The St. Albert-Sturgeon River election candidates took questions from a crowded banquet hall at St. Albert Inn on the evening of April 2.
Incumbent and Conservative MP Michael Cooper sat with Liberal candidate Lucia Stachurski, Dot Anderson of the NDP, Brigitte Cecelia of the People's Party of Canada (PPC), and Jeff Willerton of the Christian Heritage Party (CHP) ahead of the federal election on April 28.
The two-hour forum saw the five candidates provide an opening statement, then answer written questions from the audience, with the discussion and questions moderated by Jason Leslie, chief operating officer of the Alberta Chamber of Commerce.
Cooper is hoping to be elected MP for the St. Albert area for the fourth term in a row, even as some national polls have his party behind the Liberals following the appointment of new Liberal party leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney.
He presented his committee work he'd done in Ottawa, as well as the legislation he'd introduced — including Brian's Bill and a bill to remove the secrecy rule for jurors — as his case to voters.
"While I've worked hard to hold the government to account, I've also worked across party lines where possible," Cooper said.
Both the candidates from the other right wing parties, Cecelia and Willerton, pointed to this as a problem in their openings.
"How is it even possible that we saw a poll where the Conservatives and now the Liberals are even?" Cecelia said. "It's because there's no difference."
Willerton, who has run for office 12 times in Alberta and Saskatchewan, shared a similar sentiment, and hoped to be the first CHP candidate sent to Ottawa in the party's existence.
"Nothing of significance has been done to address the bloat in our federal government. There's no reason to believe that will change until we elect a legitimately conservative one," Willerton said.
Stachurski has 25 years of previous experience working in the federal government, working with Health Canada and the Department of Finance. She also has experience has a financial management consultant, and said she would use that experience if elected.
"I want St. Albert-Sturgeon River to be well-represented in Mark Carney's new Liberal government, and be part of the team that helps to build a better Canada," Stachurski said.
Anderson described herself as a "fish out of water." Born in the Gift Lake Métis Settlement, she was a marketing major and said she feels the riding isn't well-represented.
"As a resident, I have understood the issues that matter to us generally. But as your MP, I will continuously engage for current views and issues. I will be laser focused on the real job of being a reasonable and effective voice for the riding," Anderson said.
Affordability, tax reform, and housing
While the questions varied in topic, a common thread was how the different parties would address the cost of living and the affordability crisis sweeping Canada.
Throughout the evening, Cooper preached fiscal responsibility as a priority for himself and the Conservative government.
"We would, as a starting point, implement a rule for every dollar in new spending there would have to be a dollar in savings," he said to the audience.
Stachurski countered, stating former prime minister Justin Trudeau had fewer years of deficits than prime minister Stephen Harper did when he was in office. From there, the crowd got unruly, prompting Leslie to remind them to be respectful of candidate's positions.
"Mr. Harper received a balanced budget when he came in, then proceeded to have six years of deficits in a row," Stachurski said. "A Liberal government had to come in and fix that."
The Harper-led government did have six years of straight deficits, from 2008-09 to 2013-14. During his time as prime minister, Trudeau never tabled a balanced budget.
Anderson said the NDP would support efficiency measures to cut costs federally, but they would also "make the ultra-rich and corporations pay their fair share."
Cecelia pointed to corporate subsidies as the issue, and said the PPC would eliminate them all, starting with the CBC, but also added they would lower the corporate income tax rate from 15 per cent to 10 per cent.
"This measure will make about $16 billion available to businesses, allowing them to increase salaries, or they can invest it into productivity improvements," Cecelia said.
Members of the audience were also curious if candidates and their party would commit to tax reform.
Cooper said the Conservative Party would implement a 15 per cent tax cut, while Stachurski said Mark Carney and the Liberals would cut taxes for the middle class.
Anderson said the NDP "will cut taxes for workers and families by raising the basic personal amount to $19,500." She added the NDP would also eliminate GST on essentials like groceries and monthly bills like mobile and internet, and reverse the capital gains tax cut.
Willerton said a CHP government would eliminate income tax entirely, and Cecelia said the PPC created a grid, but apologized to the crowd as she couldn't share their full plan with them as she didn't have her notes with her.
Another question asked how the different candidate's parties would work with other levels of government to address housing affordability. Stachurski pointed to the federal Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), of which St. Albert was recently awarded $11.8 million, as a reason for why the Liberal Party is best equipped to handle the crisis.
"There's now $25 billion in low cost financing for prefab home builders, and $10 billion of low-cost financing for home builders to get the homes built. People need shelter and that's a basic right, and we've got to work towards that," she said.
Cooper said much of this is down to a supply issue, and one of his solutions is to require municipalities to see a 15 per cent annual increase in new homes, and insinuated that the federal government would withhold federal infrastructure dollars if they failed.
Cecelia said she views the issue as stemming from immigration, and that the PPC would put a moratorium on immigration.
Willerton said the CHP would also put a pause on immigration, and reduce red tape that prevents people from building homes.
Anderson said an NDP government would draw on underused federal land to build social and below-market housing to increase supply and reduce rents, and make housing more affordable.
Meeting local priorities
Cooper also spoke about his work with constituents and local organizations, like the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce.
"The Chamber expressed serious concern about the punitive capital gains tax hike. I sponsored a petition that was initiated by the St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce, and tabled it in the House of Commons so that the voices of local businesses could be heard in Parliament," he said.
Willerton said that if he were elected, he would have an open-door policy.
Anderson spoke about the importance of meeting people where they are, especially with the new riding being significantly larger with more rural components than St. Albert-Edmonton was previously.
"It's an exciting time seeing how diverse of a riding we have now," she said. "Yes to open door policies, but absolutely yes to being proactive and me finding stakeholders where they are."
Stachurski said she doesn't feel the riding has been well-represented by Cooper, and that she'd like to "go out to where the people are and listen to what they have to say."
Cecelia spoke about her work in the community, such as at Paris Jewellers, and the pressure faced by local businesses, especially in the wake of the liquidation of the Hudson's Bay Company.
