Four MPP candidates duked it out in front of dozens at The Speakeasy at Algoma University on Tuesday night during the last all candidates meeting before the polls close later this week.
Hosted by the student union in collaboration with the Sault Downtown Association, candidates weighed in on numerous issues both local and beyond, answering questions about the affordability crisis in northern Ontario, the looming U.S. tariff threat, and more.
While previous debates saw spotty attendance from local candidates, the Progressive Conservatives, Liberals, NDP, and New Blue parties all took to the stage Tuesday night to answer set questions from the student union before fielding questions from the crowd.
When asked about the affordability crisis – from rising food insecurity rates, to minimum wage not keeping pace with the cost of living – the New Blue’s Arnold Heino blamed the federal government for its immigration policies.
“One of the biggest reasons for this crisis that we're in is the immigration – the federal government, they have allowed too many immigrants,” he said.
“It’s putting a strain on our health-care system. It's putting a strain on our food system. It's putting a strain on our housing system, and it's putting a strain on our employment system,” he said. “We have to put a moratorium on it so we can get it back down to a sustainable level.”
Other candidates, however, took a different stance, with the NDP’s Lisa Vezeau-Allen highlighting the party’s grocery rebate plan of up to $120 per month, and plans to double ODSP assistance rates.
“There's no reason why someone who has a large impairment in life should be living in poverty,” she said.
The PC’s Chris Scott said his party is the only one that’s taking the issue seriously.
“You can run on Care Bears and lollipops as much as you want, but at the end of the day it's just not real,” he said.
“There’s one taxpayer. A government that is focused on putting more money back in that taxpayer’s pocket is a government that's focused on affordability.”
The Liberal’s Gurwinder Dusanjh said his party plans to cut small business taxes in half, as well as reduce taxes for middle income earners.
“Giving money to the government and having it back with a credit is one way of doing things, but I don't believe that's the right way of doing it,” he said. “I believe keeping money in the pockets is the best way to go about it.”
With regard to creating good jobs and retaining youth locally, Vezeau-Allen said youth out migration has been “an ongoing issue” for years, and said reframing OSAP to include more grants, enhancing internship and trade programs, and implementing rent caps are part of the NDP’s plan.
Dusanjh said he hopes to incentivize businesses – which a young person could “build a career off of and raise a family” – to come to Sault Ste. Marie.
“Hopefully we can make a pipeline from these institutions – Algoma University, Sault College – to local businesses,” he said. “Because what's happening right now is people graduate from over here, they look around, and then they either have to go to America or they have to go down south.”
Scott said he hopes to help local institutions “actually partner with our industry” by providing retraining options or microcredentials that line up with local needs, as well as “by offering the right course offerings through our school that will (turn) into jobs here in the community.”
Heino stressed the need to support local businesses and “think of Sault Ste. Marie first,” raising concern there are “too many foreign entities coming in by all businesses.”
When asked why their party is best to set Ontario up for “long term, sustainable growth,” Vezeau-Allen shared a story about how a former colleague from Garden River First Nation had no publicly accessible transit to the city. She said the NDP plans to expand transportation opportunities in the north.
“Transportation is an economic driver, especially access to the north,” she said. “We actually have a northern strategy for that with rail and with the bus lines, so we need to have valuable, reliable transportation to transport goods, also people.”
Heino once again stressed the need “to put Canadians first, Saultites first, and Ontarians first” by giving people “more chance of opening your own business and keeping everything local.”
As he stressed throughout the debate, Dusanjh urged residents to “look at the platforms, look at what aligns with your values, and vote that way,” and took aim at the reigning Conservatives.
“Every single election comes, the government in power says that we're in trouble,” he said. “I don't understand how we're in trouble after seven years of being in charge, especially after two presidencies of Trump.”
Scott said the province currently has a “once in a lifetime opportunity to strengthen our east – west supply chain.”
“Whether it's the rocks we rip out of the ground, the trees we cut, the people we train, we have an amazing opportunity to increase trade and reduce barriers between our provinces and our neighbours, to grow partnerships and see more wealth, more Ontario-made products, more Canadian-made products, and what that does is it puts us in a position better than we're in today,” he said.
At several points during the debate, Scott also expressed confidence that Doug Ford will win a “large majority government” on Thursday night, and said he is running “to keep our seat at the decision-making table.”
The Green Party and Ontario Party candidates, Jaycob Jacques and Paul Frolich, were not present at the debate.
The provincial election is set for Feb. 27.