Kitchener-Conestoga candidates discuss farmland, housing and support for Palestine
4 candidates vie for seat in riding
There are four candidates running in Kitchener-Conestoga in this federal election.
The candidates are (in alphabetical order by last name):
- Maya Bozorgzad, New Democratic Party.
- Kevin Dupuis, People's Party of Canada.
- Tim Louis, Liberal Party of Canada (incumbent).
- Doug Treleaven, Conservative Party of Canada.
There is no Green candidate in this riding.
CBC K-W invited the candidates from the four major parties to take part in a panel discussion on The Morning Edition with host Craig Norris.
The topics covered included farmland, housing and candidate support for Palestine.
Bozorgzad of the NDP introduced herself as a lawyer and small business owner who lives in Wilmot with her fiance.
"We are working hard trying to build a life here but rising costs are making it increasingly challenging," she said, adding she's running in this election "because I think we need solutions to the issues that we face in Kitchener-Conestoga that are focused on people, not profits for an elite few."
Dupuis also ran for the People's Party in 2021 in this riding. His website says he has spent more than 30 years in the IT sector, working with various platforms for accounting software, barcode systems, manufacturing and knowledge management. He lives in West Montrose.
Louis, who is the Liberal incumbent, has held the seat since 2019. He lives in the Forest Heights neighbourhood of Kitchener and said during his time in office, he has advocated for funding for the area.
"I've sat at your kitchen tables, walked through farmers' fields, listened in places of worship and worked alongside volunteers in our community. And I've celebrated with you on our good times and our shining moments, and stood by you in tough times," he said.
"I've worked across party lines to get things done because that's what Canadians expect. And I don't shy away from tough conversations. I show up listening, understanding and working together is how we built a better future."
Treleaven's website notes he grew up in Fergus, moved to St. Jacobs in 2009 and founded the fraud prevention software company ThinkLP. He is also a member of Wilfrid Laurier University's board of governors.
LISTEN | Federal election candidates from Kitchener-Conestoga take part in panel discussion about top issues:
On farmland
One of the big issues in Kitchener-Conestoga is the current plan by the Region of Waterloo to purchase farmland for future industrial purposes.
The region says it needs the land to grow its economy. Critics say Canada is losing farmland at too high a rate to allow projects like this.
When asked what the role of the federal government is in a project like this, Louis said farmland is disappearing "at an alarming rate" and he has been working on legislation called the Canada Farmland Protection Act which would act as a blueprint to create a national framework to protect farmland.
"Farmland is a non-renewable resource. So once it's gone, it's gone and you can't get that back. So our farmers are the ones feeding cities. So we need to conserve our farmland," he said.
"We need to harmonize conservation practices and we need to create conservation incentives. The legislation I'm proposing will help farmers pass their land on to the next generation or put land in trust."
Bozorgzad said this is an important issue that's "near and dear to my heart" because it's happening in her community.
"We all know that food is at the core of our homes, of our communities and our economy. And the future of Canada depends on protecting the people that grow that food," she said.
"I plan to stand up for farming families here in Kitchener Conestoga. That means showing up and amplifying their voices when their property rights are being threatened, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them and making sure that these rights are protected to the best of our abilities."
She said she would also push for policies to help farmers sell to new markets and invest in infrastructure that would allow them to scale up.
WATCH | Land expropriation is a top concern for Kitchener-Conestoga voters. Here's where federal candidates stand on the issue:
On Palestine
The ongoing war in Gaza continues to affect people in Waterloo region and in the riding of Kitchener-Conestoga.
Both Bozorgzad and Louis are listed as having signed onto the Palestine Platform, which is calling for a focus on Palestine and an arms embargo to be a key election issue.
The candidates were asked why they think a local candidate needs to speak out on this issue and what supporting this platform means to them.
Bozorgzad said "what is occurring in Gaza is a genocide. There's no debate about that." She said she knows people in Kitchener-Conestoga understand this is an important issue.
"They understand completely what's happening systematically to the Palestinian people. But not only that, but they and I were infuriated because within Waterloo region we play a particularly dark role in that. We have manufacturers here that have provided arms and parts to Israel," she said.
"It's obvious that we're on the wrong side of history."
Louis said "we need to call out injustices as they happen."
He said he was approached at a public meeting about the issue and then he sat down with a number of groups to talk about the conflict, "all people who just want peace in the region."
He told them as a local MP, "I can't stop a war that's happening halfway across the globe. And they said, we don't expect you to. We expect you to speak up."
"That moment hit me, that hit me hard. And that was the moment that was many months ago that I decided that is my responsibility," Louis said.
"I did vote in favour of a motion recognizing the Palestinian state. I personally support the Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution. I do support a two-way arms embargo of Canadian weapons exports and we need to fund more human rights and relief for two million civilians, which are mostly women and children."
He said the federal government also can help address Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in Canada.
On housing
Affordable housing continues to be a top issue for many voters in this election. In particular, it's becoming more expensive to own a home in rural areas like Elmira, New Hamburg and Wellesley.
In order to make owning a home more affordable, Louis said the riding faces "some extra challenges because we're both urban and rural."
"So in our small communities and in our city of Kitchener, the challenges are the same, but the solutions are slightly different. In Kitchener, we're talking about building density and we're building density near public transit," he said.
"In our townships spaces the land is not the issue. It becomes infrastructure. When I sit down with the mayors, the CEOs, what they need is, they need supports for sewers, roads, bridges, the secondary supports for parks. That's the funding that they're looking for."
Louis said there also needs to be more work done to lower rents for students and create homes for seniors who want to downsize but stay in their community. He says Liberal funding plans will help to do that.
Bozorgzad said it's an issue she's hearing as she knocks on doors.
"Everybody is really concerned about home prices going up, but also rent going up as well. The rents have doubled in our communities in recent years," she said.
"The problem is that the housing market has been treated like a playground for speculators and corporate landlords and it's driving prices up and it's pushing people out of the communities that they love. We have unfair practices like rent evictions, unjust rent hikes, and we also have governments that have failed to build enough affordable housing, which has worsened our supply."
She said the NDP plan would "prioritize Canadian interests over that of foreign investors, of speculators, of corporate landlords."
The NDP would call for national rent control, banning fixed-term leases, rent eviction, rent price fixing and landlord collusion.
"For people that are looking to get into the market, we're going to help them out, offer long-term, low interest mortgages to make home ownership more accessible for more people," she said.
"We're going to invest in prefab housing to lower construction costs and help build faster. I think we all know housing is a right and everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home in this country."
On tariffs
Local farmers and agricultural businesses are worried about how U.S. tariffs could potentially impact them
Bozorgzad said the trade war is already driving up prices.
"It's already costing U.S. jobs and it's affecting our farmers as well. And we have at least four years of this ahead," she said.
"Our plan is to keep farmers at the forefront of our national priorities … they do deserve a real seat at the table when policies are being made that impact them."
She said policies need to reduce reliance on the U.S., diversify export markets and invest in the infrastructure that farmers need to compete globally, including high speed broadband and cellphone infrastructure.
Louis says he's been meeting with farmers and agricultural businesses owners and workers about their concerns over the impact tariffs could have.
"We need to fight those tariffs with countertariffs and every dollar is going to go to the businesses that are affected. We need to protect our workers and our industry and we need to build Canadian resilience," Louis said.
"We've said we will defend supply management for dairy, for poultry and for eggs."
Louis said he sat on the House of Commons agriculture committee which has been focused on helping farmers prepare for climate change. Now, the focus must also include tariffs.
"I've got a bill that I've written called the Affordable Local Food Act, which calls for more domestic preprocessing, which we need more of. And so in our platform now, I'm glad to say that some of that has made it to the platform, $200 million in domestic food processing fund to increase our food production here," Louis said.
Treleaven has been sent the questions from the panel by email. When his campaign responds, his answers will be added to this story.
Dupuis has also been sent questions by email. When he responds, the answers will be added to this story.
Voters go to the polls on April 28.
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