Waterloo candidates discuss housing affordability, misinformation and university funding
9 candidates are eyeing the seat in this riding
There are nine candidates running in Waterloo in this federal election.
The candidates are (in alphabetical order by last name):
- Waseem Botros, Conservative.
- Bardish Chagger (incumbent), Liberal.
- Santa Claus Chatham, Rhinocéros Party.
- Héline Chow, NDP.
- Simon Guthrie, Green.
- Jamie Hari, Independent.
- Val Neekman, Independent.
- Hans Roach, Independent.
- Douglas Ross, People's Party of Canada.
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 housing affordability, misinformation and university funding.
Guthrie said he's lived, worked and studied in Waterloo region for 32 years.
"[I] came here from Ottawa and never really left because of everything that's here. When I was a student, I thought this is a great place to be a student raising a family," he said.
Waseem Botros of the Conservatives was asked to take part in the panel but his campaign never responded to invitations. His website says Botros is an immigrant who came to Canada as a skilled worker.
Chagger, the incumbent, has been the MP since 2015. She was the first woman to serve as government house leader and also served as the minister for small business and tourism as well as minister of diversity and inclusion and youth.
Chagger was also named in the WE Charity scandal in 2020.
Chagger says the Liberal Party has made a lot of progress during her time representing Waterloo as MP. She introduced herself by listing all of what she considers to be her party's achievements over the last ten years.
"The facts are: Canada continues to have the best fiscal position in the G7. The [Canada] Child Benefit has lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty — 900,000 families are benefiting from affordable early learning and childcare,"
"The pharmacare plan is providing access to contraception in diabetes medication. The Housing Accelerator Fund has provided grants to municipalities with Waterloo receiving over $23 million," she added.
"There remains much more to do," she said.
Chow said she also first came to Waterloo region as a student.
"This city has grown from a place I came to study to a place I call home," she said, while acknowledging that there's a housing affordability crisis.
"It seems to have only gotten worse year over year. Whether it's your plans for retirement or first home, or just to pay next month's rent like many young Canadians, owning a home seems like an impossible feat when finding an affordable place to rent is already a struggle. But it doesn't have to be this way."
Botros has been sent the questions from the panel. When he responds, his answers will be added to this story.
WATCH| Affordable housing is a top concern for Waterloo voters. Here's where federal candidates stand on the issue:
On housing affordability
One of the big issues in Waterloo is housing and the lack of affordable housing.
When asked what the federal government needs to do to make owning or renting a home in Waterloo more affordable, Chagger spoke about the National Housing Plan which was introduced by the Liberals during the campaign for the 2015 federal election.
"It was the first time in a really long time that the federal government re-entered the housing space, which we recognize was really important," she said, pointing to the affordable housing fund and various funding Waterloo region has received from the federal government over the years to build and repair homes in her riding.
Chow says she's noticed first hand the steep increase in cost for people looking to live in Waterloo.
"Just last year I had to move in with a couple roommates because I just couldn't afford to pay my rent anymore," she said, adding that affordable housing is a human right.
"I was actually the victim of an eviction a couple times over my renting career... And the NDP will not stop short of anything that can be done so that every Canadian can have a home. This means addressing the problem at the source by building more homes, but also by combating corporate greed... [putting] a ban on rent price fixing and landlord collusion."
Guthrie said he wants to start finding a solution by first "properly defining what affordable means based on people's income rather than what the market can sustain," adding that any efforts toward creating affordable housing should be based on that definition.
"We're surrounded by cooperative housing, whether it's Bread & Roses or any of the others, whether it's union cooperative that's active in the region now, finding some really creative ways to establish and maintain to protect affordable housing. We will support that through federal dollars."
On combating misinformation
Throughout the campaign, Elections Canada has warned voters may be targeted by organizations looking to spread misinformation about the government, party leaders and candidates.
When asked what the role of a local MP is to combat misinformation, Guthrie said it starts with educating and preparing youth who will soon be of voting age.
"We support lowering the voting age to 16, as I know some of the other parties do, and I think that's really important to engage voters before they finish high school... while they're still living in the communities that they grew up in, while they still feel that connection," he said.
"A well-informed electorate is a prerequisite for a healthy democracy. That's the broad approach that we need to take."
Chagger says she has already been trying to educate the youth during her time as an elected MP.
"I have never turned down an invitation to a civics class. I have never turned down an invitation to a debate or a conversation," she said.
"I've actually gone one step further... to get out into the community, to reach out to organizations... [for] their perspectives and views. Because I think in Canada, diversity is our greatest strength."
Chow said she's seen a lot of misinformation during her time as a science communicator.
"We see the effects down in the States right now, and even Canada is not immune," she said.
"Support for national broadcasting and local news is going to be an essential component of fighting misinformation. I also think there's a huge component of tackling these big tech giants who have essentially monopolized our public spaces in the form of social media."
On university funding
Waterloo is home to two universities. Officials at Canadian universities have expressed concerns about their budgets, particularly in light of a cap on international students.
When asked what the role of the federal government is in ensuring Canadian universities like Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier are properly funded, Chow said students are a really important part of what makes the riding of Waterloo great.
"I think when it comes to supporting students and supporting their academic endeavours, we have to make sure that we fight to make everyone's lives more affordable so they can afford to go to university or college," she said, adding that students need support with rent, groceries and tuition.
"I think it's also important to talk about the cash grab that a lot of post secondary institutions across Ontario have been trying to deal with in international students and now blaming the housing crisis and things like that on them, which I think is completely unacceptable."
Guthrie says the Green Party plans to help by providing university students across the country with free tuition and a guaranteed livable income.
"These policies all taken together will be transformative for universities the same way that universities have been transformative for me," he said, adding that he was a student at the University of Waterloo in 1993.
Chagger said post secondary institutions are essential and her party has been working to make sure all students, including international students, have a good educational experience.
"One of the things that I'm most proud of is removing interest from Canada student loans," she said.
"When I graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2004, I had six months of payment relief, but interest started to accumulate the day after I graduated. And so that was very unfortunate. So that's a personal task that I took on."
She said the Liberal Party has also helped increase the number of doctoral scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships, adding it was "the first increase in over two decades."
Other candidates
Jamie Hari, who is listed as an Independent but is the interim party leader of the Revolution Party, says electoral reform is his top issue.
"Political choice in Canada is an illusion behind the smoke and mirrors of a rigged electoral system which we tell ourselves gives us a free and fair democracy. We see this isn't true as the results of both federal and provincial elections are often wholly disproportional and lead inevitably to parties and voters applying game theory, like strategic voting and voting for the 'lesser of two evils,' to achieve our desired outcome, rather than directly voting for the candidate or platform they like most," Hari said in an emailed response to questions from CBC News.
His second top issue is "solving wealth inequality though proportional taxation of the ultra-wealthy." This would include adding policies like universal basic income and fuel tax cuts.
"The keystone policy which would enable other social programs to reach their full potential is a scaling annual wealth tax. Rather than taxing just earned money (i.e., income tax) and unearned money (i.e., capital gains tax) to prevent worsening of the wealth inequality, we also need to address the massive inequity that has already been built up," Hari said.
"None of the existing parties, large or small, have a platform that resonates with my values or my family's. The social contract I was promised as a kid growing up in southern Ontario, the Canadian (American) Dream, was that with an education and a job, you'd be able to make ends meet," Hari added.
"That dream, if it ever existed, is long since dead and I can't currently imagine a Canada where my son can confidently leave the nest when it's time."
Santa Claus Chatham of the Rhinocéros Party says he is "exactly what it says on the tin, Santa Claus. You trust me to come into your homes every year, so why not trust me in Parliament?"
He said his number one issue is the establishment of Christmas every day of the year.
"Only the Grinch would oppose that," Chatham said.
"After that, it's the abolishment of the law of gravity," he added.
"Santa Claus is running in the federal election because we as Canadians need a serious candidate. Also, the elves threatened to unionise," Chatham wrote.
The Rhinocéros Party has existed since 1963 (with a brief break between 1993 and 2006) and is a political satire party. The party's website notes it's "an almost credible alternative to voters disillusioned by traditional parties" and "voting for real politicians does not get you anywhere? Change your strategy: vote for a fake one."
Neekman, who is an independent, says he came to Canada as a young person with just $100 and because this country raised him, "now I'm giving back."
His top issue is immigration, which he says is "out of control."
"I support a Canada first immigration policy that prioritizes the skilled workers we truly need: doctors, nurses, and tradespeople," he said. "The federal government must coordinate with provinces before issuing work or study visas."
His second top issue is a stronger local nomination process and for candidates to be chosen by the community. Neekman is one of two local independent candidates who wanted to run to be the Conservative candidate in this riding, but say the party opted to bring a candidate from outside the community here to run. Roach is the other candidate who says this happened.
"When local voices choose their own leaders, we get accountability, better representation, and stronger results," Neekman said.
"I tried to fix the system from the inside, but when that failed, I chose to run independently to expose how broken it really is," he said. "I'm not laying an egg at the last minute like others, I'm bringing the bacon. Win or lose, I'm doing this to clear a path for future candidates who still believe in democracy, decency, and delivering real results for their community."
Roach, who is an independent, is a current City of Waterloo councillor and a former school board trustee.
He says his top issue is housing.
"Affordable rentals are scarce, home ownership feels out of reach, and people are being pushed out of the community they helped build. For students, young professionals, and seniors alike, the current housing system is broken," Roach said.
He said he wants to see federal investment in co-operative and affordable housing, incentives for local developments and support for municipalities.
His second top concern is transportation and he says the region needs federal infrastructure dollars to build a smart, green transit system.
"Waterloo deserves a voice in Ottawa that puts people before party. For too long, decisions have been made through partisan filters that ignore the real needs of our community. As your Independent candidate, I'm not here to follow a party line—I'm here to follow your priorities," Roach said.
Douglas Ross of the People's Party was also sent questions for this story. When he responds, they will be added.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
with files from Kate Bueckert