Every week until the Oct. 14 election, The Ryersonian will be asking two questions about important election issues to each of the campus political groups. If you have questions you want to ask them, please e-mail Sonian@ryerson.ca. This week, we ask: 1. What do you think is the best way to reduce crime? and 2. What should the federal government be doing for big urban cities such as Toronto? Compiled by Jodi Lai, photos by Lia Van Baalen, Ryersonian Staff
Peter Swiatly, president, Ryerson Young Liberals
1. The strongest crime prevention strategy is to ensure that social support exists where it is most needed in the form of community centres, sports, arts and cultural programs for all Canadians. Without support, crime for at-risk youth has been shown to increase. Sheer severe penalties for crime aren’t the answer to prevention. The Liberals are proposing $45 million for a Gun Violence and Gang Prevention Fund supporting youth development.
2. Cities like Toronto are in dire need of infrastructural investments, as are other cities and communities across Canada. A Liberal Canada-wide infrastructure plan would seek to invest
$10 billion in strategic infrastructure, particularly green infrastructure and clean energy grids. A nationwide transit strategy would also expand and improve transit options in cities like Toronto. Toronto is in need of transit improvements that would improve economic conditions for businesses and travel for commuters.
Denis Agar, co-leader, Ryerson Greens
1. It’s more effective to address the root causes of crime rather than apply a band-aid solution to the symptoms. We can keep expanding jails, but if we don’t address poverty, racism and other sociological causes of violent crimes, those jails will continue to fill up. The Green party also believes in cracking down on white-collar crime, where the sentences rarely match the severity of the crimes committed. We also believe in the legalization of marijuana, which would take billions of dollars out of the hands of gangs every year.
2. As an urban planning student, this question hits me close to home. Canada’s cities are chronically underfunded. In the last 10 years, the governments have chopped off considerable chunks of funding to municipalities, undermining their ability to keep up even basic services like transit and public housing. The Green party believes in committing a portion of gasoline tax revenues to municipalities, as well as supporting the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ campaign to give one cent of the GST directly to cities.
William Molls, media and communications rep, Ryerson Young NDP
1. The best way to reduce crime in our country is to attack the root of the problem. Crime results from a lack of affordable housing, jobs and education, and these are all things we need to be investing in. In Toronto specifically, we need to put an end to gun violence. The NDP has a five-point plan to do this, which includes an absolute ban on handguns here in the city, as well as working with the United States to put an end to guns being smuggled over the border into Canada.
2. Our urban centres in Canada have been the victim of a process called “downloading,” where the federal and provincial governments have pawned off their responsibilities to municipal governments without covering the costs. The NDP will stop this process and begin providing cities with the necessary funding for issues such as transit, infrastructure and reducing property taxes. In Toronto, specifically, the TTC has been hardest hit by downloading, so the NDP will work to redirect money already collected with the gas tax and invest it into cities, as requested by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Brian Petz, president, Ryerson Campus Conservatives
1. After over a decade of Liberal-appointed judges and lax criminal law, Canada’s justice system lost its teeth. Criminals need to have real consequences for their actions. Tougher sentences for violent crimes need to be enforced and we need a focus on helping the victims of these crimes. This bleeding heart Liberal view that, “These poor criminals are just victims of our cruel society!” just doesn’t cut it.
2. First off, big cities like Toronto need to get their act together and start balancing their own budgets. Unionized city and transit workers suck the funds out of municipal coffers like you wouldn’t believe. The cities need to start getting a way bigger bang for their buck. After they’ve straightened that up, I would have no problem giving them the extra money they might need to repair roads, infrastructure and start green transit projects. (Just as long as they don’t dig another subway and then fill it back in again!)
