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Election hopefuls show different side to Acton High School students
The Brampton Guardian
Tuesday October 7 2008
Eamonn Maher
Conservative candidate Michael Chong (centre) and New Democratic Party hopeful Noel Duignan ponder a question from an Acton High School student during Friday’s all-candidates meeting at the school. Students got a chance to question the five candidates vying for the Wellington-Halton Hills seat.
 
BRAMPTON - Students at Acton District High School got to see a different side of the five local-area hopefuls for next week’s federal election at an all-candidates meeting last Friday.
Wellington-Halton Hills candidates gathered for a debate in the school’s cafeteria with about 200 students in attendance that started off with a question and answer format.
Seated at tables on a stage, the candidates were asked to say something positive about the person sitting to their left and all five were gracious in their characterization of the competition.
The audience also learned through a query from the student moderator the type of vehicles each of the candidates drive.
Conservative incumbent Michael Chong and Liberal foe Bruce Bowser both own late-model Volvos, while Green Party candidate Brent Bouteiller has a Toyota Echo, NDPer Noel Duignan drives a Ford Focus and Jeffery Streutker from the Christian Heritage Party is the owner of a Toyota Corolla with 470,000 kilometres on its odometer.
The candidates were asked what their party’s stance was on global warming and the discussion then involved questions from students.
A student named Dallas wondered why politicians refer back to 1990s figures when discussing the environment, when they should be looking to the future to prevent possible irreparable damage to the planet.
Bouteiller responded, saying those figures are used as a measuring stick when setting goals and objectives to reducing emissions.
Bowser, who pointed out that the state of the environment was found to be the number one concern amongst youths today, was criticized, along with his party, by Duignan for not placing a number on what emission reductions would be.
A question posed to all candidates about voting against their own party led to Bowser quizzing Chong on why he resigned from Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s cabinet last year after Chong disagreed with the Tory position on Quebec’s status within Canada.
Chong received the loudest applause of the hour-long debate for his answer, stating that he didn’t feel turning his back on his party was beneficial to anyone.
The NDP’s Duignan mused about the irony of Wall Street having “embraced socialism” in light of the recent bank bailouts in the U.S., while also pondering the future and nature of the economy.
Another student asked Streutker what the CHP’s opinion was on gay rights, and he responded by stating, “Marriage is for one man and one woman for life, and that excludes all others, including polygamist marriages.”
That comment touched off a number of other questions from students in disagreement with Streutker’s comments.
“It’s your right to put an X beside my name,” he responded.