Five things to know from the Kanata candidates' debate
Although Kanata's federal election candidates weren't in the same room Tuesday night, they nonetheless landed punches as they tussled over such issues as the housing crisis, the affordability crisis and threats to Canadian sovereignty and its economic well-being.
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The five rivals met virtually in a Zoom debate that was livestreamed on YouTube. All of the contenders were present, including the Liberal Party's Jenna Sudds, the Conservative Party's Greg Kung, the NDP's Melissa Simon, the Green Party's Jennifer Purdy and Moinuddin Siddiqui of the Centrist Party of Canada.
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Asked to name which countries were threats to Canada, most candidates were unequivocal.
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'It's pretty clear that we are under attack,' said the NDP's Simon. 'There's an economic war on Canada by the United States and what that means is we need to make sure that we're prepared to sustain our economy, regardless of what the United States chooses to do.'
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Calling Trump a threat to Canada's economy and sovereignty, Sudds said the election is essentially about who is best positioned to deal with the U.S. President. 'With Mark Carney as our leader and myself as your member of Parliament, you can rest assured that we will not sell you or Canada out for parts,' said Sudds.
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'The United States is definitely a threat and anybody who thinks it might only last for four years, we need to plan for the worst-case scenario, that this extends beyond four years,' said Purdy. China and Russia are also threats and 'we need to be keeping eyes on them as well,' the Green Party candidate added.
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'Everybody have the same opinion. The threat we have right now is our neighbour country, the U.S.,' said Siddiqui.
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Kung said Canada needs to protect its sovereignty and borders, and cited a Conservative promise to build a northern military base. But he preferred to speak of Canada's weakness rather than the threat posed by Trump.
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Ten years of Liberal rule have left the country, he said, in a weak position vis-à-vis other countries, 'whether it be the U.S. or other nations. We've had many countries come to Canada asking for our resources, and it is this same Liberal government that has said no, that repeatedly said that there is no business case for us to get our resources to market,' Kung said.
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