Tara Jeffrey/The Independent

Trade, taxes, agriculture and immigration were the hot topics at the second debate in the Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong riding.

All seven federal election candidates forwere on hand at the Lambton Federation of Agriculture’s all-candidates meeting, held Wednesday at the Wyoming Fairgrounds.

Questions submitted from members ranged from issues such as the carbon tax, tariffs and supply
management, to farmland protection, rural health, and immigration.

“This is the most important election, certainly, in my lifetime,” said incumbent Conservative MP
Marilyn Gladu, who had been criticized for skipping an all-candidates meeting a day earlier,
hosted by the Rotary Club of Sarnia. “I would ask that tonight you don’t forget the ten years of
Liberal Government, and what they have done to agriculture: the carbon tax, the clean fuel tax,
tariffs on fertilizer, reductions on fertilizer, the regulations, the auditing and the punishment that
has gone on and on.”

Gladu targeted Mark Carney’s Liberals throughout the evening, often referencing her party’s
signature taglines.

“It’s the common sense Conservatives that are going to support the agriculture sector,” she
stated. “We will ‘axe the tax’ for everybody, on everything, forever.

“We are going to unite Canada underneath our patriotic flag,” she added. “We are going to put
Canada first for a change.”

NDP candidate Lo-Anne Chan argued that clean fuel regulations will actually benefit farmers,
“because it means less reliance on fossil fuels, reducing the carbon intensity,” she stated. “And,
less pipelines going through Indigenous lands and green lands.”

Liberal candidate George Vandenberg kept his statements brief.

“Lambton County is a big powerhouse for agriculture,” the Sarnia City Councillor said. “We’ve
got everything we need here, but we need more.”

When asked about local ethanol production, Vandenberg added: “I’m 100% behind it. Keep
making corn.”

People’s Party of Canada (PPC) candidate Brian Everaert took aim at Canada’s major parties,
for supporting the Paris Climate Agreement, and for their failure to negotiate with U.S. President
Donald Trump regarding tariffs.

“We’re with the best trading partner we could ever have…” he said. “None of our federal leaders
got on the plane and headed down to Mar-a-Lago or Washington and sat with him.”

Libertarian candidate Jacques Boudreau said these are “dark times for farmers,” pointing to
“suffocating government overreach” and “the direct threat to their livelihoods on the horizons in
Mark Carney — a climate zealot and extremist whose crusade against so-called polluters knows
no bounds.”

He later attracted groans from the crowd after suggesting resorting to “civil disobedience” if the
Liberals are re-elected.

Christian Heritage Party candidate Mark Lamore admitted he’s no farming expert, but noted,
“I’m pretty sure we can all agree that you people are taxed too much.”

He went on to criticize Canada’s ‘legacy parties’ for their silence during the 2022 Freedom
Convoy in Ottawa.

“People went there and peacefully protested and then were beaten down, and nobody said
anything; not one of the legacy parties did anything. They just sat there.

“Ottawa is a bureaucratic machine,” he added. “And whether it’s Conservative, Liberal or NDP,
they are there to take care of the machine and the machine will keep rolling.

“They’ve almost wiped out the middle class; pretty soon they’re going wipe out the church.”

Rhinoceros Party Party candidate Anthony Mitchell kept things light, mocking government with
jokes and humour, but also echoed the sentiment that this is the most important election in his
lifetime.

“Whomever represents you in Ottawa, they owe you to do better,” he told the crowd. “I honestly
hope you find someone here that you believe will help you enough; and if you do, vote for them.
“And no matter who wins the election, I hope you hold that person’s feet to the fire; they need to
show up for you. If you’re convinced that no one here is doing the job or you, consider voting for
me.”

The evening included significant discussions around immigration. When asked about
strengthening and protecting rural health care, Everaert cited his party’s promise for a two-year
moratorium on immigration, pointing to a ‘flooded’ health care system.

“We we need to figure out who is in the county illegally, and who isn’t,” he said. “Our kids are
competing with foreigners for jobs.”

Later, when asked about supporting temporary foreign workers, Everaert said, “that’s the
exception.

“I’m a union ironworker, I’m not a big fan of foreign workers,” he explained. “But in the
agriculture business, I think we need to have foreign workers in Canada.”

Gladu echoed the importance of Canada’s temporary foreign worker program in agriculture, but
added, “What we don’t need is people that are coming that aren’t going to help build the country,
and aren’t able to pass our security checks.

“We will restore the immigration system.”

Chan stressed the need for more supports for Canada’s temporary foreign workers, to ensure
they know their rights and have adequate access to services.

“One-in-four health care workers here in Canada are immigrants, and that’s only making our
system stronger,” she added. “About one-in-five business owners in Canada are immigrants, so
that’s helping the economy get stronger.

“So, we can’t be super upset about immigration all the time, because we do have a lot of
qualified people coming over with skills that are helping us here.”

Watch the full debate at youtube.com/@LambtonFedOfAg

Quotable Quotes of the night:
“I’m asking you to give me your vote; I’ll tell the truth, I’ll be honest up in Ottawa for you, and I’ll
go to bat for you. I’ll die there for you if I have to.” — Brian Everaert, PPC candidate

“I’m not a huge farming expert… but…I like your work. I like my steak with a side of steak.” –
Mark Lamore, CHP candidate

“I’m fearful to say that, if the Liberals are re-elected, we may have no choice but to consider civil
disobedience to protect our rights.” — Jacques Boudreau, Libertarian candidate

“The Rhinoceros party supports a targeted carbon tax. What we want to do is reduce the
amount of carbon dioxide thats in the air, and the greatest offender for excess carbon dioxide in
the air, is, excess talking and words by politicians. So, what we will do is, we will give politicians
a word limit, and every time they speak, they’ll be taxed per word.” – Anthony Mitchell, Rhino Party