Langley candidates agree that seniors should be healthy, financially secure, and safe, but they disagreed on how to achieve those goals during a Thursday, April 17 afternoon debate for Langley-area candidates.
Candidates from Cloverdale-Langley City, Langley Township-Fraser Heights, and Abbotsford-South Langley ridings answered questions in the main hall of the Langley Senior Resources Society.
Representatives from all but one of the parties running in the three ridings were there, with all three Liberal candidates, two each from the NDP, Greens, and PPC, Libertarian Alex Joehl and independent Michael de Jong taking part.
Organizers said they invited the Conservative candidates, but none of the three responded.
The Liberal, NDP, and Green candidates often referenced their party platforms in their answer, attempting to contrast them with their rivals and with the Conservatives.
Although much of the debate was about seniors issues and health care, candidates touched on other issues. Tariffs and U.S. President Donald Trump came up several times.
Abbotsford-South Langley candidate Kevin Gillies said he decided to run because of the rhetoric coming out of the White House about tariffs and annexation of Canada.
“I want the strongest leader to represent Canada, and bottom line, we need a strong leader to push back against the White House,” Gillies said.
Meanwhile, People's Party of Canada candidate Jim McMurtry downplayed that issue, saying it was about “values.”
“What does it mean to be a Canadian?” saidMcMurtry, who's running in the Cloverdale-Langley City riding. “I don’t think it means attacking Donald Trump or whoever’s down south of us.”
Abbotsford-South Langley independent de Jong took a swipe at the absent Conservatives, noting that he agreed with their party on most things, but not on their failing to turn up for debates.
Moderator Frank Bucholtz asked questions about seniors benefits like the Guaranteed Income Supplement, support for veterans, health and seniors care, and housing issues for seniors.
“You’ve paid your dues, it’s time for us to take care of you,” said Holly Isaac, running for the NDP in Langley Township-Fraser Heights.
Also in that riding, Libertarian Joehl, who works in a grocery store, said he’s seen inflation causing people to buy less food, and suggested major banking reforms were needed to bring it under control.
On housing, the Cloverdale-Langley City's NDP hopeful Vanessa Sharma emphasized her party’s promise to build 500,000 units of social and co-op housing, while Melissa Snazell of the Greens (running in Abbotsford-South Langley) spoke of co-housing and encouraging cooperation between multiple generations, and de Jong emphasized a need for commuter rail to the Fraser Valley, with affordable housing built near stations.
All the candidates agreed more should be done for veterans with PTSD or other mental health issues caused by their service, with some taking shots at the Liberals, to which John Aldag responded. He's a former MP running for the Liberals in Langley Township-Fraser Heights.
“It was the Conservatives who close down nine veterans affairs offices,” he said, adding that the Liberals re-opened them in 2015 and then opened a few more.
Almost 100 people attended the event, mostly seniors.
