Why they are running, health care and affordable housing.
Those were among the topics debated between five of the candidates in the provincial election in the Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes riding held in Kemptville on Tuesday night.
On hand for the debate, put on by the Leeds and Grenville Labour Council, were NDP candidate Christopher Wilson, Liberal Party candidate Lorna Jean Edmonds, Green Party candidate Fiona Jager, Libertarian Mark Snow and New Blue Party Leader Chris Garrah.
Absent from the event were PC incumbent Steve Clark and Ontario Party candidate Daniel Calabretta.
On why she’s running, Edmonds said that “we (currently) have a leader that is affectively dismantling our infrastructure” adding that “we have a serious problem on our hands” and that she “wants to make rural Ontario better than it’s been before.”
Jager countered that her background is in nursing and she learned that the issues patients are facing in our province “need more political solutions.” She says that trust with voters is “earned and comes through relationships.”
Wilson said that he is “running to be the voice of my community” adding that “we deserve change” and that he has “always lived (his) life with honesty and integrity.”
Mark Snow said that “we have a bunch of people speaking about how they are going to spend your money on an issue that’s been there for 40 years” and adding that the Libertarian Party would “decentralize a lot of the powers of Queen’s Park and power your MPP.”
Garrah said that he’s running because of “what’s happening with our tax money” adding that “there’s no transparency”.
Leeds and Grenville Labour Council President Tanya Crosbie tells Moose FM that they felt it was important to help prepare voters for when they head to the polls.
“It’s also really good to be an informed voter and not just “I’ve always voted for this party so I’m just going to vote for them this time”, no, you should really hear from your candidates and hear what they are going to do locally, in our community.”
Election Day is February 27.
