Wellington-Halton Hills federal candidates expressed their views and party policies on the environment at the most recent local all-candidates meeting for the riding.
Hosted by Transition Erin and the Climate Change Action Group of Erin, the first hour of the Sept. 30 debate was dedicated to “big picture” issues and the second hour to answering questions from the audience.
In attendance at the Erin legion were Anne Gajerski-Cauley for the NDP, Brent Bouteiller for the Green Party, Don Trant for the Liberal Party and Michael Chong for the Conservative Party.
Despite the occasional break in federal politics for an update on the Toronto Blue Jays game (during which the Jays ended up clinching the American League East division title), the meeting stayed on schedule and each candidate shared his or her views and opinions.
Greenhouse gas emissions
Candidates were asked how their party would support alternative energy sources to reduce demand for fossil fuels and work towards a 100 per cent renewable energy economy by 2050.
Each candidate agreed more needed to be done to reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions but their answers varied greatly.
For Trant, the place to start is eliminating the use of coal as an energy source across the country. Through the Liberal Party’s proposed infrastructure funding, Trant said money will be available for research and development for the needed systems. He also said there needs to be a shift towards electric vehicles and transportation.
“The source of that electricity needs to be from renewable sources,” Trant said. “We’re partly on the way.”
Gajerski-Cauley pointed out NDP leader Tom Mulcair, once the environment minister in Quebec, was successful in reducing emissions.
“One of the problems we face as Canadians and the reason why we have such high levels of emissions is we’re a large country, we’re a cold country, and we depend on oil and gas to move us and heat us,” said Gajerski-Cauley. “But we do need to move forward on this file because we can’t go on polluting the earth forever.”
She added her party is proposing to offer an innovation tax credit for businesses moving in that direction, and also suggesting a cap-and-trade system for reducing emissions.
“We’re going to actually target emissions, we’re not going to leave it to the marketplace,” she said. She also said the NDP was going to put money into building public transit so inter-city travel is more accessible.
Bouteiller was more focused on a taxation policy to move forward ideas of newer and cleaner forms of energy. The Green Party is proposing a carbon fee and dividend.
“When you go to buy your energy, whether it’s oil or gas or electricity, you would pay a carbon fee if it is a carbon-based source and all of these fees would be collected into one bank account … and at the end of the year all of that is paid out as a dividend to cheques to each person in Canada,” he said. “So you have incentive.”
Those using more carbon-based fuels will pay more fees and those using less or no carbon-based fuels will still get the dividends without paying the carbon fee.
The Green Party also believes a national energy policy is needed between all levels of government and business.
Chong said the best way to make alternative energy sources more prevalent is for “governments to ensure that the externality of carbon is made internal to our economic pricing.”
He said this isn’t complete and carbon is not fully priced in the economy. If the end game is a significant reduction in emissions, Chong said it starts with properly pricing carbon through regulations and allowing the private sector to achieve emission-reduction goals.
Farming
Next candidates were asked about their party’s stance on farm consolidation and on the “industrialization of agriculture,” as well as how they will “expand Canada’s share of diversified family-owned farms” and what they will do to encourage young people to take up farming.
Bouteiller said the number of farmers and farms have been amalgamating. New technology means not as many farmers are required, yet he said new practices are more dangerous for the land.
The Green Party would like to see a shift toward organic farming across the country and will provide assistance, he said.
Chong said the two factors contributing to farm stability are profitability and science-based decision making, adding the Conservatives have been expanding free trade markets for beef, pork, grains and oil seed farmers.
“If those markets are shut down, if those markets aren’t expanded, farmers, farming families move on and the farming sector starts to decline,” he said.
Chong added that opening up of beef markets in South Korea, in Hong Kong and in the other parts of the Asia Pacific Rim as well as in Europe has allowed the Canadian beef sector to expand. The same has happened with grain and oil seeds.
Chong said genetically-modified seeds and the use of biocides, herbicides and pesticides to match them are important to increasing food output and ensuring more environmentally sustainable farming practices.
“It reduces soil compaction, it reduces the amount of tillage that has to be done and on balance, it’s a better way to farm,” he said. “Organic farming has a niche, there is a market for it, but I can tell you today if the entire world were to go to organic farming there would be mass starvation.”
Trant went the supply management route, saying it provides society with a ready supply of high-quality food and it produces economic stability for farmers. He said there is concern supply management will be lost in free trade negotiations.
Trant also said openness in science-based agricultural research, education for young farmers and better infrastructure is required.
The NDP recognizes young farmers who want to farm but don’t have access to land or capital, Gajerski-Cauley said.
“We are definitely going to help them,” she added. “We have a very large, comprehensive farm-to-fork food strategy.”
Gajerski-Cauley said the NDP wants to put money into agricultural research and provide farmers with a direct link to the findings and the scientists. They will also work to build the bridge between farmers and supermarkets and provide insurance for farmers.
Open debate
Moving away from a strictly environmental focus, candidates were asked what their party would do to restore open and full debate and discussion on issues of concern and to encourage citizen participation in politics.
Trant said the Liberals have a 32-point plan to restore democracy and how parliament functions with a focus on openness. One plan is to end the current first past the post election system and propose a form of proportional representation. He also said the party will change the way committees are organized in parliament.
“So that they are a real multi-party and the chairs being selected,” Trant said. “Everything in those committees will be open.”
Bouteiller agreed proportional representation is important because it provides voters with the “representation that you deserve.” He also said the Green Party, as a grass-roots party, and would not use omnibus legislation.
“Policy is developed at the local level, at the riding associations,” he said. “It then moves up in the party, it does not come from the top down.”
Bouteiller also agreed multi-party committees and openness and transparency are a few of the necessary changes to parliament.
Chong said he’s skeptical about parties promising democratic reform, because over the years little has come from similar promises.
“I believe that we need to continue to reform our system in Ottawa,” he said. “The fundamental problem in our
democracy is that party leaders, including the Prime Minister, have way too much power.”
He said that is why he introduced the Reform Act, which he said will have an impact on party caucuses and the power of party leaders.
“I promise that I will support a motion that will strip party leaders of the power to appoint members of parliament on committees,” Chong said. “That power should rest with MPs and not party leaders.”
Chong also agreed parliamentary committee appointments need to be free of party leaders’ influence so that MPs can vote fairly and freely on legislation.
Gajerski-Cauley said the NDP will restore funding to minority groups.
“Many minorities under this government have suffered very sustained attacks from national attacks,” she said. “It’s just one minority group after another that has sustained that and that’s very demoralizing for our population because are we not really just a collection of minorities?”
The NDP will also repeal what she termed the “unfair elections act,” said Gajerski-Cauley.
Amend the constitution
When questioning turned to those posed by the audience, one person asked if each candidate would support amending the constitution to guarantee environmental rights and protection to all Canadian citizens.
Gajerski-Cauley simply replied “yes” and walked back to her seat.
Trant said he is responsible to the Liberal Party policy and this community and its constituents. He said if guaranteeing environmental rights and protections to all Canadians in the constitution is legally reasonable, he would push for it.
Bouteiller said the idea is in the Green Party’s platform already.
While Chong is open to exploring the idea, he said he does have hesitation. He said that by opening the constitution it’s also opening it to a range of other issues that don’t have anything to do with the environment.
He said it is legislation and governments that should affect environmental change and outcomes. Putting it into the constitution would remove the will, power and initiative of parliamentarians and other legislators to act on the issue.
Carbon farming
Another person asked what each candidate would to do provide an incentive for farmers and the agricultural industry to shift to carbon farming techniques.
Bouteiller said the idea is that farmers can operate as carbon sinks, cultivating plants that create carbon credits. He said it’s a party policy to assist farmers in working with local agencies to develop the market so there’s a carbon credit system.
“As a general rule, we are not in favour of any carbon cap and trade system,” he said, because it “slows innovation in dealing with emissions.”
Chong said he’s hesitant to use incentives and subsidies to price carbon in the marketplace. He said the government should frame a policy that will allow carbon to be priced but then let the marketplace work to reduce emissions.
Trant said he’s impressed with the work the rural community is doing to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions – for example, the creation of green spaces and use of clean energy sources.
“That is the way to go,” he said. Though he said he’s not aware of any Liberal policies, he said the party would be increasing research into carbon dioxide avoidance, which would be passed down to farmers.
Gajerski-Cauley said business risk management tools would be available to all farmers based on need under the NDP. She also said the party would support mentorship programs between young and experienced farmers.
Fracking
When asked about policies on fracking, each candidate agreed the drilling process could be dangerous.
Bouteiller said one of the concerns is a leak into aquifers, contaminating water. He also said to loosen the oil and formations for blasting, chemicals are combined with water, which is unacceptable to the Green Party.
Chong said the Great Lakes Basin needs to be protected and preserved. However, he thinks the decision on fracking should be based on scientific evidence and further research needs to be completed to determine if it’s environmentally sustainable.
“If it is, then I would support provincial governments allowing fracking,” he said.
Chong also said Canada needs new federal fresh water legislation. Bulk water exports are currently banned in Canada but the legislation is spread across many pieces of legislation and across departments and agencies.
He said he’d like this amalgamated into one piece of legislation and assigned to one department.
Gajerski-Cauley said, “We are very intent on reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and the oil industry.” She also said the NDP would establish a national water strategy that will protect clean water as a human right and ban bulk water exportation.
Trant said there are impacts that come from fracking and as the country becomes sufficient it won’t need the fuels from fracking.
“The Liberal Party will base their position on the science,” he said. He said there may be some areas where fracking is safe and others where it’s not.
Trant also mentioned the necessity of creating a clean water strategy so it’s in place when inquiries are made about mass water extraction.
