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Economy takes top billing at candidates’ forum |
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Written by Gerald Gauthier
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Monday, October 06 2008, 10:37 PM |
Last week’s federal leaders’ debate had to contend for viewers with the U.S. vice-presidential debate, but a local candidates’ forum had no trouble attracting an audience Monday night.
More than 100 people filled the Theatre Gallery at the Lethbridge Public Library for the forum hosted by the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs.
Amid growing uncertainty about Canada’s economy, incumbent Lethbridge MP Rick Casson maintained the country is well positioned because of the Conservative Party’s track record of low taxes and budget surpluses.
Liberal candidate Michael Cormican said despite Canada having a relatively sound economy, the turmoil in the U.S. “is going to affect us whether we like it or not.”
Meanwhile, NDP candidate Mark Sandilands took a swipe at the Conservative and Liberal parties for using past budget surpluses to justify doling out billions in tax cuts to corporations. Geoff Capp, candidate for the Christian Heritage Party, blamed frenzied media coverage of plummeting stock markets for stoking public fear about the economy.
Green Party candidate Amanda Swagar was absent from the forum in order to attend an evening class at the University of Lethbridge.
The forum’s first segment had candidates answering and debating a series of pre-planned questions from moderator Trevor Page. Questions covered an array of issues including candidates’ positions on the Afghanistan war, health care, exports of bulk water and raw bitumen, immigration, foreign aid, and resource drilling in wildlife preserves.
The second segment had candidates fielding questions from the audience.
Casson and Cormican agreed Canada should stick with its plan to withdraw from Afghanistan and what the top British commander there recently termed an unwinnable war. Sandilands said Canada should withdraw after giving “reasonable advance notice” to its allies and that the NATO coalition should open talks with the Taliban.
“Negotiating with terrorists has been successful in the past,” he said, citing Northern Ireland as an example.
Capp was alone in arguing Canada should keep its forces in Afghanistan until the war is won to preserve hard-fought gains such as the freedom for Afghan girls to attend school.
“To pull out now would put the Taliban back in power and destroy all those gains,” he said.
The candidates generally agreed Canada should ban bulk exports of fresh water.
“Our water is not for sale and not for trade,” Casson said.
But while Casson argued NAFTA contains no provisions that would force Canada to export water in any form, Cormican predicted the demand for water in the U.S. would inevitably lead to a NAFTA challenge.
Sandilands argued Canada should go a step further and renegotiate NAFTA to absolutely forbid bulk water exports. “The U.S. is running out of water and they want to drink Canada dry,” he said.
Capp, however, said he’s not opposed to sharing water with countries that need it, provided they demonstrate stewardship of their own water resources.
“We should beware of a one-size-fits-all doctrine on this,” he said.
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Last Updated ( Monday, August 10 2009, 2:34 PM )
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