No fireworks, few minds changed at Stratton debate

Just under 60 people showed up Monday evening at the gymnasium of Our Lady of the Way School in Stratton to listen to, and ask questions of, the four candidates vying for the Thunder Bay-Rainy River riding in the Oct. 14 federal election.
Moderator Linda Armstrong and timekeeper KimJo Bliss kept a tight rein both on the candidates and the audience during the two-and-a-half hour session, which consisted of opening remarks, followed by a series of questions and answers, then closing remarks.

Issues raised covered a wide range of concerns, including taxes, the war on terror, standards for imported food, health care, inter-provincial trade, abortion, food safety and inspection, and what a carbon tax would do to Northwestern Ontario.
Incumbent Liberal MP Ken Boshcoff defended his record in Parliament, and as chair of the agriculture committee. He also thanked the municipal, First Nation, and agricultural leaders for their advice and mentorship over the past four-and-a-half years he’s been in Ottawa.
Boshcoff also defended the economic record of the former Liberal government and the proposed “Green Shift” plan, which will tax carbon emissions.
He criticized the Conservatives for spending $10 million on advertising to give Canadians a negative image of Liberal leader Stephane Dion.
Dion, said Boshcoff, is honest, intelligent, and trustworthy.
Conservative candidate Richard Neumann had, if not the most support in the room, by far the most vocal. His main focus was on continued tax cuts.
“The Conservative party does not offer you a host of promises to spend billions of your tax dollars. We do not offer a litany of solutions to complex problems,” he remarked.
Neumann suggested it’s no accident that Canada’s economy continues to grow and that the Liberals would increase taxes. He was particularly critical of the Liberal carbon tax plan.
NDP candidate John Rafferty said there are three big issues in this election: the economy, health care, and the environment.
He also was critical of the Liberals’ “Green Shift” plan, noting that Norway, which has had a carbon tax for 15 years, is now moving towards a cap-and-trade system.
Rafferty suggested we have a unique opportunity to elect 10 NDP members from across Northern Ontario, which would mean that every day we could have someone standing up in the House of Commons raising issues that matter to ordinary Canadians.
He also said the election in Thunder Bay-Rainy River very well could be determined by the people in Rainy River District.
Rafferty also expressed concern about the face Canada shows to the world.
Green Party candidate Russ Aegard, who lives in South Gillies near Thunder Bay, is in favour of small and organic farms. He’s concerned about corporate greed and the growing gap between the rich and the poor.
Aegard said most political parties base their plans on the next election but that the Green Party is different. Rather, it looks much further ahead with a greater goal towards a livable world with enough for everyone, and with a healthy community based on a healthy economy that will be here for future generations.
He suggested we need to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “We can do this in a way that enhances Canada’s economy,” he noted.
Aegard asserted the Green Party is proposing practical solutions and down-to-earth policies.
At the end of the meeting, however, it appeared that few minds were changed, with most on hand having already decided how they were going to vote.
Some people suggested the meeting had helped them come closer to a decision while others said they were more undecided than before.