Pubdate: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 Source: Annex Guardian (CN ON) Copyright: 2006 Metroland Printing, Publishing and Distributing Contact: http://www.insidetoronto.ca/to/annex/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2316 Author: Carrie Brunet Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) CANDIDATES SPAR IN LOCAL RIDING A sign of changing times, issues like gay marriage and even the legalization of marijuana were barely debated at Tuesday night's all-candidates' debate for Trinity Spadina. The debate was truly an "all-candidates" forum with seven candidates representing the Liberal, NDP, Conservative, Green, Progressive Canadian, Marxist-Lennist and Canadian Action parties taking the stage at the Al Green Theatre in the Miles Nadal JCC. All but one candidate, the Conservative representative, Sam Goldstein, thought marijuana should be legalized - Goldstein equated the drug with gun violence. And gay rights and civil marriage seemed to be a consensus accepted by all. Moderated by local activist and member of the Harbord Village Residents' Association Gus Sinclair, candidates were grilled by local groups and residents alike. Liberal incumbent Tony Ianno stood by his record even though his NDP and Conservative opponents threw jabs at the Liberal record whenever possible. "Enough is enough," said Olivia Chow, the NDP candidate for the riding, of what she called "empty Liberal promises." Meanwhile, Goldstein said that the Conservative Party "says what it means", "believes in tax cuts," and "believes children should be raised by their family, not the government." The Conservative plan would give parents a $1,200 tax rebate for children under school age, regardless of who cares for them. "We are allowing people to stay at home," said Goldstein. Goldstein's comment about national childcare drew the ire of the crowd. Ianno reminded the panel that the Liberals have brought forward the first national childcare program, but Chow added that the plan only came forward when the Liberals were working with the NDP in a minority government. Childcare was a hotly debated issue, with nearly all parties agreeing that supporting a national program was important. Newcomer Green candidate Thom Chapman got a few laughs from the audience when he suggested a "collaborative" scenario of several families who got together to hire one nanny, calling it "child-share". "There are ways that communities can work together," he said. "We do need adequate funding." Marxist-Lennist representative Nick Lin said that "society has a responsibility to look after its most vulnerable" and that with proper budgeting a national childcare program is feasible. However, John Riddell said the issue should be handled locally. "We would try to work directly with the communities," he said. "You know what the problems are." When the Island Airport and the Port Authority issue was raised, some candidates, like Green Party member Thom Chapman felt the topic had been debated sufficiently already. However Progressive Canadian candidate Asif Hossain took a different stand. "I don't know how any politician can be sitting on this stage talking so flippantly about turning the airport into a park when their are jobs at stake," said Hossain. Ianno said that closing the airport was not on his agenda, especially since it's used for critically injured or ill patients being flown in to Toronto by plane. Gun violence in Toronto was another topic of debate that evening. While some felt that stiffer penalties were the solution, others wanted to see changes in social policies. "It's not just a one fix that will solve the problem," said Ianno, reminding people of the Liberal plan to ban handguns. However Goldstein noted that the Liberal plan allowed provinces to "opt-out" of the ban. Later on, he added that legally registered guns are not the problem. "People who go through the process of registering guns and paying the fees don't commit crimes," said Goldstein. Hossain said that stiffer penalties aren't always the solution, and added that his party was equally interested in the rehabilitation aspect for offenders. Chow, on the other hand, said that a "stronger witness protection program" was necessary so "people feel safe blowing the whistle." - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom