Federal election candidates to square off at all-candidates meeting focused on agriculture and rural issues
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It will be a big one.
The debate scene for federal election candidates in Oxford County is growing once more, this time with an event to address agriculture and rural issues hosted by the local federation of agriculture.
Those are crucial election grounds for candidates in Oxford County, with rural residents and farmers controlling a significant portion of the vote.
“Agriculture is such a large part of everything that we do and live and breathe every day. Even if we’re not on farms, people are affected by the decisions that are made by the government, when it comes to agriculturally related issues,” said Amy Matheson, spokesperson for the Oxford County Federation of Agriculture.
“Everyone eats!”
The event, billed as an all-candidates forum, will take place at the Embro Community Centre Hall on Oct. 1 at 8 p.m.
The format will favour audience questions, Matheson said.
Audience members can prepare and submit queries at the event, and each candidate will have about a minute to respond.
“Then, if time allows, we’re happy to sort of open it up to a less formal Q&A, provided we’re focusing on agricultural issues,” Matheson added.
Nearly all of the local candidates will be at the meeting.
Dave MacKenzie (Conservative), Don McKay (Liberal), Zoe Kunschner (NDP) and Melody Aldred (Christian Heritage Party) have all committed to the event, Matheson said.
The event joins the line up of all-candidates meetings planned for Oxford, including those focused on social issues and the economy.
But in the Dairy Capital, it’s important to have a debate that's exclusively geared to agriculture, Matheson said.
“We’re definitely, in Ontario, the number one economic driver (agriculturally). So it’s important that we make sure the message we have as farmers, and as people living in rural Oxford County, that that message is then brought to the government at a federal level,” she said.
“Agriculture is top of mind.”