CARP candidates forum targets seniors' election issues
CBC News | Posted: September 2, 2015 4:08 PM | Last Updated: September 4, 2015
Party hopefuls answer slate of questions on pre-set list of topics
Retirement income, pharmacare and affordable housing: Those are some of the issues in sharp focus at the CARP Waterloo Region's election forum at CIGI in Waterloo.
That local chapter of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons invited a candidate from each party to participate in the forum at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. The scheduled candidates: (in alphabetical order):
- Peter Braid, the Conservative candidate for the riding of Waterloo
- Susan Cadell, the NDP candidate for Kitchener Centre
- Raj Saini, the Liberal candidate for Kitchener Centre
- Richard Walsh, the Green Party candidate for the riding of Waterloo
"We wanted our members to hear from each party, what their positions are on various aspects," said Paula Stanghetta, the chair of CARP Waterloo Region, in an interview with Craig Norris on The Morning Edition on Wednesday.
Range of topics
"It's not a debate format," Stanghetta said. CARP members submitted questions and several were chosen for the candidates to answer in sequence. The candidates were made aware of the range of topics such as poverty, health care, retirement income and dying with dignity, Stanghetta said, but they were not told the specific questions.
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Each candidate was given time for opening and closing statements, and each candidate was directed to address the questions chosen for the forum.
"Here in Waterloo Region I think we have a very committed electorate in terms of coming out to vote and seeing that as an important democratic right," Stanghetta said. "We've had tremendous interest in this forum, and so from the conversations I have had with our members to the great registration that we've had, we're probably going to fill the house."
You can watch a replay of the forum below.