On Wednesday, Sept. 8 The Discourse hosted a candidates’ forum in which three major party candidates for the Cowichan-Malahat-Langford riding gathered virtually to answer some of your questions.
The questions came from an election survey that was released by The Discourse and circulated on social media and in our newsletters. The Discourse analyzed survey responses to determine the top issues.
Jacqueline Ronson, lead reporter and editor for The Discourse Cowichan, hosted the hour-long discussion. The issues included climate change, affordable housing and reconciliation. See the full video and a list of questions, with timestamps, at the bottom of this article.
Related story: Election 2021: A guide for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford voters
Green Party candidate Lia Versaevel, NDP candidate Alistair MacGregor and Liberal Party candidate Blair Herbert joined the conversation. Conservative candidate Alana DeLong was also invited to the forum but declined the invitation, citing a prior commitment. Mark Hecht, the People’s Party of Canada candidate, is also running in this riding. However, due to time constraints, The Discourse chose to give space to candidates from parties that received a significant proportion of the vote locally in the 2019 election.
- 00:00 to 05:25: Introductions and procedures
- 05:26 to 13:07: Opening statements
- 13:08 to 18:55: How will you and any government you are part of urgently scale up climate action consistent with the climate science that now says we must halve our emissions this decade, including immediately stopping fossil fuel subsidies and expansion, and get to zero long before 2050?
- 18:56 to 27:48: How will you take climate action equitably so that ordinary people, and especially those most vulnerable, aren’t left behind?
- 27:49 to 36:38: If your party formed government, how would it address housing affordability? Does your party support protections for alternative lifestyles, for example: tiny homes, living aboard boats, living in RVs?
- 36:39 to 42:20: When it comes to reconciliation, what is your specific track record on working with local First Nations, and what are your priorities going forward?
- 42:25 to 49:58: If you could accomplish one thing on behalf of Cowichan-Malahat-Langford residents, what would it be?
- 50:00 to 57:29: Closing remarks [end]
