Federal election 2015: Egmont candidates' roundtable

Candidates for the Egmontriding raised trust as the key issue with the new Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal during a roundtable discussion on CBC's Island Morning.

• ANALYSIS: Federal election on P.E.I.: 3-way race in Egmont

A draft agreement of the TPP, which includes 12 countries bordering the Pacific, was announced Monday.

Gail Shea, running for the Conservative Party, called the deal very important for job creation.

"Trade deals are what make our economy grow," said Shea. "It gives Prince Edward Island access to 800 million more consumers."

Shea took a shot at the NDP as well, saying the party had a history of voting against trade deals.

NDP candidate Herb Dickieson rejected the characterization of his party as anti-trade.

"We support fair trade deals," he said. "We can't throw our farmers under the bus as the Liberals and Conservatives seem so ready to do."

The NDP, the Liberals, and the Greens expressed concern about the lack of details released about the TPP so far.

"Two-thirds of Canadians don't trust this government," said Green Party candidate Nils Ling.

Ling expressed concern that the deal was negotiated by a caretaker government during an election campaign.

While the lack of details concerned Liberal candidate Robert Morrissey, he also criticized some of what is known about the deal. In particular, the 3.25 per cent of the supply-managed dairy market being opened up by the agreement.

"Any increase in access to our dairy markets is bad for Prince Edward Island," said Morrissey.

Employment insurance reform

Trust was also raised as an issue when it came to employment insurance.

Morrissey suggested Conservative Leader Stephen Harper does not understand the importance of the EI program in Atlantic Canada.

"His perception is unemployed people in Atlantic Canada are lazy and unwilling to work," he said, adding thattoo much money is being clawed back when people try to supplement EI with working income.

Dickieson agreed clawbacks are an issue, but he did not let the Liberals off the hook for that problem.

"They're being punished for working," he said."These problems really started with the Martin government. They did a lot of damage to the program."

Ling said attitudes regarding EI need to change all around.

"EI is an entitlement. The definition of entitlement is you're entitled to it," he said.

He is concerned EI has come to be viewed as charity.

Shea, meanwhile, defended recent changes to the program.

"The actual benefit to Islanders has increased," she said."Be careful what you ask to have reversed."

Shea said in her experience,young peopledon't want to talk about EI they want to talk about jobs.

'Issues of moral conscience'

Gail Shea inserted some fire into the discussion when she went after Robert Morrissey for his party's plans to legalize marijuana.

Morrissey pointed out that police on P.E.I. were already reluctant to enforce cases of possession of small amounts of marijuana. Shea was not impressed with that argument.

"Why don't you legalize crystal meth too?" she shot back.

Shea also made reference to Trudeau's position to force his caucus to vote pro-choice on any abortion legislation.

"Our leader is the only leader that allows free votes on issues of moral conscience," she said.

But Ling pointed out that was not the case.

"The Green Party is the only party that isn't whipped at all," he said.

Green MPs are free to vote the way they feel their constituents think they should, he said.