Thread by @akurjata

Prince George Chamber hosting two riding debates tonight over Zoom. Up first is Prince George-Peace River- Northern Rockies. Liberal, Green, PPC, Conservative, NDP and Maverick parties taking part. Link here: business.pgchamber.bc.ca/events/details…

Q. Should we be in an election? Everyone but Liberal says no. Conservatives try to claim NDP were working with Liberals too much, NDP says Conservatives and Liberals are same

Q. Should we have vaccine mandates? NDP Cory Longly starts by calling out PPC candidate Ryan Dyck for being at a protest in Fort St John today. Liberal candidate says yes, a soft mandate needed. PPC Ryan Dyck says he is encouraging people to protest but not at hospitals and…

… that he will continue to push people to protest against vaccine. Maverick party Dave Jeffers says he is vaccinated and everyone should be, but says it should be a choice and more needs to be done to educate, not forced.

Both the Green Party candidate Catherine Kendall and Conservative Party candidate Bob Zimmer just read prepared party statements. The same ones they read at the last debate I was at. Basically not taking a position. Greens lean on need to be scientifically literate, CPC on choice

Question on right of unions to strike.
CPC: Yes
PPC says he used to think protesting was pointless but has changed his mind now that he is protesting vaccine mandates.

GRN + Maverick - yes.
NDP - yes, and Liberals and Conservatives have both legislated workers back to the job

What will you do about climate change:
CPC climate change is real and we need to get LNG to market
NDP: World is on fire, we will fight that
GRN: Transition oil and gas to clean economy

Maverick: Rescind tanker ban and build pipelines for LNG
PPC: We are pro pipeline and don’t believe in “climate alarmism”
Liberal: Lytton burned down. It’s time for alarmism. (Former BC Green leader) Andrew Weaver endorsed us, we have the best plan

Q on Afghanistan:
NDP: Liberals failed
CPC: One of my great pleasures on this job is helping refugees. We will not recognize the Taliban. Trudeau failed
GRN: Revised mission mandate aimed at peace building (sounds like written response)

Maverick: Canada should be safe haven for “real refugees”. Our allies have been abandoned, not acceptable.
PPC: I agree with the Maverick Party. Can’t imagine the trauma
LPC: As a Middle Easterner I’ve seen the trauma of this misguided war. We should never recognize the Taliban

Q: Childcare
GRN - as mother of six, know importance of childcare. Must expand
CPC - we will give money to parents instead of daycares
NDP - Conservative plan makes no sense, it won’t create childcare spots. Liberals failed to implement

Childcare cont’d:
Maverick: Childcare is important
PPC: NDP will tax inheritances to pay for childcare, that’s not fair
Liberals: $10 childcare, read our platform

PPC and NDP continue to trade barbs on taxation into next question on pharmacare. PPC saying NDP is going to tax people too much, NDP says if you aren’t making $10M annually you’re fine

Everyone agrees mental health and violence against women is an issue. PPC & Maverick blame COVID restrictions. CPC will transfer for more money to provinces. NDP, GRN, LPC will expand access to care.

Housing: Liberals, Conservative, NDP and Green all repeat their party platforms. NDP throws in a shot at the Liberal candidate who was flipping houses for profit.

cbc.ca/news/politics/…

Maverick says we need to distribute immigration country-wide to prevent skyrocketing prices in main cities, and PPC says they're housing plan is restrict immigration and modify Bank of Canada, and dismantle CMHC

That's that. Cariboo Prince George is up next at 8:10. Link here business.pgchamber.bc.ca/events/details…