On Wednesday, Independent incumbent Paul Miller (right) duked it out with NDP and Liberal challenges Zaigham Butt (left) and Jason Farr (centre). In office for 15 years, Miller was kicked out of the NDP just prior to the provincial election for an alleged “pattern of troubling behaviour”. Miller denies all allegations related to the claim. Ontario PC Party candidate Neil Lumsden was notably absent from Wednesday’s debate. Photo credit: Twitter/Cable 14
The Hamilton East-Stoney Creek Cable 14 debate took place on Wednesday, May 25. A replay of the 90-minute debate can be watched via YouTube. Like the other Hamilton riding debates, it was co-hosted by the Hamilton Spectator and moderated by Cable 14’s Mike Fortune.
The Hamilton East-Stoney Creek riding is currently held by Paul Miller, who just recently was booted from the NDP and is now running as an Independent. Polls indicate that it is a tight race with the PCs in the lead followed by the NDP and then the Liberals. The riding has eight candidates running in the June 2 provincial election. Cable 14 invited five candidates to the debate (Paul Miller – Independent, NDP, Greens, Liberals, and PCs). Three candidates (Paul Miller – Independent, NDP, and Liberals) showed up.
Notably, Neil Lumsden of the PC Party was a no-show. The PC Party central campaign has advised a number of PC candidates not to attend their local debates, which is largely seen as a strategic move indicating that they would rather have a candidate not show up than accidentally say something wrong and throw off the entire party’s campaign.
In an election where polls indicate the PCs have a strong chance at another majority government, even the slightest slip-up could impact their polling numbers. Nevertheless, the move to advise some candidates not to attend debates has been met with some criticism.
The other three candidates running were not invited to the debate (New Blue Party, Ontario Party, and Electoral Reform Party), but were invited to submit a one-minute video statement, to which only the New Blue candidate obliged.
2022 Candidates (Alphabetical by Party Name)
Electoral Reform Party – Cameron Rajewski
Green Party – Cassie Wylie
Independent – Paul Miller (incumbent)
Liberals – Jason Farr
NDP – Zaigham Butt
New Blue Party – Jeffery Raulino
Ontario Party – Domenic DiLuca
Progressive Conservatives – Neil Lumsden
Top Three Parties – 2018 Election Results
NDP – Paul Miller – 51.15%
Progressive Conservatives – Akash Grewal – 28.81%
Liberals – Jennifer Stebbing – 12.09%
The debate consisted of a two-minute opening statement from each candidate, questions from local media, and then a one-minute closing statement from each candidate.
In opening statements, all three of the debate’s attendees pointed out the fact that the PC candidate was a no-show. Farr said that the debate is an important exercise.
He then proceeded to thank Miller (Independent) and Butt (NDP) for showing up to the debate saying, “Thank you for the Amazing Race, and that is, of course, absent of the Conservative candidate who is more clearly into Fear Factor,” cleverly mentioning two popular TV shows.
Paul Miller argued that since he has represented the riding for 15 years and won by wide margins each time, he is in the best place to serve the Hamilton East-Stoney Creek community.
He said that as an Independent member he has the advantage of not being “ham strung by party politics” and “will be free to say what people want me to say and not be under the thumb or censored by upper brass.”
After the opening statements, local media members had the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates. The panel consisted of Matthew Van Dongen (Hamilton Spectator), Rick Zamperin (AM900 CHML), Bobby Hristova (CBC Hamilton), Matt Ingram (CHCH News), and Tara Crugnale (Cable 14).
Van Dongen began the media panel by asking Farr (Liberal) about affordable housing and homelessness to which Farr said that investments need to be made to address mental health and drug addiction. Van Dongen then asked why Farr supported encampment clearings.
Farr said that it’s a very “delicate decision” to clear encampments but that communities need their parks back and resources need to go towards addressing mental health, homelessness, and addiction.
When Butt (NDP) got the chance to chime in regarding the encampment issue, he immediately attacked Farr saying that Farr has no business speaking about support for the homeless when he is the same person who supported the clearing of many encampments in his capacity as a city councillor.
Farr countered by mentioning a shooting that occurred in July 2021 at a Centennial Parkway encampment which then led to the shooter hijacking a Walmart truck at gunpoint. Farr said that “these are real impacts [and] real issues” with encampments and “real elected officials need to be able to address them.”
Matt Ingram of CHCH then asked Paul Miller (Independent) how he would be effective as an Independent without the support of a party. Miller said that the NDP “has moved in a different direction.” He said that Andrea Horwath “never has answers” and only criticizes others. Miller said if elected he would have the same staff, same budget, and would be able to speak more freely as an Independent candidate, indicating that he would still remain an effective MPP even without NDP backing.
Miller took another dig at Horwath saying that “leaders have to know when to step down” and that Horwath should have stepped down before the 2022 election.
Butt (NDP) countered by saying that Horwath and the NDP offer hope to the province and that everyone will be proven wrong on June 2 because “the NDP will be forming government.”
At that point in the debate, Cable 14 played a pre-recorded statement from the New Blue Party candidate who said that he was previously a political orphan, but he has found a home in the New Blue Party since they allow him to speak his mind.
Candidates then moved to closing statements, with Miller (Independent) using his closing time to go on the attack once more, calling Butt (NDP) an “opportunist who saw his chance to further his own personal interest.”
Overall, Farr and Miller dominated the debate with their political experience clearly contrasting with Butt’s performance. Butt (NDP) relied heavily on notes.
The Flamborough-Glanbrook and Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas debates took place last week.
Visit the Hamilton Independent website for recaps of those debates. The Hamilton Centre debate was cancelled since only the Liberal Party candidate was able to attend. Andrea Horwath (NDP) could not attend due to COVID-19 and the other candidates declined the invitation to attend. The final Hamilton-area debate, Hamilton Mountain, took place on Thursday, May 26. The Hamilton Independent will provide a recap of that debate early next week.
Based in Hamilton, Ontario, Kevin Geenen reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He is a regular contributor with The Hamilton Independent and has also been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, Niagara Independent, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. He is known for Hamilton crime updates and social media news graphics. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal from Governor General David Johnston. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. In March 2022, Kevin started working as an Office Administrator at RE/MAX. Kevin’s journalism work continues to be independent of his other jobs.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
