The Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce held the second all-candidates forum in Moose Jaw for this riding in the federal election. 

Attending the forum was People’s Party of Canada candidate Chey Craik, Katelyn Zimmer for the Liberals, Talon Regent for the NDP, Fraser Tolmie of the Conservatives and Craig Townsend for the Maverick Party.

Most of the questions during the night focused around small and medium-sized businesses and the economy. 

The candidates were first asked about their plan to attract more investments in the technology sector in Moose Jaw. 

Zimmer said it was about making housing more affordable. 

“I have a sister who's living in Vancouver and she is, without disclosing her age, in her mid-30s and struggling to afford to buy her first home. In fact, she's even looked at properties in Saskatchewan as an option,” she said 

Tolmie said his party’s plan is to cut away the red tape for entrepreneurs. 

“It's so great to see new buildings being erected, new investment coming to our city and growth like we haven't seen in many years,” he said.  

“The credit for that growth and economic development goes to the people of Moose Jaw. It was part of eliminating red tape and bureaucracy that helped create a culture of accountability and progress.” 

Craik felt that it should be a free market and that the government should stay out of it. 

“It's not the government's job to pick the winners and losers by earmarking financial incentives for a tech company."

For the NDP, Regent said they want Moose Jaw to be a safe, affordable place to live. 

“The reason I moved to Moose Jaw as a tech entrepreneur was because it was affordable, because it was safe, because it had all the services that I wanted out of my community without a crazy long commute, and that is what the NDP is proposing from coast to coast to coast.” 

Townsend agreed that in order to attract businesses, the community needs to be affordable to live as he looked at his own experiences as someone who was laid off in the oil and gas sector. 

“By relocating to Bladworth with its low costs, regulations and taxes, I was given a choice. I could start over.” 

On the issue of reforming Employment Insurance to discourage repeat usage and encourage workforce mobility, Regent explained that EI is something that everyone pays into and has a right to receive when they find themselves out of work. 

“We need to make sure that after somebody loses their job for one reason or another, they have the ability to find a new one,” Regent said. 

Tolmie pointed the finger at the Liberals, saying what’s keeping people from not working is the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). 

“Many Canadians who believed they were eligible for CERB ended up finding out that in fact they were not, and only after receiving and spending money, now there are Canadians that have a tax bill to worry about.” 

Townsend said he would look to reform Employment Insurance. 

“To pay your workforce to not work as a shared recipe for inflation. Payroll taxes are a huge burden for small and medium-sized businesses and Ottawa has found it easier to take wealth from demographically insignificant riding rather than refrain from spending taxpayer money.” 

Craik would not reform Employment Insurance, saying that it is in place to protect workers, but he would look at CERB. 

“CERB was created as an emergency response but has become a form of universal basic income, Canada cannot afford to continue to pay people to stay at home.” 

Zimmer defended CERB and the Liberal’s financial pandemic response to help those that lost their jobs during the pandemic. 

“I think that they did an extraordinary job rolling out a program as quickly as possible to protect as many people as possible, and it's unfortunate that a small percentage of people took advantage of that opportunity.” 

The candidates were also asked about their strategy to improve the skill level of workers, the role businesses play and the role the federal government should play in assisting businesses with workplace training. 

Tolmie said it is about talking to businesses. 

“That's why any conversation about skills training needs to start by consulting with the private sector to find out exactly what their needs are.” 

Townsend felt job training should be provincial jurisdiction. 

“The federal government can be ready to assist and should be aware of a transit industry but not steer it,” Townsend said.  

“The basics should be taught in schools with specifics tailored to each company. Due to the variability of each company and their needs on a changing basis, the federal government has more chance of hindering than helping.” 

Craik and the PPC’s plan is to reduce the corporate income tax from 15 per cent to 10 per cent. 

“Businesses then has the flexibility to use those tax savings in the areas that apply specifically to them,” he explained 

We need to increase opportunities for training and universities, colleges and trade schools. 

Zimmer pointed to targeting high school and university students early to attract interest in given professions. 

“We need to increase opportunities for training and universities, colleges and trade schools, expanding the number of seats so that we can train more students,” she said. 

Regent said it all comes down to education. 

“I recognize that some of the people at this table don't understand that it's important that we make investments in our future. Every dollar that we put into education Nets a $7 return on investment,” explained Regent. 

With 95 per cent of businesses having fewer than 50 employees, the candidates were asked what policies they have that will continue the vitality of small and medium-sized enterprises. 

The PPC and Craik would stop bailing out large corporations. 

“Sending billions of dollars to GM, Bombardier, Loblaws, Air Canada and CBC through government intervention has crushed our small and medium businesses.” 

Zimmer said they need to get more people working, especially women. 

“The Liberal Party is proposing a $10 a day childcare program and it's going to expand the number of facilities with spots and this will benefit people like me who are struggling in smaller communities to find a placement for their kid.” 

Regent explained that it was the NDP that lobbied for a 75 per cent wage subsidy during the pandemic. 

“When push comes to shove it doesn't really matter what the Conservatives and Liberals say, because they won't do what it takes to protect small businesses. The NDP we fought for you and we made sure to get it done.” 

Tolmie pointed to the Conservative Party’s Canada Job Surge plan to get people back to work. 

“Our Conservative government will pay at least 25 per cent of the salary of new hires for six months after the CEWS expires, helping to support small businesses and help them expand.” 

Townsend would see that all regulations from Ottawa would be removed for businesses. 

“The Maverick party advocates for less government overreach and less regulation. We might see the federal government just get out of the way.” 

Election day is on Monday, Sept. 20. 

You can watch the candidates forum in full here.