By Emily Stonehouse

The Lindsay BIA and the Lindsay Chamber joined forces to offer the only major candidates meeting in our riding on April 15 at the Pie Eyed Monk in the heart of Lindsay.

While all candidates were invited, the only individuals present were Nell Thomas for the Liberal Party and Jamie Schmale for Conservatives.

The event began at 6:30 p.m., and within minutes, it was standing room only, with dozens being turned away at the doors due to the capacity of the space.

With the business-centric hosts, attendees were encouraged to ask questions with specific business angles. Candidates were given one minute to open, up to three minutes to respond to each question, and two minutes to close.

Thomas opened first. “Whatever your political leaning,” started the Minden-based physician, “we are here because we know our country is facing a very real threat from the United States. A threat to our economy, to our democracy, to the very existence of our country.” She was adamant that Mark Carney’s government is not Justin Trudeau’s government. “Prime Minister Carney is not a career politician,” she said. “I am not a career politician. We are skilled emergency responders, and this is what our country needs right now to build a united, strong, and dignified Canada.”

Schmale opened up about his history of being from Fenelon Falls, and his background in journalism, which gave him his first taste of politics. “This is a very important election,” he said. “I think each and every one of us knows that.”

Following opening remarks, the candidates dove right into questions. The first few questions surrounded arts and culture, specific to Lindsay.

They were then challenged on the carbon tax. Thomas noted that Mark Carney has eliminated the carbon tax, and said that we are already reaping the benefits of that cut. Though she noted it was important to understand the tax in the broader sense of it. “Around the world, there is a pollution responsibility tax that is very effective in many many countries…” she said. “My opinion on that is that we can look to those countries where it is very effective at reducing unnecessary use of fuel. We know we are living in a warming climate. Part of that is reducing our consumption of oil and gas.”

“No I do not support a carbon tax,” retorted Schmale. He referred to the carbon tax as a “cash grab” for the government. He noted that the tax is not done, it is temporarily suspended.

The candidates were then directed towards affordable daycare. Schmale shared his personal experience of trying to get his own child into daycare”Daycare has become unaffordable,” he said. “And we need more spaces. I recognize this is a problem, and it continues to be a problem.”

In rebuttal, Thomas noted that Conservative candidate Pierre Poilievre has actually voted against the ten dollar a day daycare offering, which was presented by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “Mark Carney has prioritized a number of things that will improve daycare access,” she said. “Training of early childhood educators, increasing the number of training programs, and supporting parental leave so we can have (parents) taking time from work to look after the kids at home.”

The topic of the CBC came up, in light of Poilievre sharing that he intends to cut funding to the cross-Canada news source. Schmale confirmed that the CBC will remain untouched, “but what we want to see is a change in structure to the CBC,” said Schmale.

Thomas called the CBC “one of Canada’s most trusted institutions.” In an era of misinformation and disinformation being circulated around the country, including fake AI images used of Mark Carney in an effort to sway the election results, she believes that having a trusted news source is of the utmost importance.

The candidates were then challenged with the question of the national deficit. “Canada has the lowest debt in the G7 countries,” opened Thomas. “Our economy expanded by 2.4 per cent last year. Canada is not hurting. We are ranked number two, best country for investment, in the G7 nations.” She went on to say that it’s important to understand that some of the information presented around this topic comes from the Fraser Institute; a Conservative organization “that is a right wing, incorrect, non-factual source,” she said.

Thomas shared that the Liberal Party intends to invest in Canada. “We have this amazing opportunity right now to reimagine this country,” she said. She encouraged everyone to go and read Mark Carney’s platform around investing in this country.

“You need the right candidate to create investment,” said Schmale, during his window to speak. He noted the national debt is over one trillion dollars. “How do you grow a country when you are spending more on debt than you are on healthcare,” he quipped. “We need to get spending under control while at the same time, growing our economy.”

The hot topic seemed to surround crime, and how it is “skyrocketing” across the country. “Petty crime is getting out of control,” said Schmale. “And these are repeat offenders. They need jail, not bail.” Schmale said he hopes to create a system where “the worst of the worst” are kept behind bars.

Thomas dove into that topic from a different angle. “We need to support the people at risk,” she said. “You can’t jail yourself out of a problem. Jails are expensive.” She noted that in the last 25 years, violent and non-violent crime has dwindled in the country, with the exception of increased crime amongst Indigenous and racialized groups. “What does that tell us about our society?” she asked. “We need to reduce the overall number of people who are slipping into a life of crime…jail is costly, courts are full, we need to stop this at the front end.”

Both candidates encouraged voters to take the time to research the individual platforms of each party and candidate. They were also aligned on getting individuals to stop damages and vandalism to political signs and media. “Keep it classy,” said Schmale.

The candidates thanked the organizers for putting the event together, and the attendees for being present. “The fact that you’re here means you care about our democracy,” said Schmale. He went on to close by saying that he believes crime is increasing, food bank usage has increased, and he hopes to put forward ideas for “how to restore the Canadian dream.” He called it “an honour and a privilege” to serve as MP for the past decade, and reminded individuals to vote on election day.

Thomas closed by sharing her backstory a bit. “I didn’t set out to be a politician,” she said, noting her sense of duty for the community that she cited as guiding her through life. “My heart is with my 1200 patients in Minden, but my conscience is with the country.” Thomas went on to say that she knows the critical issues of this riding, because every day, she is up close and personal with the struggles. “Don’t believe that Canada is broken,” she said. “We are in unprecedented times. Now is not the time to pit groups against each other and create conflict that divides and weakens this country…We need a unified and solid Canada.”