Seven Highlights from the MCBC Leaders' Debate
This Saturday’s MCBC Leaders’ Debate (full transcript available here), the first of its kind in /r/cmhoc history, was attended by newly acclaimed Liberal leader /u/TheLegitimist (MP Greater Montreal); battle-hardened Socialist leader /u/Ravenguardian (MP Trois-Rivières); Conservative Party member /u/Cameron-Galisky (Ambassador to the US), standing in for their party leader /u/piggbam; and rising newcomer New Democrat leader /u/VendingMachineKing. Libertarian leader /u/finnishdude101 was, regrettably, unable to attend.
For those who missed the two and a half hour long live broadcast and don’t wish to read through the whole transcript, MCBC offers up 10 highlights:
1) Liberals and Socialists each commit to proposing a budget if they form government.
Throughout their term, the present Liberal-led coalition government has been plagued by criticism over their failure to propose a budget. In fact, no /r/cmhoc government has yet put forward a budget (an absolutely essential act for any IRL government).
/u/TheLegitimist (Liberal): “My government would definitely produce a budget! [...] the major changes would be in the tax and defence sections.”
/u/Ravenguardian17 (Socialist): “If the Socialists were to form a government, we'd start on the budget right away. ... expect tax cuts for democratic co-operatives, hiked corporation, savings and [land-value] taxes.”
2) Different approaches to the oil sands and Alberta’s unemployment crisis.
/u/Ravenguardian17 (Socialist): “We will halt expansion on the oil fields and force them to obey new environmental restrictions. [...] People often ignore the economic risks of resource depletion until it's too late, ironically harming the economy they usually wish to protect.”
/u/Cameron-Galisky (Conservative): “[G]iven the circumstances we should be working with the companies to afford them wiggling room to continue operations without buckling. Companies in the oil sands should be given incentives to continue operations here when oil is vastly cheaper elsewhere [...]”
/u/VendingMachineKing (NDP): “Stop expanding the oil sands, and start expanding environmental protections! [...] We’ll reduce our province’s over-dependence on raw bitumen exports and create more jobs with more upgrading and processing here, rather than in Texas.”
/u/TheLegitimist (Liberal): “We will support our oil companies, but not babysit them. We will also look into the expansion of industries in Alberta not related to oil, so that the province's prosperity will no longer depend on the price of oil.”
3) /u/Ravenguardian17 fact-checking other leaders.
A couple of times over the course of the debate, Socialist leader /u/Ravenguardian17 challenged facts and figures mentioned in passing by other leaders.
/u/TheLegitimist (Liberal): “We also question the NDP's reluctance to use nuclear power. Canada is the world's largest producer of uranium, it seems foolish not to use this.”
/u/Ravenguardian17 (Socialist): “I would like to point out a minor mistake that/u/TheLegitimist made, Kazakhstan is the world’s largest producer of uranium, not Canada. Most of our mines have been shut down for awhile as our supply has been dwindling, this itself is more reason to not focus on nuclear energy, even if it has its uses.”
And again later during a back-and-forth between the Socialist leader and the Conservative representative over the Syrian refugee crisis:
/u/Cameron-Galisky (Conservative): “If we want to take them [Syrian refugees] in, we must be assured we have jobs and proper housing to support them. As with over 100,000 refugees being brought in like the Liberals say would add another 1/30th to our population.”
/u/Ravenguardian17 (Socialist): “As for the the claim that 100,000 is 1/30th of Canada's population, I would like to invite /u/Cameron-Galisky to do some simple math. Canada has roughly 35 million people; pop that into your calculator and you get 1/350th. Therefore that claim is completely baseless.”
4) /u/VendingMachineKing’s anti-nuclear tirade, ending with a pun.
Each debater was given the chance to offer a rebuttal a maximum of twice over the course of the evening. The NDP leader chose to spend their first responding to the Liberals’ endorsement of nuclear energy.
/u/VendingMachineKing (NDP): “Nuclear energy is diverting attention and investment from the sustainable energy solutions we need. [...] You had better consider: waste, national security, accidents, cancer, costs, lack of time; before you waste time on this toxic industry. That'd be foolish.”
5) Heated debate over Canada’s response to ISIS.
/u/Ravenguardian17 (Socialist): “Intervention against ISIS may destroy ISIS itself, but will do absolutely nothing but fuel radical Islamism in the Middle East. [...] No bombs will be dropped on any houses, schools or hospitals; because the Socialist Party is committed to peaceful resolutions and keeping bombs out of the equation.”
/u/Cameron-Galisky (Conservative): “In government, the Conservatives will support dispatching advisers to the Iraqi and Syrian opposition groups to increase combat effectiveness and push the Islamic State out. Likewise our aircraft should be above their airspace eliminating threats to restoring order from the Islamic State. Most importantly I believe we should send financial aid to the governments of these areas [...]”
/u/VendingMachineKing (NDP): “Our limited resources can be much more effective in fighting ISIS and its ideology if we avoid sleepwalking into an ever-expanding military conflict and focus on a robust humanitarian mission.”
/u/TheLegitimist (Liberal): “[T]he Liberal party supports the creation of a long-term plan to properly train and equip the armies of allies in the region. Once this has been achieved, a multi-national coalition, similar to the one that fought in the Gulf War, must make a decisive attack against ISIS and defeat them as quickly as possible.”
Two debaters chose to use one of their precious rebuttals on this issue.
/u/Cameron-Galisky (Conservative): “ISIL needs to be defeated. And the government and armed forces of the area need to be reformed to produce proper results for peace. Rather than what the NDP and Socialists propose, of throwing money into the Middle East and hoping ISIL will just disappear.”
/u/VendingMachineKing (NDP): “This is my last rebuttal, and I'll sure as hell like to use it now. [...] Canada's first contribution should be to use every diplomatic, humanitarian, and financial resource at our disposal to respond to the overwhelming human tragedy unfolding on the ground and to strengthen political institutions in both those countries.”
6) Each party’s specific plans for Aboriginal affairs.
Each debater (with the unfortunate exception of Socialist leader, and Aboriginal Affairs Critic, /u/Ravenguardian17, who was called away briefly on a family emergency) indicated their party’s specific plans to address the condition of Aboriginal peoples in Canada.
/u/VendingMachineKing (NDP): “I'm ready to make change happen. It is time for a new era that embraces a true Nation to Nation relationship built on respect and, above all, makes meaningful progress when it comes to bringing about change. To sum it up: implement the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; fix our country’s broken treaty process [...]; improve critical infrastructure in indigenous communities [...]”
/u/TheLegitimist (Liberal): “There is way too much money being irresponsibly thrown at this issue to ‘make it go away’; therefore we believe that a new start is required. [...] not all indigenous communities are alike, which is why [the proposed federal-, provincial-, and municipal-level committees, consisting of Aboriginal and government representatives] would help the governments of all levels properly respond to the needs of each indigenous group.”
/u/Cameron-Galisky (Conservative): “We promise the following: better management of funds being granted to Aboriginal communities to ensure that tribal leaders do not get away with millions whilst their communities languish in near poverty; better consultation of Aboriginals regarding the management of Canadian resources; better job opportunities to Aboriginals for work and employment; better recognition of the mistakes the residential schools made.”
7) Socialists and New Democrats commit to a referendum on the monarchy.
While the Liberal and Conservative debaters declared their support for the Canadian monarchy, the other leaders had this to say:
/u/Ravenguardian17 (Socialist): “The monarchy is an outdated and undemocratic system. For that reason the Socialist Party fully commits to a referendum on the monarchy, and will promise to deliver on it once we get into government.”
/u/VendingMachineKing (NDP): “We promise a referendum on the monarchy following forming government. It wouldn't be the first thing we'd do, in all honestly I believe there are other issues to address. It'd be done though.”
Record Number of Candidates Running in Upcoming Election
A total of 43 candidates are registered so far in the upcoming 4th General Election, a remarkable increase from the 38 candidates who ran in the 3rd GE, especially considering that the Liberals have yet to submit their full party list. (The Liberals are expected to run a full slate of candidates.) The Conservative and New Democratic parties are each running two more candidates than they did last election; while the Libertarian Party, formed by /u/finnishdude101 after their election as a Liberal last term, is running an impressive 7 candidates.
The Socialist Party, widely perceived to be the strongest competition to the reigning Liberals, have submitted a whopping slate of 17 candidates, spread across all six electoral districts.
There is, as yet, no entry from the Green or the Classical Liberal parties.
