Election Debate at Vanier College: Their Plans on The Environment
On October 1st, an all candidate Federal election debate was held at Vanier College. The candidates resent were running to represent the riding of St. Laurent-Cartierville.
Both the public and the Vanier College community were welcome to attend the debate, which was moderated by VCSA president Lucas Diacoumacos.
The candidates present were Mr. Richard Serour of the Conservative Party of Canada, Ms. Georgia Kokotsis of the Green Party of Canada, Ms. Emmanuella Lambropoulos of the Liberal Party of Canada and Member of Parliament, Ms. Miranda Gallo of the New Democratic Party and Mr. Christopher Mirkus of the People’s Party of Canada.
The topics of the questions at the debate were within five categories being environment, immigration and identity, economy, foreign policy, and accountability. For each question, the candidates who were picked at random are given two minutes to answer, while the remaining candidates were given a minute and a half for their rebuttal.
The questions themselves were compiled by students from an introduction to politics class in the college.
The Environment and our future is the most prevalent issue on the political table these elections, so the following article will summarize the answers given by each candidate to the environmental questions asked.
If you wish to hear their answers on other issues, please consult the live steam of the debate posted on the Vanier College website.
The first question of the debate asked the candidates how their party would plan to finance the green transition.
Mr. Serour was the first to answer the question. He said that the government needs to manage public finances properly, in order to have funding to invest into green technology. He also said we need to capitalize on our expertise as Canadians in green technologies.
Mr. Mirkus rebutted the statement by saying his party wants to prioritize the protection of the land and soil in Canada, and is interested in providing running water for first nation’s communities in the north.
Ms. Gallo explained that the NDP plans to not invest in pipelines and fossil fuels unlike all of the other parties excluding the green. She also said that money can be found within the removal of tax cuts from the rich put into place by the Trudeau government.
Ms.Lambropoulos said that her party agrees with all of the NDP points, but emphasized that we must be realistic in that the transition from fossil fuels to renewable resources cannot be instantaneous. She said that the estimated 500 million dollars per year from the pipeline will be invested into green initiatives.
Ms. Kokotsis said we need to divert from fossil fuel industries, remove these industries’ subsidies, and reinvest this money into green energy. She said there are more jobs in the green industry versus the fossil fuel industry as well. She was glad however that all parties were in consensus that we are in the midst of a climate crisis.
The candidates were then asked what renewable resource they would be most willing to invest in, and how quickly would we move away from fossil fuel dependency.
Mr. Mirkus was the first to answer, and explained that it should be provincial jurisdiction to decide what green resources they would want, and the People’s Party would support them, even if a particular province does not want to invest in renewable resources at all. He also argued that the money Canada sends out to other countries for green energy investment should be redirected towards protecting our own soil, water and air.
Ms.Kokostis plans to retool society to run on green energy, and by 2030. The Green Party would invest in hydro, geothermal, biodiesel, solar power etc. and Ms.Kokostis said that it is possible to run without fossil fuel’s use. She said her party’s plan is costed and will be balanced in five years. It will be a small investment upfront, but will incur positive expenses after five to six years.
Ms.Gallo said the time for change is now, and it’s time to invest into a transition for renewable energy. She cited investing in transportation, using electric over fossil fuels in homes, and investing into green Canadian technology. Her party also plans to tax the wealthiest Canadians more, creating more funds to go towards renewable energy investments and our futures.
Mr. Serour says his party wants to work towards renewable energy, and steer way from fossil fuels. He said it’s a fantasy believing that change will happen today, but that his party has created a plan towards change. He criticized the Trudeau government for not meeting its climate goals, notably the guidelines set in the Paris Climate Accords.
Ms. Lambropoulos rebuttals by saying the Liberal Government have kept 95% of their promises, one of the best records in decades. They plan on having no carbon emissions by 2050, which they believe is a reasonable target. They want to have legally binding 5 year goals set by environmentalists, scientists and economists and a 5 billon dollar investment will be allocated towards their clean power fund.
It is important for everyone to go out and vote this coming October 21st. You can find more information about how to vote through Elections Canada at elections.ca
Written by: India-Lynn Upshaw-Ruffner
Photo: VTV
