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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday September 24, 2008 - 3 Halton debate generates few sparks between candidates Continued from page 1 and Wagner tied the majority of their responses to their party's platform and track record. Political pundits have cited Halton as a riding to watch this election. Turner, who was elected under the Conservative banner in 2006, was kicked out of the party and sat as an independent before ultimately joining the Liberal Party. The most rousing round of applause from the audience in the evening came on this very issue, when Turner responded to a question about candidates walking across the floor to join another party. "I've always felt it was my job as a member of Parliament to speak on behalf of my constituents rather than to come back here and tell you what a party wants you to think. I told Stephane Dion, `I work for my constituents first, not you, but I'll work with you and if you can live with that, it will work,'" Turner said. "I believe that every person we send to Ottawa has to give you that commitment." One of the responses that gathered enthusiastic applause for Raitt was her position on a question about increasing welfare rates to levels seen in the 1980s. She said the solution to unemployment is a multipronged approach. "Through tax cuts and programs, there is a way to deal with this," Raitt said. "I find it much better to fund programs, teach and train people and provide them with jobs and provide them with help in tangible kinds of ways, as opposed to just handing them a cheque." The pressure created by the race between Turner and Raitt became apparent during the debate. While answering a question about universal child care, Turner brought up a decision Raitt made in her position as president and chief executive officer of the Toronto Port Authority. "It is something to note that when the Port Authority wanted to build a new development on Port lands, during the environ- Lisa Raitt -- Conservative Garth Turner -- Liberal of combat troops start in February 2009, with soldiers serving in a support capacity until 2011. Common themes in Wagner's answers were his belief in Jack Layton as a leader and the party's track record of introducing bills in Parliament. He also stressed the importance of a transparent and responsible government when asked about views on democracy. "Democracy is why we are all here today and it is something worth fighting for," Wagner said. "The next step or layer of democracy is transparency. I think it is vital we have more transparency going on. A lot of stuff is going on with the Harper government behind closed doors and it is time to open them up, shine a light on what is going on and look under the hood and see what is Harper's agenda." Collard told the audience that the Greens were the first party to suggest a carbon tax. She said they are happy that other parties have picked up on Green initiatives. Collard also stressed the negative impact climate change and greenhouse gases are having on humans. She said the Green Party's plan to shift dependence on fossil fuels to green forms of energy will result in healthier Canadians and a greener country. "As we all know, greenhouse gases are making us sick," she said. "How many of us had peanut allergies when we were growing up? How many of us had asthma when we were growing up? How many of us had to drink bottled water when we were growing up? These are facts of reality today that are directly related to greenhouse gases." BATHROOM RENOVATIONS? Amy Collard -- Green mental assessment, 91 per cent of respondents opposed that development and she overruled it," Turner said. After stating her position on child care, Raitt said that the situation was more complex than Turner had outlined and that the project was very important to Toronto's downtown core. "We spent $2 to $4 million in ensuring we had a public consultation and a key part of this is that after hearing the comments and reading the environmental assessments, it became apparent that this building would not incur any significant environmental effect on the environment around it," she said. "As a result, the decision was made to build and today there is an airport in Toronto city centre that is uti- Robert Wagner -- NDP lized by most of your colleagues in the Liberal Party who come in and out of Toronto." There were some issues that candidates had a general consensus about. When asked if they would reverse Parliament's decision to allow homosexuals to marry, for example, all candidates stated they would not appeal that decision. The issue of Afghanistan also saw some level of agreement among certain candidates. Turner and Raitt said that they supported Parliament's decision to end the combat mission in Afghanistan in 2011. Wagner stated he would like to see the immediate withdrawal of troops in combat in Afghanistan, while Collard said the Green Party would like to see the withdrawal GIVE YOUR BATHROOM THE FACTORY TILE TOUCH See our design team to transform your space We specialize in importing and supplying quality Granite, Caesarstone, Marble, Ceramics, Porcelain and Natural Stone Ask about our Custom Glass Shower Doors & Floor Heating Tile selection made enjoyable! FACTORY TILE DEPOT 1360 Speers Road, Oakville (East of third line) Factory Tile Depot 905.465.1650 Mon.-Thurs., 9:30-6, Fri. 9:30-5, Sat., 10-5, Closed Sun. www.factorytiledepot.ca We welcome American Express ® Cards