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Crowder, Thibeault clash at Chamber debate

Seven of eight candidates running in Sudbury square off at College Boreal
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There were a few feisty exchanges between incumbent Liberal MPP Glenn Thibeault and Tory hopeful Troy Crowder during the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce all-candidate debate on May 23.

The format for all-candidate debates makes it difficult for  candidates to get their message out in any detail, but as Wednesday's Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce debate showed, they can provide some illuminating moments.

Seven of the eight candidates running to be Sudbury's next MPP were on hand for the event, moderated by chamber chair Michael Macnamara. You can watch the full debate here, but here are a few observations.

There were a few feisty exchanges between incumbent Liberal MPP Glenn Thibeault and Tory hopeful Troy Crowder. In response to a question about the impact of the minimum wage hike brought in by the Liberals, Crowder said the problem was it was a universal policy that affected all businesses, whether they could handle it or not.

"That's the problem with government, these blanket policies without figuring out how they will affect sectors of the economy," Crowder said. "Small business is the heartbeat of our economy."

That prompted a response from Thibeault, pointing to the series of blanket policies Tory Leader Doug Ford has announced, which include a 10-cent reduction in gas prices and no provincial taxes on low-income earners, among others.

"You're obviously in the wrong party," he told Crowder. "That's all (Doug Ford) does."

Crowder responded that Ford was announcing policies aimed at saving Ontario, which is riddled with a $330 billion debt.

"He's trying to figure out how to stop this roller coaster into death you guys have us on right now," he said.

NDP candidate Jamie West West said Bill 148 – the legislation that raised the minimum wage, among other things – was necessary because people have to earn enough to get by.

His mother had a small business, West said, so he understands how important they are for the economy.

"They really do pull people out of poverty," he said. "It's unfortunate that small business feels the crunch."

West, whose party has said it will run significant deficits throughout its four-year term, was asked how the NDP will eventually balance the books.

"I only have a minute and a half?" West quipped, a reference to the time limit each candidate had to respond.

He said their party would heed the advice of the auditor general, unlike the Liberals. Their fiscal plan aims to make everyone's life better, West said, protect the middle class, and make high-income earners and big businesses pay more in tax.

"We need the wealthy to pay their fair share," he said. “If everyone is paying their fair share, we all prosper."

Crowder gave a somewhat confusing response when asked how long it would take a Tory government to complete the four-laning of Highway 69. The job would be done by now, he said, if the Liberals hadn't wasted billions and billions on the gas plant, eHealth and other scandals. And then he said this:

"As a Northerner, I would love to see the four-laning finished, the sooner the better. But obviously we also have to realize that with the thousands and tens of thousands of jobs that have been left, job creation and stimulus comes in infrastructure and it also comes in new technologies. So Doug's plan, I'm sure, will be to balance out the both of those and try to move our province forward as quickly as we can to make it a healthier economy for everybody."

Crowder and Thibeault clashed again over the impact of the film and TV industry in Sudbury, which Thibeault said had created 1,500 full-time jobs with Liberal government support.

Crowder jumped in and said those are only part-time jobs.

"Those are full-time jobs," Thibeault shot back. "Get your facts straight."

Thibeault also tried to deflect criticism of the $6 million salary paid to the CEO of Hydro One. He's asked for a review of executive salaries, he said, but said even eliminating all the executive salaries wouldn't affect electricity prices. And replacing them with competent people for such a critical job would be challenging.

"Aren't we trying to reduce rates?" Thibeault said. "I get and recognize that these are high salaries. But who do we replace them with?"

Crowder responded to a question about the province's sex ed curriculum by saying there wasn't enough consultation done before it was introduced. Overall, he said, he'd like to see schools focus on teaching more practical skills.

"Our curriculum, in general, needs to have a shift to it," Crowder said. "Our education system is not working very well."

Ontarians go to the polls June 7. Here's a a few more candidate quotes from Wednesday:

"We are in debt and party politics marginalized the North because we have more trees than people."

-- Consensus Party Candidate Mila Chavez Wong

"I know I made more money when I played hockey, that's for sure ... You can do whatever you want with my salary."

-- Crowder, a former NHLer, responding to a question about whether he would support reducing MPP salaries

"I'll apply for the job if you like."

-- Green Party candidate David Robinson, who said Greens  would appoint a Commissioner of Idiocy, whose job it would be to overrule bureaucrats holding back a good idea because of regulations

"If tobacco is bad, what's so good about marijuana?"

-- Christian extremist and perennial election candidate David Popescu

 


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