Nipissing-Timiskaming candidates debate COVID recovery and Laurentian University

The candidates running in Nipissing-Timiskaming squared off in a Zoom debate Tuesday night.

And appropriately, one of the big topics was the continuing impact of COVID-19 and how best to recover from the pandemic.

"I've always believed that the best way to good government is by sending the best person available to parliament," said Liberal Anthony Rota, who believes after 13 years as MP, that he is still that person.

And Rota says his party is also the best choice to rebuild the health system and the economy so we can move on from the pandemic.

"A lot of this is to do with cooperating with the provinces and it takes negotiating and I believe we're the party to do it," he said in Tuesday night's debate, hosted by the Nipissing University Student Union.

But New Democrat Scott Robertson disagrees, saying the pandemic exposed shortcomings in housing, mental health and other public services that governments have ignored for years..

"The people from Nipissing-Timiskaming are recovering from more than just the global pandemic. We're also recovering from successive Liberal and Conservative governments," said Roberston.

Conservative Steven Trahan repeatedly read from his party's COVID recovery plan during the debate, includinghow to make life more affordable.

"Canadians are suffering. It's time for a government that will take the side of the consumers," he said.

Greg Galante from the People's Party of Canadapitched a very different plan: give up on vaccines, control COVID in other ways and scrap certain taxes to keep more money in people's pockets.

"A PPC government will unite Canadians," he said.

The candidates also discussed everything from Afghanistan to climate change to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

There were also several questions about post-secondary education, including about whether universities should be allowed to seek creditor protection.

It's a process that was solely used by private companies, untilLaurentian University declared itself insolvent on Feb. 1.

The federal Liberal government has been criticized for not doing enough to stop job and program cuts at the Sudbury school.

Last week, the party pledged in its platform to protect universities, like Laurentian, from "being subject to corporate restructuring."

Rota says he worries that Crown corporations and other public institutions will try the same trick as Laurentian.

"Who's next? That's a very dangerous precedent to set up. You'll see a domino effect right across Crown corporations," he said.

Rota also accused the leadership at Laurentian University of being more concerned about "covering their own butts" than protecting the school and said in his view their actions were "illegal."

Robertson said the NDP has taken the lead on the Laurentian crisis and would welcome help from a Liberalgovernment.

"Absolutely the federal government should use whatever tools it can to protect universities," he said.