Malpeque decides
Strong turnout to candidates’ forum organized by Kensington Area Chamber of Commerce
SUMMERSIDE – Throw together a handful of talking points, a little bit of speaking over each other, a few impassioned speeches and some heartfelt commentary and you have the recipe for the Malpeque candidates' forum.
The forum hosted by the Kensington and Area Chamber of Commerce attracted all four party candidates running in the riding and a strong turnout of more than 100 people at Kensington’s Murray Christian Centre.
Some of the liveliest topics of discussion included the Confederation Bridge tolls, the carbon tax, climate change in general and the minimum wage versus support for small business.
Liberal candidate Wayne Easter and Conservative candidate Stephen Stewart focused most of their attention on each other, trading barbs throughout.
Easter routinely warned of massive service spending cuts he insisted a Conservative government would implement and raised the spectre of a government like Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford's.
“Doug Ford is a prime example of crazy, dumb, conservative policy,” warned Easter.
He stressed that the Liberals are the logical choice for anyone who wants to keep a progressive government in Ottawa.
Stewart insisted a Conservative government would focus on putting more money into the hands of Canadians.
“After 21 weeks of me knocking on doors I do know that people are not happy with the current Liberal government because they’re just barely getting by. Nobody has got any money,” stressed Stewart.
He framed his party as the solution to a spend-happy and scandal-plagued Liberal administration.
Meanwhile, Green candidate Anna Keenan and NDP candidate Craig Nash spent a lot of their time reminding the audience that both their parties are viable options and that voters don’t have to keep choosing between the Liberals and Conservatives. Keenan also spoke about the increasing possibility of a minority government situation and how that could be a good thing for important issues like the environment.
Nash spoke passionately about his own experience trying to make ends meet on minimum wage and his desire to use the tools in the government’s toolbox to make life easier for Islanders.
“If you want something different you have to be bold. Vote for something. On the 21st of October vote for something. Don’t vote against something – vote for something. Vote for hope,” said Nash.
Keenan framed the race in Malpeque as being between herself and Easter and positioned herself as an ambitious vote for change.
“If you’re concerned about strategic voting – don’t be. If you want to change your representation, you have an opportunity now like never before," she said. "What’s happened on P.E.I. in the last four years is that there has been an earthquake provincially. To have a green official opposition was unimaginable four years ago but we did the work and we’ve proven to P.E.I. we’re a credible party."
Areas where all four candidates agreed in principal was the need to make P.E.I. one Employment Insurance zone again; the need to do more to fight climate change; and and the government's role in supporting and growing small businesses.
Canadians will go to the polls on Oct. 21.