Gun control, hate speech, and carbon tax touched on in Humboldt candidates forum

The first question asked by the audience was regarding each party’s stance on firearms.

The woman who asked the question stated she has concerns about self protection if a gun ban would be put in place by whoever forms government, as emergency services can take a large amount of time to respond in rural areas.

Payant said the PPC is pro guns and Canada needs to be tough on criminal and leave law abiding gun owners alone. He suggested following the United States’ self defence laws.

“People should be able to protect themselves and their families if they’re being attacked,” Payant said. “With deadly force if necessary.”

Malo said the Liberals intend to ban assault rifles, including AR-15’s, and work with provinces and territories to give municipalities the ability to restrict or ban handguns. The Liberals also intend to prevent people susceptive of posing a danger to themselves and others from possessing firearms.

She said the Liberals want to protect the rights of law-abiding hunters, although hunters don’t use or need assault weapons.

Calix said she’s an employee of the Saskatoon Police Service and recognizes it’s important for law enforcement to have access to guns for training. She said the NDP is concerned with use of illegal guns on the streets, particularly with gang violence, and illegal possession of assault rifles.

“We do recognize in Canada people use guns for sporting events and recreation and we would like that to continue,” Calix said. “It’s very much a part of Canadian life and rural life.”

Wright said Canada’s gun laws don’t need to change, believing guns don’t kill people but people kill people. He said the back and forth discussion between parties on gun control is distracting of other issues.

Hate speech

One candidate’s controversial social media post came back into discussion during the forum.

The PPC’s Payant posted on Facebook in response of the Twitter ban of Lindsay Shepherd, a former Ontario teaching assistant, after she had an online exchange with transgender activist Jessica Yaniv. He said, “Our country could use more hate speech, more offensive comments, more ‘micro-aggressions’, more violation of safe spaces with words, and more critical thinking. Words are not violence and when we don’t have them to debate, and articulate our thoughts when communicating, then all we have left is guns.”

A man in attendance asked the candidates on their party’s respective stances on hate speech.

“We are against hate speech and believe in a Canada that’s inclusive for everyone, no matter what you look like or where you come from,” NDP candidate Calix said.

As an independent candidate, Wright doesn’t have a political platform to reference, but said there should be zero tolerance for hate speech. Especially in anger-driven campaigns taking jabs at other parties.

“With our ample natural resources, free spaces, and low population density… if we can’t get along and demonstrate to the world what can be done here then I think we’re in real trouble,” Wright said.

Conservative MP Block believes there’s room to have insightful debate in the public square, but none for hate speech.

Malo said the Liberals are simply against hate speech.

Payant reiterated that Canada could use more hate speech to resolve conflicts due to his belief in freedom of speech.

“I wasn’t calling for hate speech,” Payant said. “I don’t like hate speech, it’s awful, but it’s a method. We use words to resolve conflicts and I support freedom of speech. Resolving conflicts through speech is always 100 per cent of the time the better alternative to being pushed under the ground and the government determining what people can and cannot say; thought and speech policing. That just leads to physical violence and that’s much worse.”

Carbon tax credits

One woman in attendance asked about potential carbon tax credits for farmers.

Both Block and Payant said the Conservatives and PPC would respectively repeal the carbon tax.

Malo said the Liberals don’t have anything detailed in terms of carbon tax credits for farmers, but there will be continued research in the agriculture sector.

Calix said the NDP will revisit the carbon tax as she believes it’s unfair to regular workers in Canada and lets the largest polluters off the hook.

Most important issue

Fitzpatrick asked the candidates what they personally felt was the most important issue leading up to the federal election.

Wright, as an independent candidate, said electoral reform is his most important issue.

“We won’t get meaningful, lasting change unless we change the system,” he said.

Conservative MP Block said hers was intersecting the economy with the environment and national unity.

Payant said his was the economy, with the PPC wanting to impose pipelines and ensuring government isn’t a participant in the economy, but rather a referee.

Liberal Candidate Malo said hers was physical and mental health, as she believes both those affect Canadians’ ability to work and contribute to the community.

NDP Candidate Calix said the environment was hers, with it having a ripple effect on other areas such as health, job creation, and weather events affecting agriculture.

The public was able to speak with Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek candidates following the forum in Humboldt (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff).

Future candidate forums

Following the forum, attendees were given the opportunity to talk with the five candidates.

Fitzpatrick said the chamber has never hosted a federal candidates forum, but he wants to continue hosting them for future elections.

“We set up the room for 40 people and had to add 30 chairs, I’m really happy with the response from the community,” Fitzpatrick said. “It really shows that people are interested. There is the national side to politics, but they also want to know who these people are and what they represent to that party.”

The 2019 Canadian federal election is scheduled to take place on Oct. 21.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow

by Aaron Schulze

Gun control, hate speech, and carbon tax touched on in Humboldt candidates forum

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