SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Housing, health, land claims, a candidate's absence and the Montreal Canadiens' loss to the Boston Bruins dominated much of Wednesday's "almost-all candidates forum" at Northern United Place.

Held by the left-leaning social justice group Alternatives North and moderated by Therese Boullard, whose day job is director of the NWT Human Rights Commission, the debates were attended by around 150 people who clapped and cheered as the political games began.

NDP candidate Dennis Bevington, left, speaks, while Liberal candidate Joe Handley and Green Party candidate Eli Purchase prepare their own points. - Tim Edwards/NNSL photo

Green Party candidate Eli Purchase sat with the Liberals' Joe Handley and the NDP's Dennis Bevington in three of five chairs at the dais at the front of the room. The other two chairs, reserved for Conservative Sandy Lee and Bonnie Dawson of Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada, sat empty.

Dawson's name wasn't mentioned once, but Handley threw out the occasional dig at the missing Tory.

"We have a candidate, right here," Handley said pointing at the empty seat beside him, "who doesn't even have the nerve to show up here."

Purchase said he saw Lee earlier that day in Yellowknife at a reception held by Premier Floyd Roland, but when asked why she was a no-show at a press conference the next morning, Lee didn't answer.

Nearly 20 people took to the mic to ask the candidates a range of questions.

David Chernenkoff asked what they would do to lower the cost of housing in the North, an issue which has him considering moving south, he said.

"Three-hundred-thousand dollars anywhere down south gets you a two or three bedroom home. Here it gets you a mobile home," said Chernenkoff.

Bevington said Yellowknife needs more attractive, high-density housing, and alternative energy to offset heating costs, and Purchase echoed the latter point.

"If we can settle equitable land claims, we'll see that perhaps First Nations will open up land for people to lease or buy," Bevington added.

Handley said the same of land claims settlement, and added his party would provide $300 million nationally for housing, which he said would be mostly spent in the Northern and in aboriginal communities.

The only question on the economy - on corporate taxes - came from Tim Doyle, executive director of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce.

"We have just come through, in the last 10 years, the biggest growth spurt that the Canadian economy has ever seen ever," said Doyle, citing cutting taxes "at a reasonable rate" as one of the reasons why. He then took aim directly at Bevington.

"How does the NDP platform realistically think that by raising the corporate income tax rate three per cent it's going to create 220,000 jobs when history states it doesn't?" he asked.

Not one of the three candidates showed any support for the corporate tax cuts or keeping them where they are now, except Purchase who stated somewhat vaguely that he'd support whatever is necessary to keep the economy going.

Bevington said Canada has gone "beyond the pale" in cutting corporate taxes, and that there are other things, such as universal health care, that draw employers to the country.

Handley said the economy isn't as great as it's made out to be. Yellowknife's small businesses are in a slowdown, he said, while big businesses are chugging along as usual.

The Chamber has spoken out recently that addictions and crime are killing Yellowknife's downtown business sector.

On crime and crime prevention, Handley argued jail shouldn't be for all criminals. He said there should be programming so people can turn their lives around. As well, he was the only candidate to talk at length about the need for better addictions treatment in the NWT.

"Addictions is a big problem in every region of the territories and I ... want to work toward having regional detox centers and aftercare that goes with it so it isn't just a 30 day drying out and then nothing, but rather at least six months of aftercare," he said.

Purchase did mention the need for treatment, education and rehabilitation programs "so that people are not just going back to jail."

He also said Canada needs to have "an adult discussion into marijuana use so people are not being thrown in jail for minor drug offences."

Bevington addressed the issue of crime more directly, saying the NWT needs more police and gang prevention should be a main priority.

On social programs, all three supported reinstating funding to Status of Women councils and to the Court Challenges program, which provides funding for court cases involving language and equality rights.

On helping improve life for seniors, Handley said seniors are living in poverty and that needs to change. Bevington was on the same page, and boasted of his party's platform to double the Canada Pension Plan. The NDP candidate also said the Guaranteed Income Support program needs to be realigned to be more effective. Purchase said seniors should not be forced to leave their homes to find healthcare.

On the subject of devolution, all three agreed all territorial interests should be at the table; but as for the next step in the process, their opinions differed.

Purchase said devolution needs to happen soon to provide much-needed money to develop the North and invest in infrastructure.

Bevington said it's been gone about in a bad way and the whole thing needs to be reviewed.

"The Government of the Northwest Territories, in its naivety, has pushed forward with an agreement-in-principle without public consultation, without working with its partners in the Northwest Territories directly."

Handley said the process needs to halt until the aboriginal governments are on board.

"If there's any one issue that drove me to decide I was going to run, it's this one," he said.

On land claims all three supported prioritizing aboriginal peoples' constitutional rights and making sure they were maintained in any land claims agreement.

At the end of his answer on this subject, Purchase said something that maybe elicited the strongest response from the audience, a subject that was noticeably

conspicuous throughout the whole night.

"Oh, and Montreal lost."

Though there was some clapping, which may have been at his feelings on land claims, a disappointed moan broke through the applause.

"Thank goodness I'm not the bearer of bad news," said Bevington before getting on issue.

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