HDC Hosts Saint John-Rothesay Candidate Forum

The federal candidates in Saint John-Rothesay covering a range of issues in a debate hosted by the Human Development Council on Tuesday.

On affordable housing, incumbent Liberal candidate Wayne Long said the Higgs government is sitting on millions of unspent housing funding.

“We need Premier Higgs to step up and spend the tens of millions of dollars in unspent money,” said Long.

People’s Party of Canada candidate Nicholas Pereira said the massive immigration policies supported by most political parties contribute to the housing problem.

“Everybody’s alarm bells should be going off when these other parties stand here and promise you things. They don’t have the money,” Pereira said.

Green Party candidate Ann McAllister said the party would end pandemic evictions and help people who are behind on their rent.

“We would build more social housing focusing on low-income, non-profit and cooperative,” McAllister said.

NDP candidate Don Paulin said affordable housing is about taking care of people for the long term.

“We have too many people who are living in affordable housing here in this city that are living in slums who don’t have people to take care of their properties,” Paulin said.

Conservative candidate Mel Norton said his party will build one million new homes in three years.

“We will tie infrastructure funding to the development of housing along transit routes,” Norton said.

The five candidates also discussed Indigenous issues and homelessness among other topics.

You can watch the candidate forum in its entirety below.