Kitchener-Conestoga candidates discuss farmland, housing and support for Palestine

There are 4 candidates moving successful Kitchener-Conestoga successful this national election.

The candidates are (in alphabetical bid by past 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 nary Green campaigner successful this riding.

CBC K-W invited the candidates from the 4 large parties to instrumentality portion successful a sheet treatment connected The Morning Edition with big Craig Norris.

The topics covered included farmland, lodging and campaigner enactment for Palestine.

Bozorgzad of the NDP introduced herself arsenic a lawyer and tiny concern proprietor who lives successful Wilmot with her fiance.

"We are moving hard trying to physique a beingness present but rising costs are making it progressively challenging," she said, adding she's moving successful this predetermination "because I deliberation we request solutions to the issues that we look successful Kitchener-Conestoga that are focused connected people, not profits for an elite few."

Dupuis also ran for the People's Party successful 2021 successful this riding. His website says helium has spent much than 30 years successful the IT sector, moving with assorted platforms for accounting software, barcode systems, manufacturing and cognition management. He lives successful West Montrose.

Louis, who is the Liberal incumbent, has held the spot since 2019. He lives successful the Forest Heights neighbourhood of Kitchener and said during his clip successful office, helium has advocated for backing for the area.

"I've sat astatine your room tables, walked done farmers' fields, listened successful places of worship and worked alongside volunteers successful our community. And I've celebrated with you connected our bully times and our shining moments, and stood by you successful pugnacious times," helium said.

"I've worked crossed enactment lines to get things done due to the fact that that's what Canadians expect. And I don't shy distant from pugnacious conversations. I amusement up listening, knowing and moving unneurotic is however we built a amended future."

Treleaven's website notes helium grew up successful Fergus, moved to St. Jacobs successful 2009 and founded the fraud prevention bundle institution ThinkLP. He is besides a subordinate of Wilfrid Laurier University's committee of governors.

LISTEN | Federal predetermination candidates from Kitchener-Conestoga instrumentality portion successful sheet treatment astir apical issues:

On farmland

One of the large issues successful Kitchener-Conestoga is the existent program by the Region of Waterloo to acquisition farmland for aboriginal concern purposes. 

The portion says it needs the onshore to turn its economy. Critics accidental Canada is losing farmland astatine excessively precocious a complaint to let projects similar this. 

When asked what the relation of the national authorities is successful a task similar this, Louis said farmland is disappearing "at an alarming rate" and helium has been moving connected authorities called the Canada Farmland Protection Act which would enactment arsenic a blueprint to make a nationalist model to support farmland. 

"Farmland is simply a non-renewable resource. So erstwhile it's gone, it's gone and you can't get that back. So our farmers are the ones feeding cities. So we request to conserve our farmland," helium said.

"We request to harmonize conservation practices and we request to make conservation incentives. The authorities I'm proposing volition assistance farmers walk their onshore connected to the adjacent procreation oregon enactment onshore successful trust."

Bozorgzad said this is an important contented that's "near and beloved to my heart" due to the fact that it's happening successful her community.

"We each cognize that nutrient is astatine the halfway of our homes, of our communities and our economy. And the aboriginal of Canada depends connected protecting the radical that turn that food," she said.

"I program to basal up for farming families present successful Kitchener Conestoga. That means showing up and amplifying their voices erstwhile their spot rights are being threatened, lasting shoulder-to-shoulder with them and making definite that these rights are protected to the champion of our abilities."

She said she would besides propulsion for policies to assistance farmers merchantability to caller markets and put successful infrastructure that would let them to standard up.

WATCH | Land expropriation is simply a apical interest for Kitchener-Conestoga voters. Here's wherever national candidates basal connected the issue:

On Palestine

The ongoing warfare successful Gaza continues to impact radical successful Waterloo portion and successful the riding of Kitchener-Conestoga. 

Both Bozorgzad and Louis are listed arsenic having signed onto the Palestine Platform, which is calling for a absorption connected Palestine and an arms embargo to beryllium a cardinal predetermination issue. 

The candidates were asked wherefore they deliberation a section campaigner needs to talk retired connected this contented and what supporting this level means to them.

Bozorgzad said "what is occurring successful Gaza is simply a genocide. There's nary statement astir that." She said she knows radical successful Kitchener-Conestoga recognize this is an important issue.

"They recognize wholly what's happening systematically to the Palestinian people. But not lone that, but they and I were infuriated due to the fact that wrong Waterloo region we play a peculiarly acheronian relation successful that. We person manufacturers present that person provided arms and parts to Israel," she said.

"It's evident that we're connected the incorrect broadside of history."

Louis said "we request to telephone retired injustices arsenic they happen."

He said helium was approached astatine a nationalist gathering astir the contented and past helium sat down with a fig of groups to speech astir the conflict, "all radical who conscionable privation bid successful the region."

He told them arsenic a section MP, "I can't halt a warfare that's happening halfway crossed the globe. And they said, we don't expect you to. We expect you to talk up."

"That infinitesimal deed me, that deed maine hard. And that was the infinitesimal that was galore months agone that I decided that is my responsibility," Louis said.

"I did ballot successful favour of a question recognizing the Palestinian state. I personally enactment the Palestinian authorities arsenic portion of a two-state solution. I bash enactment a two-way arms embargo of Canadian weapons exports and we request to money much quality rights and alleviation for 2 cardinal civilians, which are mostly women and children."

He said the national authorities besides tin assistance code Islamophobia and anti-Semitism successful Canada.

On housing

Affordable lodging continues to be a apical contented for galore voters successful this election. In particular, it's becoming much costly to ain a location successful agrarian areas similar Elmira, New Hamburg and Wellesley. 

In bid to marque owning a location much affordable, Louis said the riding faces "some other challenges due to the fact that we're some municipality and rural."

"So successful our tiny communities and successful our metropolis of Kitchener, the challenges are the same, but the solutions are somewhat different. In Kitchener, we're talking astir gathering density and we're gathering density adjacent nationalist transit," helium said.

"In our townships spaces the onshore is not the issue. It becomes infrastructure. When I beryllium down with the mayors, the CEOs, what they request is, they request supports for sewers, roads, bridges, the secondary supports for parks. That's the backing that they're looking for."

Louis said determination besides needs to beryllium much enactment done to little rents for students and make homes for seniors who privation to downsize but enactment successful their community. He says Liberal backing plans volition assistance to bash that.

Bozorgzad said it's an contented she's proceeding arsenic she knocks connected doors.

"Everybody is truly acrophobic astir location prices going up, but besides rent going up arsenic well. The rents person doubled successful our communities successful caller years," she said.

"The occupation is that the lodging marketplace has been treated similar a playground for speculators and firm landlords and it's driving prices up and it's pushing radical retired of the communities that they love. We person unfair practices similar rent evictions, unjust rent hikes, and we besides person governments that person failed to physique capable affordable housing, which has worsened our supply."

She said the NDP program would "prioritize Canadian interests implicit that of overseas investors, of speculators, of firm landlords."

The NDP would telephone for nationalist rent control, banning fixed-term leases, rent eviction, rent terms fixing and landlord collusion.

"For radical that are looking to get into the market, we're going to assistance them out, connection long-term, debased involvement mortgages to marque location ownership much accessible for much people," she said. 

"We're going to put successful prefab lodging to little operation costs and assistance physique faster. I deliberation we each cognize lodging is simply a close and everyone deserves a harmless and affordable spot to telephone location successful this country."

On tariffs

Local farmers and cultivation businesses are disquieted astir however U.S. tariffs could perchance interaction them

Bozorgzad said the commercialized warfare is already driving up prices.

"It's already costing U.S. jobs and it's affecting our farmers arsenic well. And we person astatine slightest 4 years of this ahead," she said.

"Our program is to support farmers astatine the forefront of our nationalist priorities … they bash merit a existent spot astatine the array erstwhile policies are being made that interaction them."

She said policies request to trim reliance connected the U.S., diversify export markets and invest successful the infrastructure that farmers request to vie globally, including precocious velocity broadband and cellphone infrastructure.

Louis says he's been gathering with farmers and cultivation businesses owners and workers astir their concerns implicit the interaction tariffs could have.

"We request to combat those tariffs with countertariffs and each dollar is going to spell to the businesses that are affected. We request to support our workers and our manufacture and we request to physique Canadian resilience," Louis said.

"We've said we volition support proviso absorption for dairy, for poultry and for eggs."

Louis said helium sat connected the House of Commons agriculture committee which has been focused connected helping farmers hole for clime change. Now, the absorption indispensable besides see tariffs.

"I've got a measure that I've written called the Affordable Local Food Act, which calls for much home preprocessing, which we request much of. And truthful successful our level now, I'm gladsome to accidental that immoderate of that has made it to the platform, $200 cardinal successful home nutrient processing money to summation our nutrient accumulation here," Louis said.

Treleaven has been sent the questions from the sheet by email. When his run responds, his answers volition beryllium added to this story.

Dupuis has besides been sent questions by email. When helium responds, the answers volition beryllium added to this story.

Voters spell to the polls connected April 28.