Beaches-East York federal candidates discuss island airport, affordability, housing and more at debate

By MATTHEW STEPHENS

Tensions were high amongst NDP candidate Shannon Devine and Liberal candidate Tanveer Shahnawaz during the debate for this month’s federal by election in the Beaches-East York riding.

“I would wonder why Torontonians had to fight so hard for months to oppose the (Billy Bishop) airport expansion when all of the MPs in Toronto are Liberal,” said Devine during the back-and-forth questioning portion of the debate on the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the Calvary Baptist Church on Main Street.

Also in attendance at the debate was Green Party candidate Bruce Livesey, a former local TTC employee and journalist for several major newspapers, magazines and television.

Candidates representing the Conservative Party, the Canadian Future Party, and the People’s Party of Canada did not speak at the debate. Despite that, Cameron Thomas of the Canadian Future Party and Michel Lachance People’s Party of Canada were in attendance and had their opening speeches read by event moderator Reza Khoshdel before the debate kicked off. Though invited to take part, Conservative candidate Jim Syrbos was not in attendance.

“Hunger has many causes; one is written into federal law. Supply management deliberately raises the price of milk, eggs, and poultry – foods every family buy… I am the only candidate under ballot committed to ending supply management,” said Lachance in his statement read by Khoshdel.

In his statement read by Khoshdel, Thomas criticized the debate for not giving all candidates an equal voice at the event.

“I appreciate the opportunity to make a statement, although I do believe all candidates should have an equal voice,” said Thomas’ statement. “Real solutions need every level of government working together, not separate band-aids while people wait in line. As your MP, I’d push for federal housing dollars that build homes here, not just get announced downtown, and a tax commission bound by one rule: no recommendation that raises costs for low- or middle-income households.”

Candidates who participated in the debate were asked a series of questions focused on policy choices related to poverty reduction, food insecurity, income supports, affordable housing, immigration, and the impact of imposed tariffs.

In his opening remarks before the debate began, moderator Khoshdel (the Executive Director of Centre 55) highlighted food insecurity and cost of living as just some of the prominent issues afflicting Beaches-East York residents, noting that one in 10 Torontonians now rely on food banks for their next meal.

“Tonight, focus is going to be on policy choices that shape whether people can actually meet their basic needs, with questions focused on how we can address the rising cost of living and food insecurity,” said Khoshdel. “It’s no longer something that is just affecting low-income families; this is something that is across the board socioeconomically – we’re all feeling it.”

On the issue of sustainable incomes, Shahnawaz said he and the Liberal Party have “overseen millions in local funding” for programs such as the Canada Summer Jobs program, which have provided “meaningful opportunities” for youth up to the age of 30.

However, in her rebuttal, Devine said that the Canada Summer Jobs program saw a reduction in funding this year, and that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has cut thousands of jobs in the public sector.

“It was interesting that Tanveer spoke about the Canada Summer Jobs programs, because that’s actually been reduced this year,” said Devine. “The federal government has cut at least 10,000 public sector, public service jobs, and that number is supposed to grow to 40,000 by 2029.”

With a sharp focus on federal housing initiatives, she said the NDP will push to create more job opportunities and increase housing targets to build one million new units within the next five years.

“The NDP would create thousands of new jobs through major initiatives like major investments in housing – one million units built in five years,” said Devine. “Tariff sectors like steel and aluminum could be bolstered by an increase in housing right away.”

Livesey said the Green Party would focus on pushing a “higher national minimum wage,” which would help to establish a “guaranteed liveable income.”

On the issue of housing, Khoshdel said one in five Toronto food bank visitors spends 100 per cent of their income on rent, prompting the question of how each party will work to tackle Toronto’s housing, affordability, and homelessness crisis.

In her response, Devine said the Liberal government “failed to act with urgency” to address the city’s housing and affordability crisis and failed to meet their projected housing targets.

“The Parliamentary Budget Officer found that in the last five years, the federal government contributed to only building 26,000 housing units, when they promised much more than that – and only 13,000 of those were affordable housing,” said Devine. “That is a mere drop in the bucket and quite frankly, it’s pathetic.”

She said the NDP would work to impose a “national rent cap” to ensure housing costs don’t exceed incomes that fall short.

Shahnawaz argued that the Liberal government has launched several initiatives to address the housing and affordability, including the Build Canada Homes initiative, as well as a $51 billion investment to the Build Communities Strong Fund.

“A few weeks ago, the federal government directly signed a $2.7 billion deal with the City of Toronto over three years to unlock 18 housing projects that will amount 5,600 new rental homes, affordable, supportive, and rent controlled across Toronto,” said Shahnawaz.

Livesey said the country’s housing crisis is the result of a “free market” system of development where investors prioritize maximizing profits over providing affordable housing.

“The housing crisis is because we’ve left it to the free-market enterprise to build homes, and when we do that, they have a profit incentive. And when they have a profit incentive, that means housing becomes more expensive,” said Livesey.

He said the Green Party would work to shift away from the privatization of housing and instead push for more government intervention in new developments across the country.

On government supports, Devine said the Liberal government has failed to reform EI (Employment Insurance) benefits and implement stricter regulations for large-scale corporations that could alleviate the rising cost of groceries.

“Grocery prices have gone up by 30 per cent in the last six years, and for whatever reason, this government seems to be afraid or uninterested in regulating corporations,” said Devine.  “As the NDP, we want to put a cap on grocery essentials and develop a network of public grocery stores to help bring prices down.”

To alleviate the financial pressures of Torontonians, Shahnawaz said that the federal government has collaborated with Food Banks Canada to implement the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit, adding a 25 per cent increase to the annual GST credit for the next five years.

The debate later moved to a fast-paced “yes or no” segment where candidates held up a paddle to demonstrate where they stand on specific issues.

When asked if they live in the riding, Devine and Livesey held up the “No” side of their paddles while Shahnawaz was a “Yes”.

When asked if they supported federal housing policies that would slow or restrict development in higher-cost areas (such as the Beach) to prioritize affordable housing investments in lower income parts of the riding, each candidate held up the “Yes” side of their paddle.

Each candidate also said “Yes” to opposing any future plans for expansion of the Billy Bishop Airport.

When asked if they would commit to voting against their own party’s policies if they conflicted with the best interests of Beaches-East York residents, each candidate held up the “Yes” side of their paddles.

Transitioning to a segment where candidates could ask each other questions, Devine called out Toronto’s Liberal Members of Parliament for remaining silent about the provincial government’s proposed expansion of the Billy Bishop Airport prior to Carney’s decision to oppose the bill, questioning whether Shahnawaz would oppose his party if the outcome were different.

“Toronto MPs were silent on the expansion of Billy Bishop Airport up until Mark Carney weighed in on it. If the federal government decides to proceed with an expansion of Billy Bishop Airport, would you publicly oppose that position, even if it means standing against your own government,” Devine asked Shahnawaz.

In response, he said Carney’s decision was the result of “87,000 Canadians voicing their concerns,” and that he will oppose airport expansion if it compromises opportunities for housing and environmental protections.

When asked by Shahnawaz about how the NDP and Liberals could work together to improve the lives of Canadians, Devine said she would like to see improvements made to healthcare, vision care, and mental healthcare.

“We would really like to see the government invest in additional healthcare. We know we’re in a mental health crisis in Canada and we should have to pay for that,” said Devine.

In his closing remarks, Livesey told voters that the Liberal Party has already secured a majority government in Ottawa, and that residents can shift away from “strategic voting” to elect the candidate best fit for the role of MP in Beaches-East York.

“As we recall, Pierre Poilievre (Conservative Party leader) had 25 per cent in the polls up at one-point last election. In this byelection, you don’t have that concern. The Carney government has majority, so you can now vote with your conscience, as opposed to strategic voting,” said Livesey.

Shahnawaz emphasized his support for Carney’s government and said he is the best candidate to promote “strong local leadership.”

“At a time of great uncertainty, we need strong leadership and a serious plan… I believe Prime Minister Mark Carney is that right person to meet that job,” said Shahnawaz in his closing speech. “But that strong national leadership can only be supported by strong local representation… Working and living here my entire life, I understand how to advocate for our community, how to navigate Ottawa, and how to turn local concerns into real results.”

Devine argued that many Liberal voters have become unhappy with Carney’s “top-down approach,” to governing, and that Canadians deserve more accountability from the Liberal’s majority government.

“I’ve heard from many Liberal voters; they are unhappy with the top-down approach of this government. Liberal MPs in Toronto are not able to advocate for their own constituents,” said Devine. “This by election will not change who leads the government. Mark Carney will remain as the Prime Minister. What’s also true is Canadians are better off with more accountability in Ottawa, and that means more New Democrats.”

Voting day for the Beaches-East York federal byelection is Monday, Aug. 31, from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Advance polls will be open on Friday, Aug. 21; Saturday, Aug. 22; Sunday, Aug. 23; and Monday, Aug. 24 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For information about where to cast your vote, please visit Elections Canada at  https://www.elections.ca/Scripts/vis/voting?L=e&ED=35007&EV=65&EV_TYPE=3&PC=&PROV=ON&PROVID=35&MAPID=&QID=3&PAGEID=31&TPAGEID=&PD=&STAT_CODE_ID=15.