Candidates show some fire at forum
Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Nov 22/00) - A non-confrontational format did not prevent candidates challenging for the Western Arctic seat from taking a few shots at the government and each other during the first of two forums in the capital.
"People want an MP that visits them not only during the election, but during the rest of the term as well," said NDP candidate Dennis Bevington during Monday night's Alternatives North-sponsored forum.
"The Liberals are more interested in grasping onto power than governing," said Canadian Alliance candidate Fred Turner. "They call an election and say 'What can we do with our surplus? And Ethel says we can't find any money."
Blondin-Andrew did not respond by attacking the policies of the other candidates or their parties, but stuck to promoting her record and that of her government. The three-term Liberal candidate -- who noted that the next day marked her 12 anniversary as MP for the Western Arctic -- cited statistics and spending in support of her arguments.
On a number of occasions Progressive Conservative candidate Bruce McLaughlin attacked the policies of the Alliance and its leader Stockwell Day, whom he called a "regressive conservative" confined by his regional vision.
The evening did little to determine who would get observer Marlo Bullock's vote.
Bullock questioned the candidates on health care and the government's treatment of veterans. "I didn't get clarification on some of the things I wanted clarified," she said. Bullock said she has yet to decide who will get her vote. "I was thinking about the Alliance, but (Day's) comments on a DNA registry spooked me."
During a break between the panel and the audience's questioning of candidates, Andrea Booth corrected Bevington, who referred to the event as a debate.
"It's not a debate, it's just a presentation of views," Booth said, adding the candidates were "doing a good job of getting their point across."
Social issues were the focus of the evening. A panel composed of Stanton Regional Hospital nurses Dolly Ablitt and Sheila Laity (both also union activists), social activist and former NWT Status of Women Council chair Rosemary Cairns, and national chief of the Dene Nation Bill Erasmus.
The state of health care in the North and nation-wide was one of the focuses of questions from both the panel and audience.
Ablitt introduced the issue by asking what each candidate would do to restore the almost $36 billion in health care cuts to the provinces and territories since 1986 -- peaking with a $6 billion cut in 1995 --and prevent the move toward a two-tiered health care system.
Alliance candidate Fred Turner said though the cuts were "far too severe" some good did come out of them -- they forced health care systems to become more efficient. He said the Canadian Alliance position is to restore funding to 1995 levels.
Bevington said the NDP had the same goal -- to restore federal funding from the current 13 per cent of health care costs to the 25 per cent it was covering in 1995 - and called the cuts "reprehensible."
"We have to put more money back into the system ... or there will be more and more moves toward privatization," said the NDP candidate.
Blondin-Andrew said the North was outnumbered when first ministers gathered to discuss how to distribute the $23.4 billion over the next five years the federal government pumped back into health care in August.
The funding was shared up between the provinces and territories on a per-capita basis, something the territorial government was hoping to avoid. Premier Stephen Kakfwi said the NWT's share of $32 million will not be enough to keep up with the growth of demands on the system.
"They insisted we sign it without re-opening the formula," said Blondin-Andrew of the first ministers who gathered to determine how the money would be split.
The Liberal candidate said other funding options are being considered for the North.
McLaughlin referred to the cuts as the "Liberal reign of terror."
He said from the territorial perspective the government's announcement of new health care funding was the equivalent of working for a company "that hasn't paid you for 4-6 months and says here's two months pay."
