Federal debate sparks confrontation

At deadline, no Queens Co. debate had been scheduled.

The MP was attacked on all sides during the otherwise generally well-mannered forum. Liberal candidate Bill Smith put on a feisty performance and at times seemed to ignore the questions to argue earlier points made by the incumbent.

Hosted by the Shelburne Chamber of Commerce, the forum featured four of the five candidates for the riding; Keddy, Smith, Gordon Earle of the NDP and Michael Oddy for the Green Party. Christian Heritage Party candidate Joe Larkin, of Shag Harbour, declined the invitation.

The forum, which saw about 100 people attend, allowed each candidate an opening statement and then switched to questions asked by audience members.

For some in the area it was the first opportunity to see the riding candidates for the federal election.

Not surprisingly, the environment was a divisive subject among the candidates, with each claiming the high ground on the issue.

Oddy came back to the issue several times, speaking in almost apocalyptic terms about the future, noting the fate of the remote Easter Islanders, who built mysterious carvings out of rock but cut down every tree on the island to transport them.

“At some point someone said … ‘that’s the last tree,’” he said. “We’re at that point.”

Earle, who was probably the most congenial of the candidates during the forum, said the NDP would enshrine environment issues into legislation and target greenhouse gas emissions moving back to the Kyoto targets and focusing on making polluters pay.

It was the proposed carbon tax by the Liberal and Green parties that saw the most energized comments expressed.

Keddy stood on the record of the government to set “serious” targets to reduce greenhouse gases and to increase penalties for polluters and suggested that a carbon tax would hurt people already struggling with high gas prices, notably fishermen.

“We have to find a balance,” he said.

It was an irked Liberal candidate who defended the proposed carbon tax, arguing that Keddy had misrepresented the effects of the tax and noting that he would debate the MP one on one on the issue and others “anytime.”

Keddy also angered the Liberal candidate when during a question on transportation he suggested that an announcement on a Highway 103 bypass of Port Mouton would be coming after the election.

Smith noted that by mentioning it now, during an election, the MP was “kind of like announcing it during the election” anyway.

Other questions focused on health care, youth justice, food safety, the U.S. financial crisis, transportation and the fishery; a subject which Keddy admitted his government had not always decided well on but it was an issue he proved to be the most comfortable talking about and the other candidates the least comfortable.

“We may have some conflicts and challenges but we’re a long way from extinction,” said Keddy.