Quiet audience listens to Thornhill candidates’ partisan jabs
Debate presented by Vaughan chamber of commerce

YorkRegion.com
Oct. 9, 2015
By Marney Beck

A respectful audience of about 70 voters listened to the three main party candidates in the Thornhill riding debate economic and business issues last night.

Even partisan prodding of other candidates or their leaders, refused to rile the audience in the North Thornhill Community Centre, at the debate organized by the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce.

When Conservative candidate and current MP Peter Kent made a jab at Liberal candidate Nancy Coldham, saying “What about your leader, saying most small businesses are tax cheats?”, the room was silent and Coldham just rolled her eyes.

Both Coldham and NDP candidate Lorne Cherry criticized Kent and his governing Conservatives many times throughout the evening with their own pointed comments.

During discussion of infrastructure spending and extending the Yonge subway, Cherry stated: “GTA stands for Gridlock Toronto Area, and Mr. Kent and his party have had 10 years to get the subway here, but it still ends at Finch.”

To Kent’s description of financial investments by his party, Coldham pointed out: “The Harper government has run a deficit every year; Mr. Kent doth protest too much”.

Things did get personal - but had a positive spin - when the three candidates discussed pharmacare and the price of drugs.

Kent noted that for the federal government to be able to negotiate bulk buys of drugs and lower prices for consumers, “the provinces have to allow the federal government to make these deals,” inferring that provinces are not in agreement to do that. He also mentioned his “near mortality” referencing a fight with cancer last year, and said his cancer drug was $200 a dose - “if we negotiated, the price could be $20 a dose, as it is in Australia”.

Cherry fired back that it’s the Conservative government that “refuses to sit down with the provinces” and Coldham said that while “Mr. Kent deserves credit” for publicizing his cancer fight, it is “disingenuous” of him to say the provinces won’t allow the federal government to negotiate with drug companies and that Medicare came to Canada under a Liberal prime minister, Lester Pearson.

The recently negotiated Trans Pacific Trade agreement provoked disagreement from the three candidates.

Cherry said the NDP was not in favour of the multi-country deal as it was “negotiated by a lame duck government,” with Coldham noting it’s one thing to herald the agreement as the biggest trade agreement, “but what is in it - Liberals can’t sign a blank cheque”.

Kent castigated his two competitors for their “naivete” and pointed out it was trade ministers of all countries doing the negotiating, then full governments sign or ratify the deal at later dates.

The debate, moderated by Lynne Wallace, co-chair of the Vaughan chamber’s government relations committee, also touched on affordable housing, jobs for young graduates, overhauling Canada’s tax system, and inter-provincial trade barriers. The audience politely clapped after the answers of every candidate throughout the evening.

In his closing statement, Cherry told the audience: “forget strategic voting, vote with your heart”...and “think about what kind of planet we want to leave to our kids”.

Coldham pointed out that polls show “70 per cent of Canadians want change, and after 10 years of government secrecy, trade deficits, two recessions and no new ideas, the [Justin] Trudeau plan is well costed...has vision and gives us our Canada back”.

Kent, the last to speak, warned: “we stimulated the economy and we did balance the budget, and our taxes are the lowest in 50 years. Ontario has been hobbled by the [Kathleen] Wynne government, and Trudeau would do the same to the country, resulting in high debt and downgraded credit rating”.