The Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA) held its all-candidates debate for candidates running in Ottawa-Centre, the federal riding where Carleton is located.
The Sept. 23. debate featured New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate Paul Dewar, Liberal candidate Catherine McKenna, Conservative candidate Damian Konstantinakos, and Green candidate Thomas Milroy. The candidates answered five questions, which were moderated by Sun Media parliamentary bureau chief David Akin.
What will you do to help youth, especially those who have graduated from university, find the jobs they need?
Dewar started off the debate by stating the importance of paid internships and touting the NDP’s plan to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.
Konstantinakos answered the question by praising the current government’s record on the economy of balancing the budget.
“We want this to be a place where businesses come and you yourself start businesses,” he said.
McKenna criticized Konstantinakos by saying the government has underspent in vital areas to balance the budget. She also said a Liberal government will not balance the budget but it will be able to create jobs.
Milroy said the Green Party will collaborate with businesses and schools to make sure they are training students for jobs that the economy needs.
What will you do to help students and others find affordable housing?
Milroy said the Green Party would establish a guaranteed livable income for Canadians based on where they live in the country. He added this will help alleviate housing problems for people who can’t afford it.
“The federal government is getting out of the social housing business and it boggles the mind,” Milroy said.
McKenna said she believes everything starts with housing. She said she has seen first-hand the poor state of social housing in Ottawa-Centre while campaigning and said she will be an advocate on the issue if she is elected on Oct. 19.
Konstantinakos replied to Milroy’s statements and said we don’t need a bureaucracy out of Ottawa to solve the social housing problem. He also said he will fight on the issue if he’s elected.
“The problem is we don’t have a national housing strategy in the country and we need to have one,” Dewar said. “We need to make sure everyone has a place to live and we aren’t tripping over people in the streets.”
How will you hold the balance between protecting the economy and tacking climate change?
“Canada is way behind in terms of green energy,” Dewar said.
He said the NDP will make First Nations a bigger part of the conversation about the environment and work with them to make climate change policy.
Konstantinakos started his answer by criticizing past Liberal governments for signing on to climate deals like the Kyoto Protocol as only a “photo-op”. He said the Conservative government has increased the amount of environmentally protected land in Canada.
McKenna said if her party is elected it will make protecting the environment a bigger priority and will make the provinces a bigger part of discussions on the issue.
Milroy talked about David Suzuki in his answer to the question and said Suzuki is not pleased with the current government’s record on the environment. He also said the Greens will tax big companies and use the money to offset the costs that will be passed on to consumers.
How does your party plan to encourage more female participation in politics and leadership roles in Canada?
Milroy was the first candidate to answer this question and touted the Green Party as the only federal party with a female leader, Elizabeth May.
McKenna, the only woman on stage, pleaded with women in the audience to get engaged in politics and think about running in an election.
“We need role models, I need role models, my girls need role models,” she said.
“Of course we need more women in office,” Konstantinakos said. He said he is proud the first female prime minister, Kim Campbell, was a Conservative, but said “partisanship should be set aside when it comes to representing women in politics,” he said.
The NDP strives to run candidates who come from underrepresented groups and looks at how each piece of legislation affects women, Dewar said.
How will you balance the concerns of people in Ottawa with national issues and the rest of the country’s concerns?
Dewar said he thinks the National Capital Commission (NCC) needs more local representation from Ottawa and that will make it work better.
On the NCC, Konstantinakos said the current government has made the commission a more transparent institution.
Milroy agreed with Dewar and said the NCC needs local representation. He added that as it is now, the NCC is filled with Conservative Party supporters.
McKenna said she wants people to be more ambitious for Ottawa Centre.
“I’m about practical solutions and to do that you need all levels of government to work together. Ottawa has been hurt by this government’s partisanship.” she said.
The room was packed at the debate, but students won’t have to wait long for another one as Carleton University Students’ Association and the Graduate Students’ Association will also hold an all-candidates debate on Sept. 29.
