With more than 20 questions asked and answered, a broad range of topics were covered at a Tuesday night all-candidates meeting for the 91原创 riding.
The meeting was held at the Kwantlen Polytechnic University鈥檚 91原创 campus and saw the candidates given just 30 seconds to answer on each topic.
The candidates are Gail Chaddock-Costello for the NDP, Justin Greenwood for the BC Conservatives, Robert Pobran for the Libertarian Party, Mary Polak for the BC Liberals, and Elizabeth Walker for the Green Party.
The candidates sometimes agreed, but diverged on a number of issues over the course of the evening.
鈥� On whether the Medical Services Plan (MSP) premiums should be eliminated:
鈥淲e see it as a regressive tax,鈥� said Chaddock-Costello, who repeated the NDP promise to fully eliminate it over four years.
鈥淚 do believe they should be eliminated,鈥� said Polak, but she said they could be reduced as the province can afford to.
Greenwood slammed the Liberals for doubling MSP a few years ago only to brag about lowering it now.
鈥� On $10 a day childcare:
鈥淚 do not believe $10 a day childcare is affordable, but more important I do not believe government should take over childcare,鈥� said Polak. She said the government should subsidize childcare for low income people.
鈥� On how to increase health care in rapidly-growing 91原创:
鈥淲e鈥檙e well aware of the pressure on emergency systems,鈥� said Chaddock-Costello. She said 91原创 would get an acute care centre to help take pressure off hospitals.
鈥淥ur party stands for the private delivery of health care,鈥� said Greenwood.
Polak touted recently announced plans to expand 91原创 Memorial Hospital鈥檚 emergency room as well as past expansions.
For the Greens, Walker mentioned her party鈥檚 plan to pump $600 million into the health care system, and contrasted it with the billions planned for the Site C Dam.
鈥� Asked if they support or oppose the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion through B.C.:
鈥淭he benefits to B.C. are not worth the risks,鈥� said Walker.
Chaddock-Costello is also opposed. 鈥淲e think there are other ways to improve the economy,鈥� she said.
Polak talked about the various provincial and federal conditions and the investment in safety and spill response, but did not directly say yes or no.
Only Greenwood was unequivocally in favour.
鈥� There were a variety of responses to a question about a $15 minimum wage:
Chaddock-Costello said the minimum needed to be raised, over time so as not to disrupt the economy.
鈥淏ecause people cannot actually live on the current minimum wage,鈥� she said.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe that a jump to a $15 minimum wage is affordable to them [small businesses],鈥� she said.
Walker touted the Green plan for a Fair Wages Commission to set standards, while Greenwood was opposed.
鈥淲e鈥檇 rather see the return to silver and gold backed currency,鈥� said Pobran.
鈥� On $1 tolls for all bridges to replace the current tolls on the Port Mann and Golden Ears Bridges:
鈥淟owering tolls has to be affordable,鈥� said Polak, adding that any change to tolls suggested by the Trans Link Mayors鈥� Council would have to go to a referendum. She mentioned the Liberal plan to cap the amount drivers pay on bridge tolls.
鈥淲e are not in favour of a referendum, an election is a referendum,鈥� said Chaddock-Costello, adding that the NDP plans to eliminate the tolls.
Walker said the tolls were unfair for local commuters and merely forced congestion to the Patullo Bridge.
