Question #4, Candidates choice: What issue,
aside from the three previous, do you consider a matter of importance for the
city, the region and the country?
Tom King: I am extremely concerned about
the growing number of people living in poverty. In a country such as ours,
where there is an abundance of resources and riches, how can Canadians be poor?
When the House of Commons voted to support Ed Broadbent’s motion calling for
urgent action to end child poverty by 2000, many Canadians had a renewed sense
of optimism. The Conservatives and Liberals made a commitment to the poor and
vulnerable in our country but when it came time to take a principled stand,
they chose Bay Street over Main Street.
Gloria Kovach: Building Canadian
competitiveness and keeping the economy strong.
In just two and a half years our
Conservative government has reduced the federal debt by $37 billion dollars, we
have made many changes to personal taxes to aid in improving the fiscal health
of Canadians including: Increasing the basic personal exemption, tax credits
for public transit, sports, textbooks, tools and apprentices; income tax
eliminated on student scholarships and bursaries; introduced the most important
savings vehicle since the RRSP, a savings account for up to $5,000 per year
with a tax free exemption on interest or capitol gains.
Mike Nagy: Poverty. Martin Luther King
wrote that, “The solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely
discussed measure: the guaranteed income.” We are such a rich country with a
beautiful history of democracy, justice and social responsibility. The fact that
15 per cent of Canadians live in poverty, including children, is a national
tragedy and utterly unacceptable. We have solutions to eradicate poverty,
provide every Canadian with housing, introduce the guaranteed liveable income,
ensure that education that isn't a debt sentence by forgiving 50 per cent of
student loans upon graduation, and remove taxes from the people who earn the
least.
Frank Valeriote: In my mind, the most
important issue for Guelph and Canada as a whole is health care. The Liberal Party is committed that our
health care system remains public and accessible to everyone, especially the
least privileged. Our first priority in terms of health care is to reduce wait
times. The Harper government has not moved forward on this issue, and the Canada
Health Council and the Canadian Medical Association have both criticized this
government for not meeting former Liberal targets on reducing wait times. This
is unacceptable, and the Liberal Party will change this in government.
Debate On!
It was announced that the candidates’ debate,
which was cancelled out of anticipation of the calling of General Election back
on September 3rd, has been rescheduled for October 7th.
The debate will still be hosted by the Guelph Place Banquet Hall on Michener Road,
and will still be carried live on Rogers Cable. Two days later, on October 9th,
another debate will be hosted at Guelph
Place, but with a more unusual set-up.
It’s being organized by Cam Guthrie, who
was a public Kovach supporter until recently. He says on his website that he
“cannot stand typical debates.” On debate night, each candidate will get a
half-hour on stage, alone, to answer questions while the others wait in a
secluded room, where they’ll be unable to hear the questions, as they await there
turn. The questions will be taken from those submitted to him online from the
public. King, Kovach, Nagy and Valeriote have all been invited to participate,
but it seems that Valeriote has already turned down the offer.
Anyone wanting to send Guthrie a question
can e-mail him at cam@camguthrie.ca, just make sure your questions are about
vision, accountability and leadership. And for more information on the Guelph
Election, visit my blog at http://guelphbyelectionbeat.blogspot.com/
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