Candidate Forum; Economy, Environment, Internet and Health

Candidate Forum; Economy, Environment, Internet and Health

Around forty people were in attendance for the first candidate Forum in the MRC Pontiac last night, Thursday September 26th. Also in attendance were five out of the seven candidates for the upcoming Federal elections in the Pontiac. Each of the candidates had an opportunity to answer questions from the Pontiac Chamber of Commerce and the public. CHIP 101.9 met with each of them after the event to get their impressions of the Forum.

The candidate for the People’s Party of Canada, Mario Belec, said that he would have like to have further publicized his party’s platform.

The candidate of the New Democratic Party (NDP) Denise Giroux noticed that few voters were present during the Forum, but said she was satisfied with the event.

During the Forum, certain questions were asked by the Pontiac Chamber of Commerce concerning demographics, access to the Internet, health services in the region, and the management of the waterways.

For the Green Party candidate, Claude Bertrand, the main issues raised during the evening were the economy and the situation of the nuclear laboratories at Chalk River.

The incumbent Liberal Member of parliament for the Pontiac, William Amos said that, in his opinion, the issues raised by citizens were not only on the economy, but also on the environment, families and Aboriginal people.

Finally, the Conservative Party candidate Dave Blackburn mentioned that the Forum was an opportunity for Pontiac residents to speak up and voice their concerns to candidates. He also mentioned that he would have liked the questions to be answered directly.

Seven questions were asked by the public, all in English, on various topics, including the issue of economic development, the management of the Ottawa River, the environment and Aboriginal rights.

Part of the Candidate Forum will be broadcast on CHIP 101.9 and will be made available online.