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Federal candidates spar in Cogeco debate

Is Monday’s federal election necessary? That was the first question posed to four of the Niagara Falls riding candidates at last Thursday’s television debate at the Cogeco YourTV studio.

Is Monday’s federal election necessary?

That was the first question posed to four of the Niagara Falls riding candidates at last Thursday’s television debate at the Cogeco YourTV studio. 

Liberal candidate and Niagara-on-the-Lake resident Andrea Kaiser responded that it was absolutely necessary. 

“We have a fundamental difference of opinion with the Conservatives, who want to end this pandemic in a long-form time frame,” she said. “Liberals want to end this pandemic through vaccinations. It is an integral and important question that we need to ask voters at this time as to how we end this pandemic, and how we keep our children and our community and our businesses safe.”

“It’s still incredibly disappointing,” Conservative candidate and incumbent MP Tony Baldinelli countered, “to see that the Prime Minister decided to put his own self-interest and that of the Liberal party before the residents of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Fort Erie and Niagara Falls by calling this election.”

“Parliament was functioning for everyone but this Prime Minister,” he continued. “In the last five-week session of Parliament that ended in June, we passed five private member’s bills, five pieces of Conservative legislation which became law.”

Cogeco debate moderator Mike Balsom

Brian Barker, NDP candidate and president of the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, Niagara Local, agreed. 

“The $600 million (estimated election cost) is money that could have been spent on helping Canadians recover from COVID and the costs of the pandemic,” Barker said. “I believe it was done as a power grab. I would argue that the government was working.” 

Green Party representative Melanie Holm said calling an election during the fourth wave of the pandemic was poor timing.

“If the Liberals really needed an election to know how to end this pandemic,” Holm said, “then perhaps we shouldn’t consider voting for them again.”

The fifth candidate on the Sept. 20 ballot, Peter Taras of the People’s Party of Canada, was not invited to the live television debate. Cogeco’s decision was following the Federal Leaders Debate Commission criteria, which sets standards based on party standing in the House of Commons, and vote counts from the most recent federal election. The PPC did not meet those standards. Taras provided a two-minute pre-taped segment aired at the end of the live proceedings.

It was a reunion of sorts for three of the four on the panel. In the 2019 federal election, Baldinelli edged Kaiser by just 2,187 votes to take the seat vacated by long-time Conservative MP Rob Nicholson. Barker placed third in the seven-candidate field. 

The top two vote-getters from 2019 sparred throughout the evening, with the sitting MP attacking Trudeau’s record on policies and promises at every opportunity. Kaiser defended the Liberal’s record over the past six years.

On the subject of mandatory vaccinations for federal employees, Kaiser and Baldinelli did not see eye-to-eye.

“Canadians have a right to decide and choose to make their own choices,” Baldinelli said. “Vaccines are a safe and effective tool. We encourage everyone who is able to take one. But this government has done an incredibly poor job of making sure that rapid testing capabilities are available in this country. For those not vaccinated we need to have a national rapid testing strategy.”  

“Our party’s position, and my own, personally, is that COVID tests simply are not good enough,” Kaiser responded. “If you test positive for COVID-19 it really is too late. We need to take responsibility for those workers and other people in the health care system that need surgeries that are backlogged.”

Barker told of the tragedy of losing one of his own family members to the virus. “I believe that all Canadians who can be vaccinated should be,” he said. “I firmly believe in science.” 

Each candidate outlined their party’s strategies for making housing more affordable for people in the region. Despite the pandemic, home prices have continued to rise in the electoral district. NOTL’s average home price is approaching $1 million, while homes in Niagara Falls sell for an average of just under $700,000.

Holm promised more non-profit, co-operative and supportive housing under a Green Party government. Barker said Jagmeet Singh’s government would build 500,000 units of affordable housing across Canada in the next 10 years. Barker also wondered what happened to Trudeau’s 2015 promise to make housing more affordable.

Baldinelii claimed Niagara’s problem is a supply issue. A Conservative government, he said, would build a million homes in three years and release federally owned buildings and land to increase the supply. They would also introduce a deferred capital gains tax for developers who sell buildings but reinvest proceeds back into rental accommodations. 

Kaiser outlined Liberal plans to ban blind bidding on real estate, make home inspections a legal right, introduce anti-flipping taxes, and place a ban on new foreign ownership. She also outlined  programs to help first-time home buyers. 

Baldinelli and Kaiser both quoted recent reports, each in favour, of course, of their own party’s platforms on the affordable housing portfoliio. 

The four hopefuls compared notes on health care, mental health, and residential schools as well. During the discussion on pharmacare, Holm acted as the voice of reason, pointing out that the other candidates had been straying off topic during their responses. 

After 18 months of a pandemic, of particular interest to many NOTL voters might be issues relating to wineries, agriculture and tourism. The economy in both this town and Niagara Falls has been particularly hard-hit by the slowdown of  business. 

Baldinelli accused the Liberal government of infighting, resulting in a hold being put on implementing supports for the Canadian wine industry. Holm said the Greens believe in fair trade, not free trade, to protect the local wineries. 

Kaiser said she would support a program for 100 per cent domestically-produced Canadian wine to grow the VQA Ontario designation. She added that those in the wine industry were happy to have the money budgeted for an excise exemption while the government works with them on the details of the program. Baldinelli countered that the growers he has met said the Liberal program was inadequate.  

On tourism, the Liberal and Conservative candidates sparred once again.

“I’ve been advocating for a tourism recovery plan almost from the beginning of this pandemic,” said Baldinelli. “This government committed $1 billion to tourism. That’s a billion dollars to a sector that generates $105 billion. It’s totally inadequate.”

“There was the wage subsidy,” Kaiser said, “there was the CEBA (Canada Emergency Business Account) loan, there was the rent subsidy. The government had to step up because the province couldn’t get their act together. And now the hiring program. The wage subsidy will also be extended in tourism areas until March, 2022.”

“I hear mostly from people who work in the tourism industry on how they suffered for so long without working,” Holm said. “We haven’t done enough for tourism.”

Barker said the NDP would continue the wage and rent subsidies to bolster businesses and put into place a long-term hiring bonus. 

On climate action and net-zero targets, Kaiser pointed out that Baldinelli voted against the Liberal’s net-zero accountability act. Holm went on the offensive, challenging Kaiser about her party’s commitment to climate action.

“I’d like to ask how we can trust a Liberal climate plan when they literally bought a pipeline,” the B.C.-born candidate said. “The pipeline goes through my Mom’s yard. I’ve seen it. How can we reduce emissions when we’re invested in fossil fuels.”

Kaiser countered with a statement that the NDP and Green Party plans were too radical and would leave many people behind, effectively destroying the economy. 

Barker then stated that famed environmentalist David Suzuki was supporting his party in this election because of their climate plan. 

“I don’t know who disagrees with David Suzuki,” he quipped. 

During the two minute segment recorded by PPC candidate Peter Taras, he outlined the party’s four pillars of freedom, fairness, respect and responsibility, but went on to focus specifically on the first one. 

“Even if we disagree on everything, if we respect one another we can reach compromises,” Taras said. He went on to slam COVID measures implemented during the past 18 months by all levels of government. 

“There have been no lives that have been proven that were saved,” he said. “In fact, the disastrous effects are seen in our society now with the number of suicides. The number of drug addiction has gone up, the number of homeless has gone up. And yet we are continuing to push these Draconian measures.”

Taras’ speech made no mention of any policies other than those that would put an end to COVID measures. 

YourTV will rebroadcast the debate Saturday, Sept. 18 at 9 pm. It is also available to watch via their website at yourtv.tv/niagara. 




Mike Balsom

About the Author: Mike Balsom

With a background in radio and television, Mike Balsom has been covering news and events across the Niagara Region for more than 35 years
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