Party policies on agenda at Lindsay labour debate
LINDSAY — The latest Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock debate, ahead of the June 7 provincial election, didn’t offer any policy that couldn’t be found online.
But the meeting Tuesday night at Faith Christian Fellowship Church in Lindsay did give voters a chance to meet the names on the ballot and to decide how big a factor that is when it comes to choosing a local representative at Queen’s Park.
Incumbent Progressive Conservative MPP Laurie Scott skipped this debate, as did Consensus party representative Chuck MacMillan and Green party candidate Lynn Therien. Zac Miller was there for the NDP, Brooklynne Cramp-Waldinsperger represented the Liberals, Libertarian Gene Balfour was there, as was Thomas Rhyno of the None of the Above party.
The Lindsay and District Labour Council hosted the meeting and while topics ranged from service funding to privatization, there was an expected slant toward job creation, retention, pensions and wages.
Rhyno stayed away from specifics in his answers, but that is in line with the party’s mandate. Pressed on job creation and gender gaps in the workplace, he shared that he is a union member and his party would put an emphasis on a local workforce; one where jobs wouldn’t disappear overseas. But more than once, he said on various issues his party would hold plebiscites to gauge voter will.
The party has pledged that in the first 100 days following the election, it would pass every bill where there is agreement or consensus among most MPPs from all the parties elected. Then within the first six months it would send out a plebiscite information package on everything proposed by the government and its opposition.
Balfour was asked his position on health and long term care.
The Libertarian party emphasizes small government and how that would decrease taxes for Ontario residents. If people were not burdened so heavily, he said, they would have a greater aftertax income to pay for non-government options for health and long term care.