Strathcona federal election candidates take to Horowitz

Candidates answer to voters

The federal election campaign trail found its way to the University of Alberta campus last night as candidates running for office in Edmonton-Strathcona locked horns on a wide range of issues during the Federal Election All-Candidates Forum, hosted by the Students’ Union.

Speaking to a small but verbose audience at the Myer Horowitz Theatre, the five candidates running in the University’s riding—Rahim Jaffer from the Conservative Party, Liberal Claudette Roy, New Democratic Party representative Linda Duncan, Jane Thrall from the Green Party, and Kevan Hunter of the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada—answered prepared questions and questions from the audience on topics ranging from postsecondary education to taser guns.

With partisan rhetoric flying high throughout the forum, debate began with a focus on the current economic situation in the United States and its implications on Canada.

“We’ve got challenges that are going to spill over from the US economy. I don’t think we’re going to see the same problems emerge here in Canada because our fundamentals economically are sound,” explained Rahim Jaffer, the incumbent MP.

The debate moderator, SU Vice President (External) Beverly Eastham, soon moved the discussion onto the subject of federal involvement in the postsecondary education system, allowing candidates to explain their views on the increased costs of academic materials and needs for low income students.

“We will also table a postsecondary education act which would require, and would provide, accountability for federal transfers to the provinces, where it set specifically the amount of money that would go to Alberta, and that it has to be spent on reducing tuition, reporting, and accountability,” Linda Duncan noted.

The Green Party explained that they would waive 50 per cent of student loan costs upon graduation, while Hunter discussed his party’s views on universal, free education. Roy, who delivered most of her remarks from a prepared script, also talked about proposed Liberal spending on education.

“We want to go about [addressing] the irrelevant tax credits—which we’re going to replace—[and add] the $5000 in student loans regardless of parental income,” Roy stated.

The environment was an issue repeatedly addressed in both the prepared questions round and the audience participation portion, with opposition parties taking an aggressive stance on combating climate change. Duncan joined the foray by enunciating her party’s proposal to stop all new approvals in the oilsands, while Thrall explained the Green Party’s platform of a carbon tax and cap and trade system.

“What we’ve done that’s different is put our carbon tax at $50 per tonne, and combine it with a cap and trade, and none of the other parties use a combination of the two,” Thrall explained.

Hunter echoed these sentiments, citing an overexpansion of Alberta’s oil and gas industry.

“[The tar sands] are being set up in a way that will lead to nothing down the road. We have all of this construction, all of this building and expansion, but once all these plans are built and our oilsands are shipped south, it’s over,” he said.

The audience Q&A session saw long lineups of students and community members loudly voicing their concerns on current government policies, with Jaffer on the defence for much of the evening, particularly on the topics of foreign workers and recently announced cuts to arts funding.

“One of the things to be clear on the arts groups, and I know I’m not going to have a lot of support in this room, but ultimately, what we’ve tried to do is streamline,” he explained.

With long lines of constituents still eager to ask questions, the forum came to a close, as candidates took a final opportunity to sway students in Strathcona to their side come voting day on 14 October.