Bay of Quinte federal candidates debate environmental issues

Federal candidates discuss climate change, environment and other major related issues in the riding. Credit FFFQuinte.

By Rhythm Rathi

BELLEVILLE – Four of the five Bay of Quinte federal candidates debated climate change and environmental issues on Monday evening  at an event organized by Fridays For Future Quinte. FFF Quinte is an environmental conservation organization. 

Federal Conservative candidate Ryan Williams, Erica Charlton from the Green Party, the NDP’s Stephanie Bell and Liberal incumbent Neil Ellis shared their thoughts on issues like limiting global warming, the climate crisis, loss of forests and habitats and some other pressing issues in the riding.

Janine LeClerc of the People’s Party of Canada declined to participate.

Williams, Charlton and Bell spoke about steps to be taken and explained how their parties plan to execute them to resolve these major issues.

On the other hand, incumbent Ellis listed the actions taken by the Liberal government  and also shared thoughts about what they plan to do if they are re-elected.

Discussion on other topics like support for the inclusion of ecocide, meaning mass damage and destruction of ecosystems, in international law and plans for further reconciliation with indigenous peoples across the country also took place.

Each candidate was also asked to speak about their views on  the role of youth in government.

“When I look at the youth today, I look at them as being one of the most powerful opportunities to make eco and social advancements quickly if we can get them into the poll,” said Charlton from the Green Party.

She encouraged young people to join the Green Party saying, “they are going to be heard loud and clear all the way up to our House of Commons.”

Conservative Party candidate Ryan Williams said, “I strongly believe that youth are the voice of tomorrow, that youth are the voice of today.”

He also talked about the time when he sat on the youth committee in the city of Belleville. He said their mission before the pandemic was that youth had a voice in all committees and had a voice in the city. “I want that for the region,” he added.

Neil Ellis made everybody aware in the riding that there is a Prime Minister’s Youth Council and the government have recently appointed a new environment and climate change youth council.

He mentioned that these are usually one-term appointments and said, “I encourage all youth in our riding to apply for the next rotation.”

Stephanie Bell running under the NDP banner said, “of course we want to include youth, of course, we want to elect youth leaders. We ask youth to run as candidates. It’s a huge part of our team and a part of our focus.”

She mentioned if elected she would hire a youth advisor or hire young people to work in the constituency office to generate innovative ideas.

The candidates then spoke about the most pressing issues in the riding.

“We have never actually taken climate action seriously,” said Bell. “I think that the largest issue for us is just the lack of action, the lack of education (and) the lack of outreach.”

Charlton leading the Green Party highlighted the food insecurity issue due to climate change.

“We can’t control drought and we can’t control flooding and we can’t control all of these things that farmers can’t work around either,” she said.

Williams running for the Conservative Party took the affordability angle to answer this question. He said, the farmers are trying to produce food from the land and consumers are having trouble making ends meet right now. He went on to say that everyone needs to make the environmental changes they need in their lives and should think as a whole and be stronger together.

Ellis addressed issues of flooding due to climate change and the legacy of industrialization in the Bay of Quinte area.

On Wednesday night, the candidates will attend another debate organized by Youth2Youth Hastings and the United Way Hastings and Prince Edward