August 5, 2015 · 0 Comments
Although there are many weeks before nominations close for the Oct. 19 federal election, voters in Dufferin-Caledon riding will find at least four names on the ballot.
The incumbent, Conservative David Tilson, won the right to seek a fifth term in office in May 2014 after a hard-fought nomination battle with challenger Edward Hong.
This time, he will face at least three would-be successors, Liberal Ed Crewson, New Democrat Rehya Yazbek and Green Party candidate Nancy Erekar.
Of the three challengers, only Mr. Crewson has political experience, having been long-time mayor of Shelburne as welll as a former warden of Dufferin County.
Even before the election writ was dropped last Sunday, Mr. Crewson raised a novel issue when he showed up at the last meeting of Shelburne Council.
There, he said that if he wins the right to represent the riding in Ottawa he will do one thing done by Murray Calder, the last Liberal to represent Dufferin. His promise is to make regular visits to municipal councils in the riding to be kept briefed on local issues that could involve the federal government.
As might be expected, the four candidates had different opinions on the value of the 11-week-long election campaign – more than double the length in previous elections – and whether we are in a recession.
Mr. Tilson says he wasn’t very surprised at the early election call.
“There’s been all kinds of speculation,” he observed, adding there had been a lot of talk over the weekend that Mr. Harper was going to have Parliament dissolved.
“We’ve been campaigning,” he remarked, adding that the Conservatives have had plans in place for months. “We’ve been doing things.”
He did concede that the longer campaign period will be more expensive.
Saying he’s taking nothing for granted in the coming campaign and sees himself as facing “some tough competition,” Mr. Tilson said his opponents are “good candidates. They’re going to give me a good run for my money, and I’m going to give them a good run for their money.”
Mr. Crewson said he has been advised that the early election call will cost taxpayers an extra $2.8 million a day, amounting to more than $100 million.
“It just seems that Mr. Harper has trouble being truthful these days,” he commented. “This is just to play to the advertising because they’ve got more to play with than we do.”
Ms. Yazbek agreed it’s going to cost the taxpayers. “It’s going to be really long,” she said. “I guess this is good for the Tories because they’ve got the finances to do it.”
Ms. Yazbek said election officials like returning officers will have to work twice as long as normal. As for herself, she fasces having to campaign while working full-time.
“I only have so much vacation time,” she commented.
Green candidate Erekar agreed. “It’s a shame it’s so long because the taxpayers pay more, a lot more,” she said. “But we don’t get to call the shots. It’s not fair politics, but it is what it is, and we live with it.”
Mr. Crewson was at a rally with Party leader Justin Trudeau Tuesday, and was impressed with the atmosphere he found. “You see the Harper rallies – it looks like they’re attending a funeral.”
“It’s inspiring for me, and I hope it’s inspiring for everybody.”
Asked whether they see the country as having fallen into another recession, the candidates were similarly divided.
“I don’t think so,” Mr. Tilson commented. “The media has talked about it.”
“Certainly the numbers would indicate that we are,” Mr. Crewson said, adding that he thought Finance Minister Joe Oliver’s belief that there will be economic growth in the fall should be questioned, since there doesn’t appear to have been growth in the first part of 2015.
Mr. Crewson also pointed out Canadians seem to be going more into debt, availing themselves of low interest rates. But while people have been piling up this debt, there had been no real increase in household incomes for some time. “If interest rates go up, then how do they manage that debt?” he wondered.
The Liberal candidate said Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s having focused on the Oil Patch hasn’t helped the manufacturing industry at all. It meant that with the Oil Patch in trouble, there’ was not the industrial base to help the economy spring back.
He also said details on what to do about the recession will be possible once the reality is faced at there is one. “Denying it is not going to make it go away.”
But Mr. Tilson maintained the government is still on track to keep the books balanced, adding that Mr. Oliver allowed for a possible downturn when he prepared the 2015 Budget.
He also pointed out that Canada did not suffer like European countries or the United States in the 2008 recession. “It’s true we were affected, but not nearly the same way.”
Ms. Yazbek said that whether or not there was a recession, “it feels like one,” and suggested going to a mall and seeing the number of stores that have closed. “What does that tell you?”
“All I know is what I hear in the news,” remarked Ms. Erekar.
She added she’s not an economist, but said the Green party has a good plan for increasing employment. “All the numbers add up.’