Last Friday, NDP incumbent candidate Sandy Shaw (right) faced off against Liberal and Green Party challengers Shubha Sandill (centre) and Syam Chandra (left) in Cable 14’s second of five Hamilton-area 2022 provincial election debates. Notably absent was Ontario PC Party candidate Fred Bennink. Photo credit: Twitter/Cable 14
The Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas Cable 14 debate took place this week, co-hosted by the Hamilton Spectator and moderated by Cable 14’s Mike Fortune.
The Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas riding is currently held by the NDP, but polls indicate that it is a tight three-way race between the NDP, Liberals, and PCs. The riding has six candidates running in the June 2 provincial election. Cable 14 invited four candidates to the debate (NDP, Greens, Liberals, and PCs). Three candidates (NDP, Greens, and Liberals) showed up.
Fred Bennink of the PC Party was a no-show. The PC Party central campaign has allegedly advised a number of PC candidates not to attend their local debates, a strategic move that has been met with criticism from opponents and some media outlets.
The other two candidates running were not invited to the debate (New Blue and Ontario 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)
Green Party – Syam Chandra
Liberals – Shubha Sandill
NDP – Sandy Shaw (incumbent)
New Blue Party – Lee Weiss
Ontario Party – Frank Thiessen
Progressive Conservatives – Fred Bennink
Top Three Parties – 2018 Election Results
NDP – Sandy Shaw – 43.19%
Progressive Conservatives – Ben Levitt – 31.03%
Liberals – Ted McMeekin – 19.79%
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, the Green and Liberal candidates both mentioned their academic backgrounds. NDP candidate Sandy Shaw reminded voters that she is the incumbent MPP and that she has been working hard over the past four years and wants to continue representing constituents.
After the opening statements, local media members had the opportunity to ask questions of the candidates. The panel at this debate changed slightly from the Flamborough-Glanbrook debate one day earlier. The panel consisted of Scott Radley (Hamilton Spectator), Rick Zamperin (900 CHML), Bobby Hristova (CBC Hamilton), Al Sweeney (CHCH News), and Val Cole (Cable 14).
The media panel began with two hard-hitting questions for candidates. Journalist Scott Radley asked the NDP’s Sandy Shaw about her party’s plan to regulate gas prices. He asked how regulation would help reduce prices when provinces such as Quebec already regulate gas prices and yet have a higher cost per litre than Ontario. Shaw’s response mentioned that Doug Ford’s PCs promised to lower gas prices in 2018 but failed.
The second hard-hitting question was from Al Sweeney of CHCH News who asked Liberal candidate Sandill why people should vote Liberal when the party contains many of the same people who were involved in the Liberal scandals and corruption of the McGuinty-Wynne years. Most notably, Ontario Liberal leader Steve Del Duca served as a cabinet minister under the previous Liberal government.
Sandill largely dodged the question by saying that the Liberal Party platform was developed by widespread consultation. Shaw (NDP) used the opportunity to reiterate that the Liberals and the PCs both support “cuts.”
After a question from Bobby Hristova about the Chedoke Creek sewage leak, Rick Zamperin of 900 CHML asked a blunt question to the Green Party candidate about whether or not his party is relevant when they have been around for forty years and yet have only won one seat in that time.
Scott Radley (Hamilton Spectator) then asked the Liberal candidate about the party’s plan to ban handguns in Ontario. He asked how a handgun ban would stop shootings when shootings are almost always committed with illegal guns in the first place. The question gave another opportunity for Shaw (NDP) to tout Liberal and Conservative “cuts” and what she says is a failure to address the root causes behind shootings.
During Sweeney’s (CHCH News) next turn at the microphone he asked Shaw if she would support more lockdowns, the closing of schools, and postponement of “non-urgent” surgeries should there be a resurgence of COVID-19. Shaw did not directly answer the question, instead saying that Ford did not show leadership “at all” during the pandemic.
At that point in the debate, Cable 14 played a pre-recorded statement from New Blue Party candidate who spoke about defending civil liberties against mandates and lockdown measures.
Bobby Hristova of CBC Hamilton then asked candidates if the community of Dundas should be renamed given that Henry Dundas (1742-1811) played a role in delaying the abolition of slavery. All three candidates said that if a change is made it should only be done after consulting with Dundas residents.
Closing statements then consisted of many of the same statements made throughout the debate with each candidate focusing on “cuts” and saying that their respective party will fix the province.
The Flamborough-Glanbrook debate was also this past week. Visit the Hamilton Independent website for a recap of that debate. The other three debates take place this coming week:
Hamilton Centre – Tuesday, May 24 – 7PM
Hamilton East-Stoney Creek – Wednesday, May 25 – 7PM
Hamilton Mountain – Thursday, May 26 – 7PM
All debates will be recorded and posted on YouTube by Cable 14. Stay tuned for more debate recap articles from The Hamilton Independent.
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.
