It was perhaps the one question the three individuals seeking to represent ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç in Parliament were waiting for during an All Candidates Forum at the Mary Irwin Theatre on Thursday, April 17.

It came at the end of the debate — why should we vote for you?

"I don't see this as a party situation — Conservative, Liberal, NDP, Green," said Liberal candidate Stephen Fuhr, who was first to speak during closing comments.

He added that Canada has a "clearly defined problem" in dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump.

"And it's very important that we get, of the two choices we have that could potentially be our prime minister, the right guy for the job."

Fuhr went on to praise Liberal leader Mark Carney as a crisis manager and a world-renowned economist, acclaimed by past Conservative governments.

"He is the right guy for the job," Fuhr added.

Conservative candidate and incumbent Tracy Gray spoke next, stating the Liberals want voters to forget the past 10 years.

"They have swapped out Justin Trudeau for his economic advisor of the last five years," she said. "During a time when your taxes increased, when we saw investment leave the country when we saw increases in crime, and when we saw increases in overdose deaths."

Gray told the crowd that Canada needs a dramatic change.

"If you want your taxes lowered, if you want less red tape, if you want more opportunity for Canada, if you want more jobs, if you want crime to go down, if you want mental health and addiction and recovery to be a focus, if you want development of our natural resources... if you want Canada to be more self-sustaining — then you need to vote Conservative."

While NDP candidate Trevor McAleese positioned his party as unique.

"We are a party that holds governments to account," he said. "We keep them honest and we hold them to their promises, and more than that, we are the only voice in the room that is centering the needs of hard-working families and marginalized people to make sure that they are not left behind, especially when we are looking at these existential threats — both economic and sovereign."

McAleese added that now is the time to invest in Canadians.

"It's not about pursuing some fiscal agenda when people are suffering — and people are going to be suffering," he said. "We are going to keep everyday people in the conversation."

Green Party candidate Catriona Wright was invited to the forum hosted by the ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç Chamber but did not attend. Moderator Kent Molgat presented candidates with several questions covering topics such as crime, housing supply, homelessness, reconciliation, healthcare, and good government.

Voters packed about three-quarters of the 332-seat theatre, however, questions from the audience were not part of the format. The candidates answered the questions in the order they were asked.

Crime

McAleese:

"The tough-on-crime approach that fails to distinguish genuinely dangerous criminals from people who are themselves victims of the system does not lead to people being rehabilitated in any meaningful way. We have to focus on pulling people out of poverty and address their substance abuse issues by housing them."

Gray:

"Bill C-5 and Bill C-75. One of them removed minimum sentences for serious crimes like drug trafficking and gun smuggling — and the other one changed the bail system. We need to strengthen our laws, we need to focus on victims and not give repeat offenders a pass in our community."

Fuhr:

"I think it's important to address the root causes of crime with compassion and harm reduction. Mark Carney came up with a plan... more RCMP, more CBSA officers. The piece that's going to be critically important... is tying the loose ends on letting people go through the revolving door of the court system."

Housing Supply

Gray:

"We need to remove the red tape, we need to remove the bureaucracy. We want instead to reduce taxes, we want money to go right into the pockets of people, so part of this is to remove the GST on new homes and also to incentivize municipalities to bring down their taxes and charges."

McAleese:

"The NDP's plan is to look at viable public land, consult with all relevant stakeholders... and identify land that could be a good site for affordable housing units — homes that people can purchase and rent."

Fuhr:

"I want to talk about the Housing Accelerator Fund — ÁðÁ§ÉñÉç got $32 million from this fund and they spent $17 million. If Pierre Poilievre gets government at the end of the month, the (remaining) $15 million goes into the waste bin."

Homelessness

Gray:

"Sometimes homelessness is related to income, sometimes to other things like mental health and addiction. We've seen in B.C. where drug decriminalization has been supported... and there are reports that this is making it worse. This is something we oppose and would instead focus on addiction treatment and recovery."

McAleese:

"A housing-first approach is the way for us to get people experiencing homelessness back on their feet. They are in a position where they are unable to help themselves. If we are able to offer, at the very least, a roof over their head and a place where they can gain some basic dignities — this is how we begin to meaningfully rehabilitate people."

Fuhr:

"We need a broad range of housing. The Conservative plan doesn't address the bottom end of low-income housing, seniors, students, and people who don't have the fiscal capacity to get into housing. Build Canada Homes is a comprehensive plan and I think if there is something that can solve the problem — I think that's the right direction we should head in."

Economic Reconciliation for Indigenous Communities

Gray:

"For those that want to, that do want to develop their resources and be more self-sustaining and have different revenue streams, we should be able to give them the opportunity to do that. We want to open things up, so there would be changes in order for them to thrive economically from the resource development on their properties."

Fuhr:

"Some policy things that came out. They (Liberals) want to double the fund from $5 billion to $10 billion on the Indigenous loan guarantee program to help Indigenous people get involved in companies and the economic development of the country."

McAleese:

"I think the most important part of this is to ensure that Indigenous voices are included in all decision-making to do with Indigenous land. Moreover, in remote communities that don't have the equivalent infrastructure... it is difficult to imagine how people in these communities can participate fully in our economy."

Healthcare

Fuhr:

"First, we need to elect a government that wholeheartedly believes in a publicly funded healthcare system. That's what Canadians want — they want the social safety net. At the end of May, dental care will be a big part of that. There's Pharmacare, childcare — all the things that go along with that."

Gray:

"Conservatives do believe in public healthcare and would continue to fulfill the promises of healthcare transfers to the provinces and any increases that are committed, just to get that out there."

McAleese:

"The NDP is staunchly opposed to the privatization and Americanization of our healthcare system. This is something we see happening in provinces with Conservative premiers — they are ignoring the Canada Health Act and plowing ahead with privatizing our system anyhow."

Good Government

Fuhr:

"I think it starts with communication, and it's difficult to do that with disinformation and misinformation. Everyone is getting their information from a different source. We need quality people to make smart decisions, taking into consideration the place we find ourselves in, which is critical right now."

Gray:

"We need to have a government that is accountable and transparent. What has happened over the ten years of this Liberal government has been one scandal, one corruption after another."

McAleese:

"I think it's simple — you deliver for Canadians. You deliver on your promises, you introduce programs that offer a material benefit — a noticeable benefit in people's lives. Imagine a government that centers your needs and is not concerned about catering to profitable corporations."

The federal election is on Monday, April 28, and advanced polling begins on April 18-21.