CALEDONIA — The Haldimand Press held its federal All Candidates Debate in front of an engaged crowd both in person and online on Monday, April 21, 2025 at the Caledonia Lions Communinty Centre in Caledonia.
All six Haldimand-Norfolk candidates attended: Lily Eggink for the Christian Heritage Party, Henry Geissler for the People’s Party of Canada, Nate Hawkins for the Green Party, Shannon Horner-Shepherd for the New Democratic Party, Leslyn Lewis for the Conservative Party, and Colin Walsh for the Liberal Party.
The following is a summary of some of the issues discussed during the debate.
Discussing their vision for the community, Eggink railed against a recommendation in the federal finance report she said would “ruin all religions in Canada” by stripping them of charitable status.
Geissler called for a government that would “support but not restrain” constituents.
Hawkins pledged to drop or reduce fees for agricultural and healthcare education and to focus on reducing pollution in the riding, particularly in Lake Erie.
Horner-Shepherd vowed to push for affordable housing and diversified employment opportunities.
Lewis spoke of increasing the safety and security of the region and introducing affordability-boosting tax cuts.
Walsh pledged expanded access to programs like $10 a day childcare while promising to fight systemic causes of rising prices.
On the issue of tax cuts and how their party would balance any proposed cuts, Geissler and Lewis spoke of eliminating wasteful government spending.
Walsh said the Liberals would invest in domestic manufacturing, agriculture, and energy projects to improve price stability.
Hawkins and Horner-Shepherd spoke to the need to go after the ultra-wealthy for additional tax revenue, while Eggink argued against taxing the wealthy at higher-than-average rates, arguing, “The government should not penalize people for working harder or longer.”
On the issue of gun control, all candidates agreed they were not coming after hunting rifles. Lewis and Eggink said the focus should be on violent criminals, not law-abiding owners.
Walsh noted the Liberal buy-back plan focuses on assault rifles specifically, calling them responsible for “serious and very devastating crimes.” Hawkins and Horner-Shepherd agreed on repealing the Liberal gun buy-back plan, while Hawkins called for stricter rules on ammo sales instead.
On the issue of housing, Hawkins touted a Green Party plan to invest in modular and prefabricated homes to increase production rates. Horner-Shepherd criticized the Conservative and Liberal governments for successive cuts to affordable housing over the years, calling for tax cuts on new-build homes and responsible development.
Lewis criticized the $208,000 household income required to purchase an average home in the riding, citing the removal of carbon tax and a new home rebate on sales taxes for homes up to $1.3 million as ways to combat affordability issues.
Walsh pledged to remove GST on the construction of new apartment buildings and work with municipalities to fast-track development, while introducing a renter’s bill of rights to ensure fair treatment in the market.
Eggink and Geissler said they would reduce demand for new housing by reducing immigration numbers.
On protecting Canadian employment from tariff-based risks, Horner Shepherd pledged to continue the NDP’s fight to improve employment insurance and access to affordable housing.
Lewis promoted Canadian self-reliance and touted a Conservative workers fund that will “provide temporary funds and relief” to keep people employed.
Walsh will work to bring in federal infrastructure money to support more jobs in the community.
Eggink called US President Donald Trump’s original stated reason for the tariffs – fentanyl smuggling across the border – a valid criticism, noting a need for improved border security.
Geissler blamed “obscene spending practices” of the Liberal government for current inflation levels, noting the PPC plan to balance the budget in one year by cutting foreign aid, corporate welfare, media funding, and other similar funds.
Hawkins pledged to support workers’ rights to unionize and collective bargaining, to fight for better pay and safer working conditions, and a crackdown on “gig economy exploitation.”
The issue of abortion saw some barbs traded between candidates.
Walsh, Hawkins, and Horner-Shepherd all landed on the pro-choice side of the argument.
“Personally, I believe in a woman’s right to choose and for anybody to have autonomy over their own reproductive rights and bodies,” said Horner-Shepherd.
Geissler pitched limiting abortions to the first two trimesters. Both Eggink and Lewis expressed their pro-life stance, with Lewis noting she maintains respect for those who disagree.
“I wish that people respect my right to be pro-life,” she said, asserting Liberals are “creating demonization over this issue … (to) get votes and turn Canadians against each other.”
On the issue of protecting Canada’s cultural identity in the wake of the Conservative promise to defund the CBC, Walsh, Hawkins, and Horner-Shepherd defended the importance of Canada’s public broadcaster.
“I grew up on the CBC, it’s our cultural identity,” said Walsh. “We need to support the arts; it’s what makes us who we are.”
“There’s people that don’t have internet or cable television. They rely on the CBC for their local news…. I’m baffled by the attack against media,” said Hawkins.
Horner-Shepherd advocated for the need for publicly funded media to combat American influence, adding, “I believe the CBC needs to exist and we need to continue to fund it.”
Eggink, Giessler, and Lewis disagreed.
“The Liberals need CBC, but Canadians do not,” quipped Eggink, lambasting the CBC for taking $1.6 billion in public funding while “promoting policies and values many Canadians disagree with” and calling for an ombudsman to review CBC programming.
Lewis asserted CBC should be entirely self-funded and blasted the current costs as some taxpayers are “disgruntled by the type of biased media that’s coming out of the network.”
Other questions discussed included housing, the notwithstanding clause of the Canadian charter, Reconciliation with First Nations communities, healthcare, and engaging youth in the democratic process. See the full debate on The Haldimand Press’ Facebook page or YouTube channel.
The Press thanks all candidates for attending, along with the public who watched both in-person or online to become better informed this election.
Thank you also to our partner Windecker Road Films and to sponsors Cornerstone Association of Realtors and the Caledonia Chamber of Commerce.
The 2025 federal election will be decided on Monday, April 28.
The Haldimand Press will post the unofficial results on election night to social media, with a full report of the results on May 1.
