NANAIMO — Questions around housing affordability, as well as federal commitments to healthcare system improvements, featured prominently in the final all-candidates forum of the election campaign.
All five candidates running in Nanaimo-Ladysmith spoke before a packed ballroom at the Coast Bastion Hotel on Wednesday, April 23, in an event sponsored by the Nanaimo and Ladysmith Chambers of Commerce.
Answering a pre-submitted question on what the federal government can do regarding housing affordability, incumbent NDP candidate Lisa Marie Barron said housing is a basic human right which is not available to all right now.
“What we’ve seen is consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments have allowed the housing market to be used as an investment tool. We’re seeing affordable homes coming up and then corporations swooping in and buying them up before people in our communities have even a chance.”
Green Party candidate Paul Manly concurred, suggesting foreign investors have played a major role in the current housing situation.
“We need to stop speculation in the housing market and stop treating it like the stock market. We need to stop having foreign investors buying up real estate here and driving up prices. We need to make sure that we have public registries that show who the real beneficial owners of properties are.”
Conservative candidate Tamara Kronis pointed to skyrocketing rent and housing prices on Vancouver Island, which she said have more than doubled in the last 10 years, indicating that change “is absolutely necessary.”
Liberal candidate Michelle Corfield highlighted a lack of Crown land suitable for housing in Nanaimo and said a path forward for securing such land would be settling land claims with area First Nations to “ensure that there is certainty for growth.”
Stephen Welton of the PPC said housing affordability was a critical issue, in particular for young, first-time home buyers.
“The federal government’s role is actually quite simple: the extraordinarily high levels of immigration encouraged and facilitated by the existing government have introduced outsized demands for housing. High demand means high prices.”
An overflow room was opened up shortly into the event, with a larger-than-expected crowd attending. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)Healthcare was discussed multiple times in the nearly two-hour event, which featured questions sent to the candidates prior to Wednesday night, along with ones from the audience in attendance.
Most candidates directly expressed campaigning for federal funding to build the proposed patient tower and cath lab at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
All candidates also supported an increase in treatment options for those battling mental health and addiction challenges.
“We need to return to a housing first approach for people who find themselves unhoused and we need to work on the root causes of poverty and the root causes of trauma that put people on the street,” Kronis said. “That is one of the reasons why we are focused on many aspects of this problem.”
Manly added current delays in getting treatment are counterproductive to a positive outcome for people struggling with immediate need.
“Those folks that have mental health and addiction challenges, we need complex care beds, we need treatment facilities. When somebody asks for treatment, they need to get the treatment right away, they can’t be waiting for weeks or five weeks or six weeks.”
One of the night’s final questions surrounded the healthcare system overall, including a reintroduction of Bill C-295, which deals with the quality of care at long-term care facilities.
It passed the House in late 2023, but stalled in the Senate prior to the election being called.
All candidates, with the exception of Walton, who said he was “not familiar enough with” the bill, said they’d support its reintroduction during a new Parliamentary session.
However, multiple candidates took the opportunity to express concerns they’ve heard regarding the potential future of the healthcare system.
“What I’m hearing on the door when I’m talking to people, is the fear that we are moving towards a more American-style health care. We need to make sure that we are protecting our public health care here in Canada. We cannot see Conservatives coming in and making cuts to our healthcare, increasing the privatization of our healthcare system.”
Corfield pointed fingers at the Conservatives for past moves towards privatization of healthcare in Canada.
“I do know and believe, even though I’m not an expert in the field, that was Conservatives that sold off all the care homes to the foreign companies, and so, what was with that?”
Kronis denounced the rhetoric, however her comments drew audible chuckles from many in attendance.
“I just want to correct the record here: Conservatives are not in favour of American-style health care. If you look at the quote on the HEU website around privatization, it’s taken from a speech that Pierre Poilievre gave about the Ottawa Airport. We have no intention of bringing American-style health care to Canada, it’s straight up misinformation.”
Other questions from the event touched on economic issues, including federal support for small and medium-sized businesses, ensuring the arts and culture sector can thrive, and commitments to campaign for the local non-profit sector.
A capacity crowd forced organizers to pause the event after the first of five opening statements, so a third room could be opened up due to an overflow of people waiting outside to get in.
General election day is Monday, April 28.
A capacity crowd took in the two hour event Wednesday night. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)Follow us on Facebook. Join Everything Nanaimo on Facebook and stay connected with everything happening on central Vancouver Island.
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