Three federal Wellington Halton Hills candidates agreed last week that more should be done to protect the environment, prevent white collar crime, and return some decorum to the parliamentary procedure.
But that’s basically where the consensus ended during an April 14 debate between Green Party representative Brent Bouteiller, Conservative incumbent Michael Chong, and Liberal candidate Barry Peters.
Jeffrey Streutker, of the Christian Heritage Party, and Anastasia Zavarella, of the NDP, did not attend the meeting at Main Place, in Erin.
The three there offered very different opinions on several other issues, including child care.
Bouteiller said his party has a policy to develop a national child care program, which would be accomplished by first taking an inventory of current providers and then creating “a network” under the federal system.
He added the plan would be paid for with funds generated through his party’s plan to institute a “carbon tax shift.”
Peters said, “The Liberal Party definitely supports a national child care program.” His party proposes reversing corporate tax cuts and using that money to create a $500-million fund and work with provincial partners to create child care spaces and invest in early learning educators.
Chong said he favours child care benefits and opposes a national child care program for three reasons:
– it’s “far too expensive,” at $6-billion a year, for a fully-funded child care program;
– it presents “cross-jurisdictional difficulties,” as many provinces closely guard their control over education; and
– it is “a one-size-fits-all approach” that taxes lower-middle class Canadians and transfers that wealth to a system that benefits upper-middle class, double-income families with 9am to 5pm jobs.
As for post-secondary education, Peters said the Liberals propose a $1,000 per year grant (for up to four years) for every student that gets into university ($1,500 for low income families) because every student should have the opportunity, regardless of their family’s wealth.
Chong noted various Canadian governments over the last decade have made record investments in post-secondary education and the country has very reasonable tuition rates compared to other nations. He noted tuition rates are regulated by the province.
Bouteiller said student debt is a major problem that could be addressed by instituting a no-interest time period and increasing the grace period (for starting to repay student loans) to two years.
Another audience member wanted to know if large jails are necessary or if better legislation could solve problems within the judicial system.
Chong said while his party does not want an American-style system, the government needs to tighten up sentences for violent crimes, which will mean more or longer jail terms, and the Conservatives are committed to building the infrastructure necessary to house those individuals.
Bouteiller said he is concerned with Conservative plans to build “super jails.” He noted the rate for homicides, for example, has been steady for 20 years, and thus he questioned the need for bigger jails. He also added that research shows jail terms are often not the best way to rehabilitate criminals in the first place.
Peters said the American-style mega-prisons, like those proposed by the Conservative party, are too expensive and given that crime rates are decreasing, the federal government has bigger issues to tackle.
The Liberal party, he said, proposes programs that will reach youths before possible problems arise, including in the areas of child care, education, and recreation.
One audience member wanted to know what the candidates would do to protect the interests of farmers and small business owners, particularly given the free trade agreement Canada is trying to negotiate with the European Union.
Chong said his party would not negotiate away supply management protocols, which will protect farmers. He said he is in favour of developing the agreement, and noted European nations have equal or higher standards in place, which means farmers and small businesses are on a level playing field. He views the agreement as a great way to expand free trade but also ensure wealth protection in Canada.
Bouteiller questioned the need to proceed with another free trade agreement when Canada is already dealing with a number of issues under the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Everyone would like more trade with Europe, he said, but it has to be fair trade, and officials have to ensure water and health care are closely guarded.
Peters acknowledged he is “not an expert” on the topic, but said any free trade agreement has to protect small businesses and farmers in Canada and the government has to weigh all its options before signing such an agreement.
Chong came under fire from his Liberal and Green Party opponents for the Conservatives’ plan to purchase 65 fighter jets – the original cost for which was pegged at $9-billion but some experts are saying they could come in at closer to $30-billion.
Peters did not deny the need for the planes, but questioned the process and insisted an open bid should have been used to ensure the best possible price for Canadians.
Bouteiller said the F-35 jets built by Lockheed-Martin are multi-purpose jets but do not excel at any one task and are actually inferior to some other models for certain jobs.
Chong defended the purchase, pointing out the current CF-18s are 30 years old and will need to be taken out of service within a decade. The new jets will come into service in 2020, he said.
Chong noted the Department of Defence wanted its new jets to have a “stealth” capacity, and the Lockheed-Martin model was the only one that met its requirements – so there was no need for a bidding process.
Even if costs do rise to $30-billion, that will work out to $1-billion per year over 30 years – and in an annual budget of about $250-billion, that’s a very reasonable cost, Chong said.
