Ottawa Centre contestants gathered at Carleton University last night for another all-candidates debate ahead of the Oct. 19 federal election. The debate, which lasted two hours, was standing room only.
Six candidates attended the debate, one of several over the course of the campaign so far. The attendees were; Paul Dewar, NDP; Catherine McKenna, Liberal; Stuart Ryan, Communist Party of Canada; Dean T. Harris, Libertarian Party; and Damian Konstantinakos, Conservative Party.
Lawrence Martin, a Globe and Mail columnist, monitored the debate. Six questions were submitted from various Carleton community groups, including the Aboriginal Service Centre, Oxfam Carleton, and the Graduate Student’s Association. Topics were mainly centred on tuition, job creation, campus sexual assault rates and violence against women.
After the formal section of the debate candidates took more questions from the audience. Students wanted to know specifically about democratic reform and tuition reduction, especially for international students. Ryan said the Communist Party would double corporate taxes to make tuition completely free, while the Green Party said they would eliminate tuition fees.
Liberal, Conservative, and NDP candidates focused specifically on job creation for students. Harris said they would make education more affordable by eliminating taxes on student incomes.
John Akpata Marijuana Party of Canada candidate also made an appearance at the debate, asking candidates about prohibition, legalization and cost. Most candidates reiterated that they were either in favour of legalization or decriminalization, with the exception of the Conservative Party. Konstantinakos said the Conservative Party does not support drug use.