Skip to content

Bear Creek students take Barrie-Innisfil candidates to school at debate

Topics at Bear Creek debate include climate change, political squabbling and abortion

High school students who are passionate about politics posed some pointed questions to Barrie-Innisfil's federal candidates Thursday at Bear Creek Secondary School. 

All five candidates were in attendance at the south-end school for the morning debate, including John Brassard (Conservative), Bonnie North (Green), Pekka Reinio (NDP), Stephanie Robinson (People's Party) and Lisa-Marie Wilson (Liberal). Each made an opening statement before taking questions from students.

The open-mic format made for interesting candidate and student interaction, as around a dozen students asked about topics of all backgrounds.

Grade 11 student Ingrid Henning, 16, took the podium first and directed her question to Brassard.  

“Do you actually care about the future of everybody in this room enough to take direct action on climate emergency?" Henning asked.  

Brassard said his government is ready to fight climate change.

“I have four children, aged 15 to 26, and I am concerned about their future as well,” he said. “All of us in this room can agree that climate change is very real and our policies focus on the creation of technology, not taxes.”

Reinio chimed in, noting he wasn’t happy with the incumbent MP’s response and called out Brassard’s fellow conservative, Ontario Premier Doug Ford. 

“I take exception to that, Mr. Brassard,” said Reinio. “Your pal, Doug Ford, is spending $30 million to fight climate initiatives.”

Further questioning asked where the candidates where they stand on envionmental issues and how their parties would deal with climage change.  

“The Liberals have recognized the issue of pollution and are investing in green energy and education on it,” said Wilson. “We are focusing on bringing more awareness to climate change and it is opportunities like this that allow us to do that.”

North made it clear where her party has stood on the issue from Day 1 of its existence.

“If you don’t know that the Green Party has been out there for decades trying to teach people about these issues, you haven’t been awake,” she said. “Education is important, but I think people are aware now and now it is time to push forward and actually do something.”

To the boos of many students, Robinson denied there was a climate emergency and that it was just the way the world was.  

“The People’s Party does not believe there is a climate emergency,” said Robinson. “I can recall experts who have said that people are being frightened into believing there is an emergency.

“Yes, we have climate change," she added. "Our climate is always changing, because our Earth moves in cycles. I can tell you when I was a child, it was so hot that sometimes people would actually cooking on the sidewalk, putting a pan out there and cooking on the sidewalk.”

Student Megan Ledbury-Swales was covering the debate for the yearbook team, but questioned Brassard and Wilson in particular.

“My question is to the Conservative and Liberal candidates,” said Ledbury-Swales. “Why are your two parties focusing on childish behaviour, like advertising why you shouldn’t vote for the other party, instead of being grown-ups and actually saying why people should vote for you and what you’ll do?” 

After the more than 150 students stopped clapping, Wilson said she wants young people to look past what they may see on TV. 

“I have often talked about actually encouraging young people to be informed about making decisions, because there is a lot of sound-bite stuff in the media and online,” she said. “The youth and voters should research, do their homework and look past the quick clips they’re hearing and seeing.” 

Brassard agreed with his Liberal counterpart, though also said he knows that mud-slinging still exists. 

“Locally, we’re worried about only running a very positive campaign, speaking to people like you today about the issues that are important,” he said. “(Wilson) is right; often what people see and hear are these quick sound bites in a newscast, or a gotcha moment. But you’re correct, unfortunately, there is that element that does sometimes exist, from both sides.”

North said the Greens were taking the high road in this election campaign, following her party’s leader, Elizabeth May.

“She is one of the most trusted parliamentarians, because she doesn’t engage in this kind of nonsense,” said North. “When we talk about collaborating with parties, it is really hard to see how we can when all it feels like that is being out there is attacking each other.”

The topic of abortion also came up.  

“Our party has been outspoken on this issue," Reinio said. "We will never bring up abortion, as women have the right to choose and we will support that indefinitely."

Wilson said: “We will never go back on the fact that women have the right to choose and always will.”

North added: “Every single woman has the right to her own reproductive health choices and the government has no business telling them different,” to an eruption of cheers from the room. 

Brassard told the students that his government has no intention on reopening the debate and that “(I) certainly am pro-choice myself and it is very important in a demcracy that we have that not everybody shares those views.

"Even if they don’t agree with our position on this, or any other issue, our leader (Andrew Scheer) has stated he has no intent on bringing that issue up," Brassard added. 

Robinson said she wants women seeking an abortion to have more resources and information available to them.

“A woman must have the right to choose for herself,” she said. “I do believe, though, that there needs to be more information for young women on what they are doing.”

Voting day for the federal election is Monday, Oct. 21.