Highlights and lowlights

Sep 26, 2007

Overall, Monday evening’s all-candidates’ forum in Powassan displayed that the three candidates who showed up to the meeting have passion for politics and the issues.

Liberal incumbent Monique Smith, Progressive Conservative Bill Vrebosch and New Democrat Henri Giroux each were convincing when it came to slugging it out over their platforms and expressing their commitment to the riding.

While each candidate had their point-scoring moments, they also had times when they could have raised themselves beyond party lines and providing some candid responses.

Let’s start with Smith. She let Vrebosch win the first round over the issue of electoral change and the Oct. 10 referendum.

When Vrebosch was asked what he thought about changing to a mixed member proportional system, he let there be no doubt. It will be the “worst thing that ever happened to Northern Ontario,” he declared, receiving one of the loudest rounds of applause during the evening.

Giroux suggested the new system could work miracles and end “bickering” in the legislature, and in a weak-kneed moment, Smith copped out by saying she is “not taking a position on this either way.”

But Smith struck back on the issue of funding for religious schools. She had done her homework, and pin-pointed the flip-flopping, wishy-washy ways of Vrebosch on the issue. The PC candidate, in turn, read from a lame, prepared script. He told the audience the faith-based school funding issue is the “most misunderstood” question of the campaign. He then proceeded to show exactly why that is, by reading the party-prepared rhetoric that left people wondering if he had checked his backbone at the door.

Giroux struck his own chord with the audience when he told them the NDP would raise the minimum wage to $10 immediately and chastised Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty for taking a $40,000 pay hike last year.

“I don’t even make $40,000 a year,” exclaimed Giroux, garnering a long, loud clapping session.

He lost ground, however, by chanting one mantra — the NDP will fix the education funding formula. He should check his party’s track record on school funding from the early 1990s before pleading his case with such conviction.

On a final, overriding critical note, seeing as this forum was in Almaguin, there could have been more focus on our region. There was plenty of talk of North Bay and the pressing issues there. While it was appreciated that these candidates showed up to the Highlands, it’s disappointing they didn’t bring more Highlands to the forum.