Liberal, Green and NDP candidates promise investment in riding of Sudbury East-Manitoulin-Nickel Belt

Kate Rutherford · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 15, 2025 11:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Three national candidates took to the signifier for a statement successful the newly-configured riding of Sudbury East-Manitoulin Nickel-Belt to reply questions focusing connected housing, affordability and wellness attraction portion addressing concerns astir the interaction of tariffs from the United States.

NDP campaigner Andréane Chénier, Green campaigner Himal Hossain, and incumbent Liberal campaigner Marc Serré spoke to a assemblage of astir 20 radical astatine the Centennial Arena successful Hanmer, portion the remainder of the riding, which present includes Manitoulin Island, volition beryllium capable to ticker connected Eastlink connected Thursday, April 17.

PC campaigner Jim Belanger did not instrumentality part.

The Sudbury Chamber of Commerce moderated the statement which included immoderate questions from the public.

The candidates were asked astir what investments they would bring to the riding.

Serré referred to his grounds of the past 10 years, saying the economical improvement bureau FedNor has played a relation successful the region, and the national authorities has enactment wealth into captious mineral improvement arsenic good arsenic roads and housing.

He added that wealth from tariffs needs to beryllium directed into bringing backmost jobs successful the mining of captious minerals and the national authorities needs to enactment to support jobs successful the portion by refining minerals person to home.

"We request to marque definite that we don't vessel them retired similar what Glencore and Vale is doing close now," helium said. "We request to look astatine a refinery, and the metropolis of Sudbury with the politician has been looking astatine the refinery here, sulfate, and we, the national government, has invested successful a cobalt refinery, conscionable an hr and a fractional distant from here."

Investments successful wellness and captious minerals cited arsenic priorities 

The NDP's Chénier besides championed improvement successful the region, emphasizing it needs to beryllium done sustainably and with consultation with agrarian communities and First Nations.

It indispensable besides beryllium done utilizing Canadian products and businesses, she said.

"It's important to retrieve that gathering housing, if it's unaffordable, doesn't assistance our communities," said Chénier. "We privation to marque definite that we're utilizing section businesses. We're going to usage section products. We privation to beryllium utilizing section workforces to physique hospitals, highways, hospitals, roads and connected apical of that to make our captious minerals and our earthy resources successful an environmentally sustainable way."

As for Green candidate, Hossain, helium said lodging and wellness attraction were astatine situation levels and astir successful request of investment.

"Housing is 1 of the largest crises, not conscionable wrong our riding, but ridings crossed bluish Ontario," said Hossain. "So it's astir putting successful a program that works, with the thought of gathering 5,000 co-operative homes by 2030 and taxing the vacant firm tons that are already determination and  innovating and creating much homes successful that way."

He besides repeatedly brought up a connection to bring 10 mobile wellness attraction clinics to the riding and to triple the fig of intelligence wellness attraction workers.

These initiatives, helium said, would beryllium funded by closing firm taxation loopholes to money those innovative societal programs.

Hossain acknowledged that the Greens would not signifier a government, but they could enactment with whichever enactment volition clasp powerfulness to marque a difference.

Other questions included whether the candidates supported the elimination of interprovincial commercialized barriers, which the Green and Liberal campaigner did, but which the NDP's Chenier questioned whether it would beryllium effective.

Tax reductions connected tiny concern needed, candidates agree

The candidates were besides asked whether they were successful favour of modernizing the taxation system.

Liberal Serré said his enactment attempted it successful 2017 but it was much hard than astatine archetypal glimpse due to the fact that it needs all-party approval.

The NDP's Chénier said the Elon Musks of the satellite needed to beryllium taxed and that her enactment would instrumentality the GST disconnected essentials specified arsenic diapers, look and location heating.

The Green's Hossain promised his party, successful co-operation with others, would money a guaranteed income.

In conclusion, each 3 candidates erstwhile again deed the notes of national concern successful infrastructure, including homes, lodging and highways.

"Canada is not broken," said Serré, appealing to voters to instrumentality him to office. "Northern Ontario is not forgotten."