91原创

Four candidates for 91原创-Aldergrove in the federal election avoided personal attacks while talking up their own party鈥檚 platforms on housing, the environment, and the economy in a Monday night all candidates meeting.

Moderator Frank Bucholtz tossed more than a dozen questions at NDP candidate Michael Chang, Green Kaija Farstad, Liberal Kim Richter, and Conservative Tako Van Popta, in the event organized by the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board and the Greater 91原创 Chamber of Commerce.

Richter emphasized her long record as a 91原创 Township councillor, and said the Conservatives, who have held 91原创鈥檚 federal seats going back decades, aren鈥檛 standing up for 91原创.

鈥淭hey take 91原创 for granted,鈥� Richter said. 鈥淭his needs to change.鈥�

Van Popta, who has been MP since the 2019 election, said he has advocated for local small businesses and emphasized his support for the SkyTrain extension to 91原创, saying if elected his job will be to ensure that promise is kept by whatever government takes power. He also spoke of housing affordability issues.

鈥淲ithout good transportation and housing, Canada鈥檚 growth will continue to stall,鈥� Van Popta said.

鈥淚 believe we need to focus on creating well paid jobs as well as supporting local small business in 91原创 and Aldergrove as we recover from the pandemic,鈥� Chang said. He emphasized as well that the NDP鈥檚 platform is focused on accessible health care, reconciliation with Indigenous Canadians and recognizing discrimination against minorities, disabled Canadians, and LGBTQ citizens.

Farstad noted that she quit the NDP when the provincial government approved the continuation of work on the Site C Dam in Northern B.C., and along with the environment, said governments should focus on collaboration more.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no point in having a party that represents maybe 40 per cent of the voters make 100 per cent of the decisions,鈥� she said.

READ ALSO: Candidates confirmed in 91原创-area federal ridings

All the candidates supported vaccinations, though they had slightly different ideas on vaccine passports.

鈥淲e think vaccines are a safe and effective tool against COVID-19,鈥� said Van Popta, and noted the Tories are pledged to get the vaccinated rate to 90 per cent. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really tempting, really tempting to step into the fray on this, but it鈥檚 a provincial matter,鈥� he said of passports.

Where the federal government has jurisdiction, he said the Conservatives support proof of vaccination, or a negative test or rapid test before getting on a train, bus, or plane for international travel.

鈥淵es, we support the vaccine passport,鈥� Chang said. He added that the NDP wants the federal government to pursue a national standard passport, instead of the various cards and passports being created by each province separately.

鈥淵es, we support vaccination and we support a vaccine passport,鈥� Richter said, noting the federal requirement announced recently to requir travellers on interprovincial planes, trains, and on all cruise ships to be vaccinated.

鈥淰accine passports used to be normal, its only been a few decades that we haven鈥檛 had them,鈥� said the Green鈥檚 Farstad.

The candidates were asked several times about housing-related issues, mostly related to the high cost of homes and rent and how they would help solve those issues.

While approvals take place at the municipal level, that doesn鈥檛 guarntee construction happens, Richter noted.

鈥淲e have approved thousands of new units in 91原创, but they鈥檙e not being built,鈥� she said.

She mentioned the Liberal pledge to build 1.4 million homes by 2026 several times, a rent to own program, and a national home buyers bill of rights in her party鈥檚 platform.

Chang spoke of his son and daughter, both in their twenties, and said when he hears how much they have to pay for rent, he feels like it鈥檚 impossible.

鈥淚t all begins with building,鈥� Chang said.

He said the NDP would waive the GST on the construction of new affordable units so they can be delivered faster and made more affordable.

Both the Liberals and the Conservatives have plans to ban foreign buyers from the housing market for at least the near future, something Van Popta mentioned in one of his answers on housing.

鈥淪o we鈥檙e going to say Canadian homes for Canadian people,鈥� he said.

He also noted the Conservatives would create incentives for people to invest capital gains in new purpose-built rental housing.

On a question about Canada鈥檚 difficult relationship with China given its ongoing detention of two Canadian citizens, Farstad said she wasn鈥檛 sure whether Canada could do much, given China鈥檚 size and clout, and 鈥済iven our human rights abuses are just as bad as theirs.鈥�

鈥淲e want a fairer tax system,鈥� Chang said on a question about tax reform, saying that corporations need to pay their fair share, loopholes needed to be eliminated, and that more needed to be done to catch tax evaders and avoiders, while supporting small businesses.

Richter brought a personal note to her mention of the Liberals鈥� plan for $10 a day childcare.

鈥淲hen my children were young, my entire salary went to pay for their day care,鈥� she said.

Speaking about jurisdictional issues around approving more housing, Van Popta noted he鈥檚 already worked with the Mayors鈥� Council for TransLink.

鈥淚 have a sense that we can work together,鈥� he said.