Mulcair, Dewar, Cullen take heat in NDP debate
Eight vying for leadership
HALIFAX In a decidedly more adversarial NDP leadership debate than previous ones, it was Thomas Mulcair, Paul Dewar and Nathan Cullen who found themselves most often on the hot seat.
The trio ultimately emerged as the candidates fellow competitors picked on the most in a round designed to emulate parliamentary question period.
While some candidates, such as Peggy Nash, received no questions, two were directed at each of Mulcair, Dewar and Cullen.
Cullen faced a barrage of criticism over his plan to hold joint nomination meetings with other parties in Conservative-held ridings to avoid splitting the vote and potentially re-electing a Tory government in 2015.
“Why don’t you think it’s enough to get progressives to rally around our banner?” Mulcair asked.
“Why would you shoot for the bronze medal when you know that Canadians share our goals, share our vision?”
In a response that generated big applause from the crowd gathered at a Halifax school, Cullen argued it’s an idea that would ultimately be up to individual riding associations. He said it was really a means to an end since his first order of business as prime minister would be to introduce proportional representation, which would eliminate the problem altogether.
Meanwhile, Mulcair angrily defended his position on bulkwater exports and tax policy, whereas Dewar stood firm on the costing of his health plan and his decision to choose Charlie Angus, a man and fellow Ontarian, as his deputy leader if elected.
Mulcair insisted he has “always stood up to protect fresh water from bulk exports” despite statements he made in 2004 when he was the Liberal environment minister in Quebec.
For his part, Cullen took Dewar to task for unveiling a plan to bring more women into politics only to then name Angus his deputy leader.
“Is it not a bit contradictory to say on one hand this is important and then on other not act upon it,” Cullen said, adding Dewar’s choice seemed like a “strange message to Canadians, to Quebecers, to the West and to women.”
Sunday’s debate focused on “giving families a break” and much of it involved criticism of Stephen Harper’s plan, unveiled last week in Switzerland, to what some say would amount to cutting old age security and bump the public pension eligibility age to 67 from 65.
Candidates largely identified childcare, affordable housing and pensions as key NDP priorities, but there were few new ideas that came up.
Among those that did was a national nutrition plan proposed by former party strategist Brian Topp and a plan by Nash to recognize midwifery under the Canada Health Act.
She also introduced the idea of a home-sharing program that would match struggling students with struggling seniors who happen to have an extra room in their home.
Eight candidates are vying for the job including MPS Mulcair, Nash, Dewar, Romeo Saganash, Cullen, Niki Ashton as well as former party strategist Topp and Nova Scotia businessman Martin Singh.