Afghanistan, Canadian Federal Election 2008, Canadian Law, Elections, Exit Strategy, Green Party of Canada, Iraq War, Labour movements, Media, Medical Marijuana, Peter Kormos, Prime Minister, Push Polling, Uncategorized, Unions, War Resistors, War on Terror, books, editorial, health care, legalization, opinion, peace movement, politics, third parties, write in candidates
ST CATHARINES RIDING CANDIDATE’S DEBATE BLOG NOTES/RECAP
CANDIDATE PROFILES - Click on the Names For Links
Live Blogging From debates is only truly useful to an extent, but it’s hard to ideally pass along links and fact checks in real time. The following is a recap of the live blogging I was doing on behalf of some online based U.S. blogs curious about the St. Catharines’ race - particularly due to the proximity of St. Catharines to the the U.S. border, including the close race b/w Lastewka (Liberal inclumbent at the time) and Conservative challenger Rick Dykstra. After that very close race, many people will be watching this rematch.
Rick Dykstra unseated Lastewka’s 12 year incumbency by 244 votes on Jan 23, 2006
I will briefly recap the questions and responses and provide some links as footnotes as to what the candidate’s were referring to.
The Sept 23 St.Cath Federal Riding Debate was sponsored and broadcast live to Cogeco Cable and TV subscribers, and was hosted by Cogeco Cable at their studio’s on 1707 McLeod Rd. in Niagara Falls.
The 5 candidates followed a format : each was granted a 90 second opening statment and then the program immediately launches into both question from viewers submitted via email to
elections@cogeco.com. Additionally, three prerecorded video questions were played for the candidates in the closed-studio setting.
The Candidates:
NDP - George Addison
Conservative (incumbent) - Rick Dykstra
Green Party - Jim Fannon
Communist Party - Sam Hammond
Liberal Party - Walt Lastewka
The moderator had decided that each candidate would be allowed to answer in alphabetical order, and if there was a particular issue raised directly by one candidate to another, they would allow for a final 30 second rebuttal.
Openers - briefs
~George Addison NDP: 
noted that 2 party leaders had visted Welland in the preceding week. NDP Leader Jack Layton came in and addressed the job layoffs at the John Deere Facility, speaking about “comprehensive job retraining” and exploring “new sustainable technology” , while Conservative leader Stephen Harper visited Welland and made a seven minute speech about keeping tobacco out of the hands of underaged smokers - completely ignoring assembled citizens who wanted to address local employment issues.
Regarding Harper, Addison said “he just doesn’t get it – Jack Layton gets it”
~ Rick Dykstra Conservative:
reiterated the 5 point plan he aimed to implement upon election to Parliament – aside from “bringing St Catharines issues to Ottawa”, he also wanted to focus on
“Economic Growth”
“Strengthening the Justice System”
”Fair funding for St Catharines” – giving the example ie: lead cleanup on Glendale scheduled to occur
”Accountability” – aiming to achieve transparency in government.
~ Jim Fannon - Green Party:
Fannon introduced the Greens ”Looking Forward Platform”, 
noting that the “Green Party is different from every other party”. Other parties are shortsighted,
whereas the Greens take their cue from First Nations and look forward “7 generations”. Jim stated he wasn’t going to use prepared text or notes but address debate viewers and “asks you to get educated”. Noted the Green Party office is downtown St Cath at 52 St Paul St.
~ Sam Hammond - Communist Party of Canada 
Hammond noted that the CP program rests on “peace, sovereignty”, wants to
“repeal nafta and reverse the deep integration with U.S. and trans - national corporate control”
“programs that are green…sustainable” ”retake our industrial base” since NAFTA has undermined it.
“repatriate our own country”
~Walt Lastewka - Liberal Party 
Referred to PM Harper’s promises and laws – fixed election dates became a broken promise / Conservatives squandered a Liberal surplus / Conservatives spent $10 million to manipulate on policy via ads / “Conservatives have run out of ideas – criticizes others”
Lastewka referred European economic successes as the basis for some Liberal Party ideas.
Email questions
What can your party do to save agricultural land and assist Niagara farmers?
Dykstra: ”We made sure to make a commitment to have a tender fruit replant – a $22.3 million investment / farmers have access to these fund and can partner with the Federal Gov’t / the program of Canadian labeling ( editor: Can Con for food)
Fanon: More difficult for the family farm / promote local food / use less pesticides / large agribiz criticism = push out the smaller operations
Hammond “Richest agri land in Canada can be seen from CN Tower” / the family farm needs to be protected / need to implement specific tariffs to protect local growth, which has been undercut by “almost slave labour in other countries”
Walt: “We have to work in partnerships w/ farmers” / have to encourage emissions reductions credits / promote fossil fuel reduction and efficiency / learn to prevent farmer in one sector blaming farmers in another sector
Addison “we need to protect and support” our local farmers / referenced Cangro Canning and indicated that the failure of Cangro was due to a lack of political will came from 3 Conservative Party members / support and develop agri base and 100 mile diet
Rebut: Dykstra – “we all need to think about buying local”
Q Yes or no – will yr party raise GST (goods and services tax) ?
Fannon: wants to reup it to 6% and use the increase to benefit 1st nations, elderly, most poor / referenced oil / spread revenue increase around – called for a ”carbon tax wealth redistribution” Hammond “No” / Do away with GST / look to higher corporate taxes - ie during the 80’s = 50/50 - now the percentage is 80/20
Lastewka ”No – GST will stay were it is / criticised Harper on a released brochure claiming a GST increase a “total maniplation”
Addison called for a history lesson – Mulroney implemented the GST, the Liberals kept it despite an election promise to remove it / we must Change the tax structure
Dykstra Liberals promised in 1993 to eliminate GST and decided against it / Conservatives under Harper made commitment to reduce GST by 2% and were successful in doing so
Rebut: Fannon - the Canadian voter needs proportional representation, even in taxes / we suffer and need to implement ”tax sickness” meaning tax things we want to discourage
Video Question from St Cath Mayor Brian McMullen: “Canadians polled want to see municipalities to recieve money for infrastructure. Do you support this?
Hammond Feels “we should have a Canadian Constitution that enshrines rights of municipalities to garner the wealth they generate” / needs to be Constitutionally implemented to be a legal guarantee of good funding
Lastewka a Federation of Municipalities is needed / Infrastructure dollars, Federal govnerment should let cities decide priorities and ask for funding based on that / municipilaties need help and Liberals will be there to offer help
Addison states that a Fact is severe underfunding has crippled ability of cities to provide infrastructure ie transit, health care and due to underfunding from Federal Government
Fannon Enough $ to go around / prob is the residential tax bases that the municipalty needs to raise money
Hammond “Cannot exist on promises” – maintains that they have to have Constitutional status for protection
Lastewka: yet another Broken promise by Harper on Income Trust – $100 million lost in our community . A lot of people were robbed by it / seniors lost forever
Addison notes Conservatives promised they wouldn’t tax these funds and voters were “tricked” and trickery has now become a pattern for this Conservative Government
Rick: “Apologized for failing on the commitment” (Editor: follow this link and you’ll note that other CPC members have made this same apology)/ “we had a decision to make – we needed to make the decision that we could” / transition out of income trust
Fannon Referencing tax resource consumption / carrot and stick incentive – must offer incentives for making “good decisions” on personal and business motivations
Hammond “The mosaic of taxation is all over the map in this country” / we have to draw on the wealth of the country / corporate greed is what ruins the wealth of the people / refers to industry deregulations trend in the U.S.A. and the financial crises in the USA
Lastewka Unfortunate what happens when a promise is broken – how can one recoup in an apology? Apologies aren’t going to bring food to the table of those who lost.
Email Question: How can the Niagara doctor shortage be addressed?
Addison Harper promised to reduce wait times- he did not / 5 million families without doctors / Due to Years of underfunding / ”NDP invented Medicare and wants to keep it public” / aims to train new nurses and doctors / free tuition for doctors if they’ll serve municipalities for a time period
Fanon Concentrate on prevention / medical industry is paid to keep us sick / fastracking trained immigrants
Hammond Accessability rests on # of factors – we can increase the number of doctors by access to post seconday education / need accept immigrants qualified in fields and speed up their certification /
Lastewka :Very little new $ put into the 10 Year Agreement / Fed Gov’t needs to step in and do something / explore recertification of immigrants / Ontario will be 113,000 doctors short in 10 years
Addison We need to bring new funding to help the stressed health system / infusion of public funds needed
Monitor Question from Silicon Knights: Interactive Media businesses in Canada are an important part of the economy – how will parties support their growth?
Dykstra support businesses that suceed and aim to aid their growth
Fannon Incentivize / “need to get behind our winners” / “subsidize success” / do not tax businesses when they do the right thing / with taxes there should be a gradual shift to resource use
Hammond: Important to initiate and sustain these fields / refers to Ireland after indep, int’l use of training
Lastewka Started small, built on their success – gov’t needs to partnership – promote new media initiatives in trade missions
Addison We have been talking about the need to take back the gift to oil and into developing / knew knowledge economy - it’s time to actually do it
A rather obscure question regarding EI and thesprng budget, a new crown corp? Re: CEIFB – surplus returns from the budget - where does the money go? (the questioner provided figures and not even Cogeco understood the question, nor did any of the candidates, however they took a stab at it.
Fannon defers to Green Party platform and accountability and transparency – jimfannon,ca
Hammond seemed to have a grasp of the basic point / Refers to money stolen from Canadian people, public worker access has been reduced 30% to UI to EI, surplus $ allocated to gov’t slush funds / pointed out that EI is not welfare, but an insurance fund
Walt: Frustration expressed over access to info / no information is available to members of the public / viewer tried to find fund allocation and was denied clarification it appears
Addison EI scheme has been misused – 2/3’s of workers who pay in cannot collect / decline in job status and $
Dykstra good attempt to answer / notes Conservatives Accessed EI fund and drew them into private funding – ensure that figure never goes below the $2 bil fig (bill C-2) ( editor - note entirely sure how it fully relates)
Fannon No Federal or gov’t accountability for decades, despite party or bills
Q I would like to know how your party would address debt for university graduates?
Hammond Eliminate tuition fees like health care /”scandalous” that one would grad with $30 thousand debt – “most valuable asset is people”
Lastewka :Liberals have proposed 200,000 more bursaries / 100,000 more grants / propose to extend time period extended to pay off the loan and keep low interest over the years
Addison “Very very serious problem” – costs are being passed onto families and students. Public policy needs to adjusted in this area
Dykstra :“Conservative party has made increased” funding available to colleges and Universities, and more money for students to borrow
Fannon: Education, we need look to European style debt forgiveness
Hammond We should pay students living expenses to study – increase accessibility
Q. How will your party eliminate or deal with Child Poverty?
Lastewka refers to Dions 30/50 plan - transfer $ to Ontario gov’t / reduce taxation on lower income people / penalized for poverty / remove income tax at the lower level
Addison “shame that we are allowing child poverty to remain with us” despite Parliament voting it out as a problem / refers to poverty as an issue for a variety of factors such school preparedness, nutrition, ability to study and achieve
Fannon Green party attacks previous Provincial NDP governments in taking about it but failing in reducing it / Green would expect no tax for people earning under $20,000 per fiscal year / income splitting / Green would introduce a single unified program
Hammond “the statitistics would bear me out on this”, points out that at least 10% of children get nutrition from a food bank’s supply / child poverty is related to social conditions an depleting workforce / economically there has been a shift to low paying jobs and poverty work that will not sustain a family, and affects children
Dykstra Referred income trusts – lost $’s(thousands) / Conservatives will seek to recitify this
Email Q. How would Your Party Prevent Listeria Outbreak from Happening Again?
Addison Frustrated with inability to deal with the issue (like SARS) /systemically points to a Greater problem / what if the the issue had been bigger? There would have been a massive disaster
Dykstra this is ”Not a partisan issue” / Conservatives are looking at recommendations and implementation of them to prevent this again /
Fannon Blames Conservative cuts to services and infrastructure on this / disconnect b/w the gov’t and the people / cuts to private sector prevents proper regulations
Hammond Life is valuable and should be respected / blames deregulations in industry and privatization / autonomous and not attached to corporate entities / apologies mean squat
Addison: it’s the Same old same old / Conservative and other governments need to take this seriously
Closing Remarks:
Dykstra Reiterates his 5 Point Plan / pledge to continue to deliver real results / ”pledge to work hard for every citizen back in Ottawa / ”To deliver St Catharines issues to Ottawa”
Fannon Refers to Green platform / must fight voting apathy /must implement a taxation shift / www.green.ca / visit our offices Downtown St Catharines, we are supporting downtown.
Hammond a Vote for Communist Party Is vote for frustration with business as usual / military / leopard tanks / give consideration to prop repress /
Lastewka “Seeing is believing – “ – who has blown the surplus ?” / referred to Dion in signing the Kyoto agreement and succesfully geting other nations to sign, while Harper refuses / asks citizens to review his record with st cath durng his tenure - he brought $34 million in new funding / Conservatives have led us to the brink again
Addison This election is About leadership , priorities , jobs , a workable parliament , affordability and new leadership at the local level / He would act in a non partisan way
Total Debate Time 1.25 hours Location: 1707 McLeod Niagara Falls
blogged and collected by Sven Eric Balabanoff on location at Cogeco Niagara Falls
NEXT DEBATE OCT 1 @ PARKWAY CONVENTION CENTER-ONTARIO ST.,ST.CATHARINES
admin @ September 24, 2008
RSS FEED
Hello.I’m Vijay,a regular writer on instablogs.Hope you are going through my articles.
I’m presently no 1 on instablogs.
We are preparing and providing applications and tools for facebook and others.
Pl contact,I’m intrested in doing something exciting and chalenging.
Regards.
Vijay Paliwal