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Candidates in Ottawa West-Nepean fielded questions on electoral reform, excessive partisanship and legislation to remove sitting MPs at their final all-candidates debate before the Oct. 19 federal election Wednesday.
But once again, Conservative Abdul Abdi wasn’t there. Abdi, who also didn’t attend a debate last Friday sponsored by the Muslim Association of Canada, “was already committed to another event when we received this invitation,” his campaign manager, Austin Jean, said in an email.
Jean pointed out that during the campaign, Abdi has participated in three debates as well as three meet-and-greet events with his fellow candidates,
The other five candidates — the Green party’s Mark Brooks, New Democrat Marlene Rivier, Liberal Anita Vandenbeld, Marxist-Leninist Sam Heaton and Rod Taylor of the Christian Heritage Party — received a respectful hearing from the audience at Algonquin College, which greeted every response with at least polite applause.
Most initially highlighted their party’s student-friendly policies on things like tuition fees and student debt. But the questions directed to them focused on broader questions of democracy.
Asked if they favoured restoring the per-vote subsidy for political parties eliminated by the Conservative government, Rivier, Vandenbeld and Brooks all said yes.
But Taylor said he opposed taxpayer money going to political parties and Heaton said the subsidy was created by a three-party “cartel” to fund their political activities.
Heaton and Taylor were also in favour of legislation that would let voters remove politicians from office through a recall referendum.
None of the other three candidates endorsed the idea, although Brooks said a recall law might be one way of improving accountability.
There was agreement that the current first-past-the-post electoral system should be replaced. Vandenbeld said a Liberal government would table legislation to change the system within 18 months of taking office while Rivier said the NDP has committed to electoral reform during its first term.
Asked about the impact of excessive partisanship, Brooks said it was one reason for declining voter participation. Vandenbeld pledged to “make common cause with anyone who puts democracy ahead of partisanship.”
Challenged to explain why someone should vote for her, Rivier, a longtime labour activist, replied: “Because I live my politics. I don’t simply spring to life when a campaign is called.”
Vandenbeld committed to being accessible and said she would continue her weekly availability sessions at Tim Horton’s on Carling Avenue. “I love hearing the solutions,” she said.
dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon
查看原文...
But once again, Conservative Abdul Abdi wasn’t there. Abdi, who also didn’t attend a debate last Friday sponsored by the Muslim Association of Canada, “was already committed to another event when we received this invitation,” his campaign manager, Austin Jean, said in an email.
Jean pointed out that during the campaign, Abdi has participated in three debates as well as three meet-and-greet events with his fellow candidates,
The other five candidates — the Green party’s Mark Brooks, New Democrat Marlene Rivier, Liberal Anita Vandenbeld, Marxist-Leninist Sam Heaton and Rod Taylor of the Christian Heritage Party — received a respectful hearing from the audience at Algonquin College, which greeted every response with at least polite applause.
Most initially highlighted their party’s student-friendly policies on things like tuition fees and student debt. But the questions directed to them focused on broader questions of democracy.
Asked if they favoured restoring the per-vote subsidy for political parties eliminated by the Conservative government, Rivier, Vandenbeld and Brooks all said yes.
But Taylor said he opposed taxpayer money going to political parties and Heaton said the subsidy was created by a three-party “cartel” to fund their political activities.
Heaton and Taylor were also in favour of legislation that would let voters remove politicians from office through a recall referendum.
None of the other three candidates endorsed the idea, although Brooks said a recall law might be one way of improving accountability.
There was agreement that the current first-past-the-post electoral system should be replaced. Vandenbeld said a Liberal government would table legislation to change the system within 18 months of taking office while Rivier said the NDP has committed to electoral reform during its first term.
Asked about the impact of excessive partisanship, Brooks said it was one reason for declining voter participation. Vandenbeld pledged to “make common cause with anyone who puts democracy ahead of partisanship.”
Challenged to explain why someone should vote for her, Rivier, a longtime labour activist, replied: “Because I live my politics. I don’t simply spring to life when a campaign is called.”
Vandenbeld committed to being accessible and said she would continue her weekly availability sessions at Tim Horton’s on Carling Avenue. “I love hearing the solutions,” she said.
dbutler@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/ButlerDon
查看原文...
