Energy Sector and the Pandemic Were Primary Topics at All Candidates Forum – Discoverestevan.com – DiscoverEstevan.com

The Estevan Legion Hall was nearly full Wednesday night as Souris-Moose Mountain candidates in the federal election made their stances heard on a range of issues.

Three of the five candidates that appear on the ballot were present for the All Candidates Forum put on by the Estevan Chamber of Commerce.

Much of the conversation revolved around the pandemic and the energy sector.

Each candidate had two minutes to make opening remarks. They thengaveprepared answers to a trio of questions from the Chamber, answered a few questions submitted to the Chamberthey hadn't already heard, fielded questions from the floor, and gave one-minute closing statements.

Conservative incumbent Robert Kitchen, Maverick candidate Greg Douglas, and People's Party of Canada hopeful Diane Neufeld attended the forum, which was moderated by Jeff Richards. Liberal candidate Javin Ames Sinclair and NDP candidate Hannah Duerr could not be reached by the Chamber. (The Green Party representative had previously announced a candidate, Richard Reed, for the riding. But the representative confirmed Reed is no longer running.)

Opening Comments - Conservative - Robert Kitchen

Opening Comments - Maverick - Greg Douglas

Opening Comments - People's Party of Canada - Diane Neufeld

When asked about what each candidate would do to help small business, Kitchen hit on reducing the national debt while spending money in certain areas to stimulate the economy. He said the $60,000 the Liberals gave to small businesses during the pandemic through the Canada Emergency Business Account loan wasn't enough, and spoke of how the Conservative Party would have looked for up to $200,000. Kitchen said his government would have consulted small businesses at the offset of the pandemic as they tried to balance the economy with safety.

Douglas said they would not have implemented lockdowns. He said masks and social distancing would have been utilized instead. Douglas also said the Canada Emergency Response Benefit was "too long and lucrative" and harmed small business as employees didn't want to return to work.

Neufeld said the PPC wouldn't have implemented any mandates if they were government, as it should be up to individual businesses to determine how they'd want to handle things.

When discussing vaccines, Douglas, the former chief veterinarian of Ontario, and Kitchen, a chiropractor, both talked about how vaccines are the best defence against COVID-19. But they both said vaccines should be a personal choice, and not one imposed on the people by the government.

All candidates spoke in favour of the oil sector and the coal sector and said those forms of energy are a priority for the economy.

Another topic was the cost of homeownership being so high for millennials, whose portion of the provincial population is highest in Saskatchewan.

Kitchen said making sure more homes are built is key to drive their prices down, and making sure it's affordable for younger people to invest.

Douglas said it boils down to "sound fiscal policy." He said the NDP, Liberals, and Conservatives would all have similar fiscal policies that would make it harder for millennials in the future. He added that the current equalization formula would need to be scrapped.

Neufeld said Ottawa should stop taking money from the private sector and lower taxes for business. She also said millennials need help purchasing their homes beyond just dollars; they need to "learn how to balance their finances."

"Our freedoms have been annihilated in the last 18 months," said Neufeld in her closing remarks. "We have to have freedom of expression. If we don't have that, we have nothing. Our economy has to flourish once again, and by this we have to have the small businesses, the family farms, and no more capital gains. That's got to go, because that's just biting the hand that feeds you."

"Our first choice is to work with Canada, and opening up the Constitution as we discussed would be our first choice," Douglas said in his final comments. "Imagine on election night if we sent a Maverick to Ottawa. That would get everybody's attention."

"This election is about recovery," Kitchen said in closing. "Recovery from the mounting economic debt of Justin Trudeau. Over $500 billion in two years, or like $424 million each day. It's also the recovery out of the pandemic. Let's not make a mistake here. My friends here have talked about the freedoms, and I agree this country needs to preserve freedoms. But we have no freedoms or no need for freedoms without a functioning or thriving society."

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Energy Sector and the Pandemic Were Primary Topics at All Candidates Forum - Discoverestevan.com - DiscoverEstevan.com