Category: Toronto (a.k.a. Accordion City)

Sorry it took so long, but here’s more from the All-Candidates Meeting. If you missed the other installments:

• All-Candidates Meeting: Opening Statements
• All-Candidates Meeting: First Two Questions

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Question 3: The “Psychotropic Drugs” Question

“There’s no right answer to this question,” said the guy who was next in line, “but I’m just as interested in the way you answer it.” The question was about psychotropic medication — there’s a loophole in the law where people can prescribe psychotropic drugs to children. What would you do to fix that loophole?

Sam Bulte, Liberal Party

• The public health agency should be able to help

   

• Will establish a mental health commission

   

• Will also hold dialogues cross-country

Jurij Klufas, Conservative Party   

• I’m not in favour of commissions

   

• I helped introduce Steven Fletcher, who’s likely to be Minsiter of Health — I’d bring the issue to him

Peggy Nash, New Democratic Party   

• That’s crazy!

   

• The Ministry of Health should be able to close this loophole

Terry Parker, Marijuana Party   

• (A lot of indignant mumbling) full disclosure commission

   

• My notes from this point read: “mumble mumble mumble”

Rob Rischinsky, Green Party   

• I’d establish a commission to reduce the use of psychotropic drugs

   

• We have to recognize that there are alternative treatments

Question 4: Toronto the ATM

Toronto sends a lot of money to Ottawa — in fact, $13 billion more goes out of the city than into it. Would you support the return of one-quarter of that money? It could go to transit, education, social services and the environment

Sam Bulte, Liberal Party   

• There’s a full GST rebate for municipalities

   

• Money from the gas tax goes to cities

   

• We’ve given Toronto a bonus for the TTC’s ridership, providing $350 million in partnership with the city and provincial governments

Peggy Nash, New Democratic Party   

• We need equalization

   

• The Liberals implemented the gas tax because of pressure from the NDP

   

• The NDP is the champion of cities

Terry Parker, Marijuana Party   

• Legalizing marijuana will lead to tax revenues which will provide the city with money

Rob Rishchynski, Greeen Party   

• We propose a “Green tax shift” — where personal incomes taxes are reduced to 0 while taxes on pollution and waste are increased

   

• We would transfer tax authority to the local level

Lorne Gershuny, Marxist-Leninist Party   

• One-quarter of tax goes to service the debt

   

• We would propose a moratorium on payment of the debt

   

• Joey’s note: Holy crap, this is one of those rare moments where you’ll see a member of the Marxist-Leninist party and my staunch conservative blogger pal David Janes in agreement!

Jurij Klufas, Conservative Party

• We’ll meet with Mayor Miller and the local Business Improvement Areas

   

• We understand the issues and will introduce initiatives

Question 5: One from the Kids

At this point, they opened the floor to the local kids who were in attendance. The first one: How would you decrease child poverty in Canada?

Peggy Nash, New Democratic Party   

• Poverty has many causes:       
         
  • Lack of affordable housing

         

  • Low minimum wage

         

  • Lack of childcare

         

   

• We also need program to assist new Canadians to give them assistance in settling in; credentials

Terry Parker, Marijuana Party   

• mumble mumble social assistance mumble mumble revenues from legal marijuana mumble mumble

Rob Rishchynski, Greeen Party

• There are ways to solve child poverty:       
         
  • Pay people a living wage

         

  • Provide benefits and child tax credits for people with children

         

  • Provide daycare

        

Sam Bulte, Liberal Party

• We’ve done a lot — there’s the Liberal child tax benefit that put money directly in the hands of families

   

• I agree with Peggy Nash — combating poverty requires a holistic approach

Lorne Gershuny, Marxist-Leninist Party   

• It’s telling that a young person asked this question — young people are always most concerned about the future

   

• Canada has vast resources, skills and technology

   

• We can provide for everyone — it’s just that the allocation of wealth isn’t even

   

• We have to stop paying the rich

  

Jurij Klufas, Conservative Party

• Poverty is reflective of the lack of posterity

   

• Prosperity leads to generosity

   

• We would fight poverty with       
         
  • Education

         

  • Small business opportunities

         

  • Apprenticeship programs

         

     

Question 6: Another from the Kids

How is the government going to invest in our future?

Sam Bulte, Liberal Party 

• Education is the key to prosperity

   

• Access Canada

   

• 50/50 program provides up to $3000 of tuition

   

• We need money for measures to help students graduate

Rob Rishchynski, Greeen Party   

• We will work with the provinces to decrease tuition

   

• Paying off debts can cripple someone just out of school — loan paybacks should be scaled to match the income from a first job

   

• We believe that there should be apprenticeship programs and a mentorship network to help people just out of school build the skills they need

Lorne Gershuny   

• The aim of government should be to eliminate tuition fees

   

• Anyone with the motivation and ability should be able to get an education

Jurij Klufas, Conservative Party   

• We need to encourage people to get into skilled trades

   

• More programs for apprentices

   

• More small business incentives

Peggy Nash, New Democratic Party   

• We need to reverse cuts to post-secondary education

   

• Need to provide stable long-term funding

   

• Need to establish a program of life-long learning

   

• Need to create a national apprenticeship program

Terry Parker, Marijuana Party   

• Pass

Here are my notes from the first two questions asked at Wednesday’s all-candidates meeting. Just in case you missed it, I also have an entry containing my notes on the opening statements.

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Question 1: Island Airport

[As a resident of the area] we are in the flight path leading to the Toronto Island airport. We expect that if it goes into the use planned by the Port Authority, we can expect 5 hours of flights and noise…[starts soapboxing]

[Someone in the audience yells “Ask the question!”]

[Taken slightly aback] What are your plans to close the Island airport and shut down the Port Authority?

Peggy Nash, New Democratic Party:

• Would prefer that it was a big park

   

• Liberals failed to deal with the issue

   

• Now the Port Authority is suing Toronto

Sam Bulte, Liberal Party:   

• I’m with the GTA caucus, and we were instrumental in killing the Island bridge [part of the plan for the airport]

   

• The federal government was not involved in this issue

   

• The Port Authority serves a purpose [wag in audience says: “Yeah, patronage!”

   

• Remain to be convince that a Port Authority hand-over would be a good thing

Lorne Gershuny, Marxist-Leninist Party:   

• We would consult with people in the neighbourhood for their opinions

Jurij Klufas, Conservative Party:   

• Just as Adscam was a “gift” to Quebec, the Port Authority fiasco was a “gift” to Toronto

   

• The bridge got cancelled, yet we have to pay $32 million [that’s what the Port Authority is suing the city for]

Terry Parker, Marijuana Party:   

• [unintelligible] don’t know issue [unintelligible] but will listen

Rob Rishchynski, Green Party:

• Alternatives exist: service Pearson [Toronto International Airport] with subway link

Question 2: Proportional Representation

The “first past the post” system of elections here leaves many small groups under-represented or locked out. What are your opinions on proportional representation?

Peggy Nash, New Democratic Party:   

• The current system skews democracy and emphasizes regionalism

   

• It is antiquated

   

• The NDP favours a “mixed proportional representation” system [as opposed to a completely proportional one] as recommended by the Canadian Bar Association

Sam Bulte, Liberal Party:

• That’s one of our promises

Lorner, Marxist-Leninist   

• Proportional representation would make things marginally better

   

• The party system is outdated, from a time when white males dominated

   

• Today we are dominated by parties

Jurij Klufas, Conservative Party

• Proportional representation: interesting

   

• Concerned that “the process is lengthy”

   

• Conservatives have proposed some intermin solutions:       
             
  • Independent director of public prosecution

             

  • Federal accountability act

         

     

Terry Parker, Marijuana Party:   

• Will have to discuss this one with the party

Rob Rishchynski, Green Party:   

• We support it

   

• We’re the only party that you can vote for knowing that we’ll do it

Sam Bulte, Liberal Party [rebutting]:

• It was part of our February 2004 Democratic Reform Action Plan!

   

• We had cross-country roundtables

   

• The provinces are looking into it

   

• There’s academic research into the issue

   

• We’re talking to people about it

   

• Proportional representation [in and of itself] is not always the answer — you need political will

Earlier this evening, I attended the all-candidates meeting for my

riding, Parkdale-High Park. The photo below was taken about five

minutes before the meeting started and with people still piling in. The

seats were filled soon shortly thereafter, and it became a “standing

room only” event.

I took notes, but it’ll take a little while to transcribe them. I took

some video of the copyright/beholden-to-big-content questions aimed at

Sam Bulte, and wow, did she get testy. She even mentioned Michael Geist

and the Electronic frontier Foundation by name, in that “they’re part

of my personal demonology” tone of voice. I’ll post it as soon as I can.