Economy and jobs top list of topics debated by Thunder Bay-Rainy River hopefuls

It’s time for change, said three of the four Thunder Bay-Rainy River candidates who took the stage on Wednesday night to the debate the issues facing the Northern Ontario riding.

The lone dissenter was Conservative candidate Moe Comuzzi, who maintained Prime Minister Stephen Harper has the proven track record to lead Canadians to economic prosperity.

The debate, a mostly slow-moving affair that tackled issues varying from small business taxes to the long-form census to the Ring of Fire, finally found a little fire toward the end of the hour-long back-and-forth as the candidates jockeyed for votes.

“It amazes me to say that we can run a deficit responsibly,” said Comuzzi, who finished second to incumbent NDP MP John Rafferty in the 2011 federal election, trumpeting Harper’s record and saying the only money to come into the riding over the past several years has been at the behest of the Conservatives and Kenora MP Greg Rickford.

“I am the only person that can bring more opportunity to this community, by staying the track.”

Liberal Don Rusnak didn’t see eye-to-eye with his right-wing opponent.

“I’m going to disagree with my friend to the right and say staying the course would be disastrous,” said Rusnak, pointing out it’s the provincial Liberals that have injected the most cash into the riding, particularly when it comes to highway improvements.

The ruling Conservatives, who have promised 1.3 million new jobs as part of their platform, took shots from all sides.

“Since 2008 there are 200,000 net fewer jobs in this country,” said Rafferty.

Meanwhile, the Green Party’s Christy Radbourne took aim at Harper’s economic record, saying her party is committed to reducing small-business taxes and increasing taxes levied on bigger companies.

“The money that’s been given to large corporations has not been reinvested in this community, or any other community,” said Radbourne, earlier reminding those in attendance the Conservatives have spent more on the country’s 150th anniversary than on either education or Aboriginal issues.

Comuzzi rushed to Harper’s defence.

“By increasing taxes and stifling jobs, we’re not helping the economy … We’re in neutral,” she said, standing alone on a number of issues, including the controversial decision to cancel the long-form census, a form Comuzzi said didn’t make sense.

Radbourne disagreed.

“We can’t make good decisions. We can’t make good policy if we don’t know what’s going on around the country.”

Rafferty also took shots at the provincial Liberals and their promise to spend $1 billion on Ring of Fire Infrastructure – if the feds come to the table with matching dollars.

“Quite frankly I’d like to see the premier’s face when she has to pony up that money,” he said, Comuzzi adding the feds already provided Ontario with $1 billion in infrastructure money that could have been used on the much-delayed project, but instead was spent in southern Ontario.

Comuzzi went on the offensive toward the debate's end, attacking Rafferty and his record.

“You voted against our way of life and everything that’s important to us,” she said of his opposition to the Conservative agenda. 

On that, Rusnak agreed.

“The one thing we do need is change. John’s been here for eight years and we have problems in Thunder Bay-Rainy River,” he said, offering up earlier that government is often a hindrance to small business, something that also needs to change.