, U.S. systems to help Canadian farmers remain competitive
Carscadden said offering funds for innovation and marketing programs would help equalize the markets.
Stiles said the tariffs imposed by the U.S. will likely do the job.
“Their economy is likely to tank and part of that will be agriculture,” he said.
Chong said reciprocal tariffs will “equal out” the tariff barriers.
But examining health and safety standards and packaging requirements, and harmonizing those with new trade partners will open new trade markets.
Bascombe said the government should consult with industries to develop new trade agreements.
“You tell us what you need,” he said. “Top down is not working.”
Another candidate, debate
Syl Carle is running for the People’s Party of Canada in the Wellington-Halton Hills North riding but did not attend the debate.
The next debate in Wellington-Halton Hills North is on April 22 at the Puslinch Community Centre, hosted by the Optimist Club of Puslinch.
