Centretown News Online: Candidates launch political attacks at Ottawa ACORN debate

With three weeks to go before the provincial election, political mud-slinging characterized the all-candidates debate at Ottawa’s PSAC building Thursday night, with Conservative MPP candidate Robert Dekker’s absence provoking some candidates.

Green Party’s Kevin O’Donnell, Liberal incumbent Yasir Naqvi, NDP candidate Anil Naidoo and Elizabeth Rowley, leader of the Communist Party of Ontario, filling in for Stuart Ryan, represented Ottawa Centre. Emmanuel Houle, Family Coalition Party’s Ottawa-Vanier candidate, and John Redins of the Party for People with Special Needs were also present.

All Progressive Conservative candidates in the Ottawa area were invited to the ACORN Ottawa-organized debate, but none of the seven candidates, including Dekker, responded, according to organizers.

“I’m very disappointed the Conservatives aren’t here today. They’re the ones who cut social assistance,” Rowley said, eliciting applause from the packed room.

The Tory track record on the “systematic underfunding of health care” is worse than the Liberals, with the nixing of 18,500 hospital beds since 1990 by the three major parties, including NDP, she said. 

Ottawa wait times for health care are “the longest in the province,” according to Naidoo.

“It’s appalling that (Ontario) is still below 1995 levels (for social assistance) …  We want to increase the minimum wage and index it. We want to increase ODSP and Ontario Works rates. We need to deal with the structural problems left behind by the Harris and McGuinty governments,” said Naidoo of the NDP stance.

The Liberal government has increased the social assistance rate seven times, a jump of 13.7 per cent, Naqvi responded, adding that the NDP has voted against minimum wage, ODSP and Ontario Works increases seven times in the last two Liberal terms.

“It’s truly sad we have to politicize the issue and feed lies to voters… What we voted against was a budget that left people behind,” shot back Naidoo.

The other candidates attacked the incumbent over the Liberals’ failure to match social assistance rates with inflation, with Rowley’s criticism that there hasn’t been an increase in real dollars since the Mike Harris slashes.

The Green Party will lower income taxes by increasing the personal tax exemption by $2,000, said O’Donnell of his party platform.

With plans to balance the provincial budget by 2015 if elected, a Green Party government would continue to invest in education and healthcare, he added.

The 2010 elimination of special dietary allowance, which helped people on social assistance pay food costs related to specific medical conditions, and ODSP income clawbacks were also hot topics.

The Liberals will consider special dietary allowance in a new budget, said Naqvi, adding it is being examined in the social assistance review underway led by Munir Sheikh, former Chief Statistician of Canada and Frances Lankin former CEO of United Way Toronto, the first major review of the province’s social assistance programs in two decades.

Rowley warned the Liberal platform calls for more cuts to social programs — two per cent over the next four years, if elected.

“The Liberals are trying to bind our hands with a regressive tax program,” said Naidoo.

“The clawback and the special diet (allowance elimination) are hammering people on ODSP.”

Naqvi agreed with the other candidates that the ODSP clawbacks create a disincentive and need to be re-examined in the review, reminding the audience that it was his party which raised the province’s minimum wage from $6 to $10.25.

All candidates gave assurances that their party would not download tax responsibilities onto the City of Ottawa, a promise Dekker’s party hasn’t made.

“All necessary measures will be taken to keep social assistance public,” said Houle, adding he is working on his thesis on water privatization and it is a “ridiculous” notion for businesses to own water.

The party candidates said they are committed to upload municipal tax loads onto the province to shift entirely into public social assistance service.

“The rates we’re talking about will become a problem for municipalities as we continue to move forward,” said Naqvi.

“I don’t think the solution lies with the private sector. They’ve had years and years to provide a solution. Solution is to get all levels of government back into the (affordable) housing discussion,” said Rowley, emphasizing that 200,000 affordable housing units need to be built in Ontario as a first step.

Ontario has 10,000 families waiting in line to get into affordable housing units as they further spiral into debt, she said.

“Life has become unaffordable under a McGuinty government.”

For the 350 Ottawa-Centre families who moved into their new affordable housing units over the last provincial term, the Liberal track record is not “a drop in the bucket, said Naqvi.

“Poverty costs money. Our campaign slogan is when you help someone with a disability, you’re helping everybody — you’re helping your community, you’re helping your province, you’re helping your country,” said Redins of the Party for People with Special Needs.

With three weeks to go before the provincial election, political mud-slinging characterized the all-candidates debate at Ottawa’s PSAC building Thursday night, with Conservative MPP candidate Robert Dekker’s absence provoking some candidates.

Green Party’s Kevin O’Donnell, Liberal incumbent Yasir Naqvi, NDP candidate Anil Naidoo and Elizabeth Rowley, leader of the Communist Party of Ontario, filling in for Stuart Ryan, represented Ottawa Centre. Emmanuel Houle, Family Coalition Party’s Ottawa-Vanier candidate, and John Redins of the Party for People with Special Needs were also present.

All Progressive Conservative candidates in the Ottawa area were invited to the ACORN Ottawa-organized debate, but none of the seven candidates, including Dekker, responded, according to organizers.

“I’m very disappointed the Conservatives aren’t here today. They’re the ones who cut social assistance,” Rowley said, eliciting applause from the packed room.

The Tory track record on the “systematic underfunding of health care” is worse than the Liberals, with the nixing of 18,500 hospital beds since 1990 by the three major parties, including NDP, she said. 

Ottawa wait times for health care are “the longest in the province,” according to Naidoo.

“It’s appalling that (Ontario) is still below 1995 levels (for social assistance) …  We want to increase the minimum wage and index it. We want to increase ODSP and Ontario Works rates. We need to deal with the structural problems left behind by the Harris and McGuinty governments,” said Naidoo of the NDP stance.

The Liberal government has increased the social assistance rate seven times, a jump of 13.7 per cent, Naqvi responded, adding that the NDP has voted against minimum wage, ODSP and Ontario Works increases seven times in the last two Liberal terms.

“It’s truly sad we have to politicize the issue and feed lies to voters… What we voted against was a budget that left people behind,” shot back Naidoo.

The other candidates attacked the incumbent over the Liberals’ failure to match social assistance rates with inflation, with Rowley’s criticism that there hasn’t been an increase in real dollars since the Mike Harris slashes.

The Green Party will lower income taxes by increasing the personal tax exemption by $2,000, said O’Donnell of his party platform.

With plans to balance the provincial budget by 2015 if elected, a Green Party government would continue to invest in education and healthcare, he added.

The 2010 elimination of special dietary allowance, which helped people on social assistance pay food costs related to specific medical conditions, and ODSP income clawbacks were also hot topics.

The Liberals will consider special dietary allowance in a new budget, said Naqvi, adding it is being examined in the social assistance review underway led by Munir Sheikh, former Chief Statistician of Canada and Frances Lankin former CEO of United Way Toronto, the first major review of the province’s social assistance programs in two decades.

Rowley warned the Liberal platform calls for more cuts to social programs — two per cent over the next four years, if elected.

“The Liberals are trying to bind our hands with a regressive tax program,” said Naidoo.

“The clawback and the special diet (allowance elimination) are hammering people on ODSP.”

Naqvi agreed with the other candidates that the ODSP clawbacks create a disincentive and need to be re-examined in the review, reminding the audience that it was his party which raised the province’s minimum wage from $6 to $10.25.

All candidates gave assurances that their party would not download tax responsibilities onto the City of Ottawa, a promise Dekker’s party hasn’t made.

“All necessary measures will be taken to keep social assistance public,” said Houle, adding he is working on his thesis on water privatization and it is a “ridiculous” notion for businesses to own water.

The party candidates said they are committed to upload municipal tax loads onto the province to shift entirely into public social assistance service.

“The rates we’re talking about will become a problem for municipalities as we continue to move forward,” said Naqvi.

“I don’t think the solution lies with the private sector. They’ve had years and years to provide a solution. Solution is to get all levels of government back into the (affordable) housing discussion,” said Rowley, emphasizing that 200,000 affordable housing units need to be built in Ontario as a first step.

Ontario has 10,000 families waiting in line to get into affordable housing units as they further spiral into debt, she said.

“Life has become unaffordable under a McGuinty government.”

For the 350 Ottawa-Centre families who moved into their new affordable housing units over the last provincial term, the Liberal track record is not “a drop in the bucket, said Naqvi.

“Poverty costs money. Our campaign slogan is when you help someone with a disability, you’re helping everybody — you’re helping your community, you’re helping your province, you’re helping your country,” said Redins of the Party for People with Special Needs.