It was a heated all candidates debate at the Capitol Centre in North Bay last night. Three topics took centre stage at the debate, including employment insurance, helping small businesses in the riding, and encouraging home ownership. Here’s a breakdown on where the candidates stood:
Employment insurance: Conservative Candidate Jay Aspin said the current system is fair for everyone and his party would keep premiums the same. Green Candidate Nicole Peltier said her party would expand employment insurance to seasonal workers and address the federal government’s surplus from EI benefits. Liberal hopeful Anthony Rota said they would shorten the wait time for EI to one week instead of two, and wave the premium for employers. Finally, the NDP’s Kathleen Jodouin said they would add five weeks to parental leave and compassionate care.
Encouraging home ownership: Liberal Candidate Anthony Rota said we need to focus on affordable housing in the region, and a portion of the party’s infrastructure funding would go towards that goal. Green Candidate Nicole Peltier said the key to getting young people in the housing market is eliminating student debt. She says the Green Party would introduce free tuition by 2020. NDP Candidate Kathleen Jodouin said her party would reintroduce the Affordable Housing Act and 15-dollar child care to make buying a house more feasible. Finally, Conservative Candidate Jay Aspin said his party would expand the Home Buyers Plan and introduce a permanent Home Renovation Tax Credit.
Helping small businesses in Nipissing-Timiskaming: NDP Candidate Kathleen Jodouin said her government would cut the small business tax by 2%. Liberal Candidate Anthony Rota made the same pledge, stressing the importance of small business in northern Ontario. Green candidate Nicole Peltier said her government would create a 1-billion dollar Green Tech Fund and address the Canada Pension Plan. Finally, Conservative Candidate Jay Aspin said the Liberals will put the nail in the coffin on small business by pouring money into the CPP.
