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Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte candidates take part in rapid-fire Q&A

Candidates asked for their views on everything from crime to the environment and LGBTQ to mental health
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Editor's note: For the 2019 federal election, BarrieToday teamed up with a journalism student to provide extra coverage on important issues. 

The interviews conducted during this Q-and-A series were done by Emily Britton from Algonquin College in Ottawa. The issues and topics of discussion focused mainly on youth and young adults in Canada and the Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte riding. Some of the answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Conservative candidate Doug Shipley and Liberal candidate Brian Kalliecharan could not be reached for an interview. 

With the rising cost of housing in Ontario, what solutions are you proposing to help homeless youth in your community?

NDP Dan Janssen

The cost of housing in our community has been on the rise, and, for some, housing is completely out of reach.

The NDP will start by enshrining housing as a human right into law and will set a target of eliminating homelessness within a decade. As part of this, 500,000 new affordable housing units will be built nationwide.

I will work with the NDP to ensure that people can find an affordable home for the long term, ensuring that non-profit, social and co-op housing is built right here in our community.

Green Marty Lancaster

The Green Party will enhance the federal government’s contribution to meeting the housing needs of Canadians through direct investments, changes to tax policies, and lending and granting programs, putting the government’s focus where it is urgently needed.

We'll legislate housing as a legally protected fundamental human right for all Canadians and permanent residents.

We'll appoint a minister of housing to strengthen the National Housing Strategy so that it meets the needs for affordable housing that are unique to each province and oversee its implementation in collaboration with provincial ministers. This recognizes that housing is provincial jurisdiction. The target would be 25,000 new and 15,000 rehabilitated units annually for the next 10 years.

Increase the National Housing Co-investment Fund by $750 million for new builds, and the Canada Housing Benefit by $750 million for rent assistance for 125,000 households.

Create a Canada Co-op Housing Strategy that would update the mechanisms for financing co-op housing, in partnership with CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation), co-op societies, credit unions and other lenders.

Eliminate the first-time home buyer grant which will raise the cost of homes for first-time buyers.

People's Party David Patterson

Although the direct provision of social services is a provincial and municipal responsibility, the federal government can play a co-ordinating role to ensure that consistent services are provided to homeless people across the country.

Mental health, and drug and alcohol addiction, remain serious problems among our homeless population in Barrie. Health-care outreach is particularly needed. The most fundamental need is clean and safe housing and care homes.

With rising grocery costs, what will you do to ensure consistent, easy access to healthy meals for youth?

People's Party David Patterson

A healthy diet is a concern for all Canadians. Our standard diet is not healthy, and we do not do enough to address common mental-health issues such as anxiety and depression which can respond positively to exercise and improved diet.

This is something that we need to work on in co-operation with all levels of government and with direct involvement and participation by our communities to ensure that healthy options are more available in our restaurants and grocery stores.

NDP Dan Janssen

It was recently reported that food bank visits were on the rise in our community.

The NDP will ensure that access to healthy, affordable food is at the heart of our Canadian food strategy and we will work with farmers to increase the amount of local Canadian food that is available is sold, made and consumed locally.

For school-aged youth, we will create a national school nutrition program to make sure that no child has to sit through class hungry.

Our head-to-toe health-care plan — that will cover the cost of prescriptions and dental work, as well as eventually vision care and mental health care — will save families and youth hundreds of dollars a year. This will help ensure that no one will need to choose between filling a prescription or buying groceries.

Green Marty Lancaster

Protect supply management systems while allowing production for local markets outside this system. Create resilient local food systems that can provide good local organic food at reasonable prices.

What do you intend to do to help youth in your community get access to jobs?

Green Marty Lancaster

We have a budget line of an additional $1 billion to fund the community and Environment youth services Corps.

This is a plan to get youth their first job.

NDP Dan Janssen

We have an opportunity to attract new jobs in the green economy or on home retrofits to our community while addressing the climate crisis.

The NDP will create a Workers Development Fund that will put in place employment supports by offering new opportunities for training and job placement.

This includes support for marginalized workers and for people that want to improve their literacy and essential skills.

Our party will also ban unpaid internships, a practice that exposes young workers to abuse.

People's Party David Patterson

A People’s Party government will stimulate creation of jobs by reducing the corporate tax rate and by phasing out the capital gains tax. These measures will create jobs for all Canadians while boosting productivity which will lower consumer prices.

Many of Ontario’s youth are struggling with mental health. What can you do to include to better support mental health and substance abuse issues in your community?

Green Marty Lancaster

Address the opioid crisis as a health-care issue, not a criminal issue, by declaring a national health emergency.

Recognize that fentanyl contamination is why deaths are more accurately described as poisonings than overdoses.

Drug possession should be decriminalized, ensuring people have access to a screened supply and the medical support they need to combat their addictions.

Increase funding to community-based organizations to test drugs and make Naloxone kits widely available to treat overdoses.

Establish a national mental-health strategy and a suicide prevention strategy to address the growing anxieties plaguing Canadians regarding inequality and affordability, the growing precariousness of work and housing, the climate crisis, social isolation, resurgent racial and ethno-nationalism and other harms and risks.

People's Party David Patterson

We need community-based responses to mental health and substance abuse.

An emergency response to the opioid crisis is needed where we would have to consider options for safe controlled distribution of drugs to reduce demand and reduce harm.

NDP Dan Janssen

Access to mental-health and addiction services has been a concern from many people while I have been out campaigning over the last few months.

There is a lot of pressure for young people these days that can take a toll on your mental health, and access to counselling and support is what people struggling with additions deserve. I’m proud that the NDP’s plan is a head-to-toe health-care approach, adding universal pharmacare, dental and vision care, and access to mental health and addition services to our universal health-care system.

According to Statistics Canada, violent crime has been on the rise both in Ontario and Canada-wide since 2015. What are some strategies and programs you can propose to make students feel safer on campus and in their communities?

People's Party David Patterson

We need more effective law-enforcement strategies that focus on gangs and organized crime.

NDP Dan Janssen

People of all ages deserve to feel safe and secure in their community.

The NDP believes this is about ensuring that everyone matters, that we address the root causes that lead to crime, and that we have a justice system that treats everyone fairly.

By promoting social inclusion and making public health, access to education, food security, and affordable housing a priority, we can offer Canadians the strong public services they need and also reduce crime and poverty.

What will you do to support youth in the LGBT+ community in your area?

NDP Dan Janssen

Although I am happy to see that we are moving towards a more inclusive society here in our community with initiatives like the Rainbow Crosswalk at Meridian Square, there is much more work that needs to be done.

I will work with the NDP to end discrimination against the LGBTQI2S+ community by ending the ban on blood donation.

Our party will ban conversation therapy and we will ensure that access to gender confirming procedures and medication is available and covered by public health plans.

I will always be open to hearing from members of the LGBTQI2S+ community and working with them to create a more inclusive community here and across the country.

People's Party David Patterson

The People’s Party is founded on principles of individual freedom, fairness and respect.

Members of the LGBT community have full and equal rights and freedoms with all Canadians, and we will work to ensure those rights are respected and protected.

Green Marty Lancaster

A Green government will:

- Repeal all federal laws and policies that are discriminatory on the grounds of sexuality, including Section 159 of the Criminal Code, and that refer to intersex reality as a defect, aberration, or by any other derogatory terms.

- Establish a funding program within Health Canada to support community-based organizations offering targeted LGBTQI2+ youth’s mental health and well-being programs, including suicide prevention, peer support, coming out, and counselling.

- Fund community-driven education and awareness programs that lead to a greater understanding of intersex realities and the diversity of sexualities and gender identities, and referral programs to direct for trans*, non-binary and Two Spirit people to appropriate services.

- End the discriminatory blood ban.

- Ban and condemn the practice of medically unnecessary surgeries on intersex children.

- Ban and condemn the practice of conversion therapy, in all its forms.

- Ensure access to comprehensive sexual health care and gender affirming health care, including hormone treatments and blockers, and gender confirmation surgeries.

Youth, like all Ontarians, care about the environment. In your community what do you intend to do to support your local ecosystem?

Green Marty Lancaster

I will personally work to increase the strongly protected forests and wetlands in the watersheds of my riding.

NDP Dan Janssen

As an activist, I understand what it is like to speak up for the voiceless. I can say that will personally advocate for the citizen groups out there fighting to raise awareness and working to address environmental issues in the community. They are the leaders in their fight to protect or environment and they deserve respect and our gratitude.

We are very fortunate to live in a riding that has so many important resources like Lake Simcoe, the Minesing Wetlands and the Simcoe County Forests.

We also have the Alliston Aquifer within our riding which produces water that has been recognized as some of the most pristine in the world. This water flows from the Elmvale flow on County Road 27.

The NDP’s National Freshwater Strategy will move to protect 30 per cent of our lakes, rivers and aquifers, and we will create an Environmental Bill of Rights that would enshrine into law every Canadian’s right to a healthy environment.

I will also be a strong voice in the fight against climate change, working with the NDP to eliminate fossil-fuel subsidies and transition to a green economy while addressing systemic issues in our society like racism and inequality.

People's Party David Patterson

Our policy on the environment is focused on clean air, water and soil.

We will work to reduce the levels of pollution going into Lake Simcoe and protect the surrounding watershed.

We will work to restore our natural areas to promote and protect wildlife.

And we will work to create an environment which protects the life and health of our residents.

The federal election is Oct. 21. More local coverage is available here.