Political
      flashback
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Some
      thoughts
      on
      the
      UPEI
      candidates’
      forum
     
    
   
   
    
     
      n
      Thursday,
      October
      2
      1,
      the
      students
      at
     
     
      UPEI
      had
      the
      opportunity
      to
      listen
      to
     
     
      and
      question
      the
      candidates
      running
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      giving
      vague
      but
      hopeful
      comments
      on
      revising
     
     
      the
      CSLP
      completely,
      to
      Judson
      (CHP)
      asking
     
     
      why
      students
      were
      looking
      for
      ‘‘handouts’’
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      people
      with
      physical
      difficulties
      were
      broached,
     
     
      the
      wisdom
      of
      creating
      jobs
      in
      the
      country’s
     
     
      infrastructure
      through
      highways
      and
      construc-
     
     
      tion
      was
      questioned,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      office
      in
     
     
      Hillsborough.
      The
     
     
      candidates
      from
      the
     
     
      Progressive
      Con-
     
     
      servative,
      Liberal,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "I
      found
      many
      of
      the
      candidates’
      answers
     
     
      unsatisfactory,
      and
      judging
      from
      the
      murmur-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      CHP’s
      definition
     
     
      ofa
      ‘‘traditional
      fam-
     
     
      ily’’
      was
      requested,
     
     
      and
      the
      plan
      to
      insti-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      New
      Democratic,
      a
      »
      tute
      mandatory
      AIDS
     
     
      National,
      Natural
      ing
      I
      was
      hearing
      around
      me
      and
      the
      looks
      on
      testing
      fora
      Canadi-
     
     
      Law,
      and
      Christian
      ’
      ‘
      .
      pp
      ans
      (also
      a
      CHP
     
     
      Heritagepartieswere
      People’s
      faces,
      I
      think
      many
      agreed
      with
      me..."
      _
      poticy)
      was
      generally
     
     
      all
      present.
      The
      Re-
      ridiculed.
     
    

    
     
      form
      party
      candidate
      It
      was
      also
      inter-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      was
      conspicuous
      by
      his
      absence.
      Whitty
      (Re-
     
     
      form)
      had
      publicly
      stated
      that
      he
      would
      not
      be
     
     
      a
      part
      ofa
      debate
      that
      also
      included
      the
      Natural
     
     
      Law
      Party
      candidate.
      UPEI
      President
      C.W.J.
     
     
      Eliot
      moderated
      the
      debate.
      Opening
      com-
     
     
      ments
      followed
      party
      lines,
      with
      little
      in
      the
      line
     
     
      of
      individual
      thought
      or
      commitment
      to
      spe-
     
     
      cific
      policies.
      This
      was
      expected
      by
      most
      in
      the
     
     
      audience.
      Once
      the
      issues
      were
      touched
      upon
     
     
      by
      the
      candidates,
      the
      floor
      was
      opened
      to
     
     
      students’
      questions.
      |
      Many
      of
      the
      questions
     
     
      concerned
      the
      Canada
      Student
      Loans
      Programme
     
     
      and
      the
      problem
      of
      funding
      in
      general.
      Candi-
     
     
      dates’
      responses
      ranged
      from
      Crane
      (NDP)
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      saying
      that
      there
      are
      ‘‘no
      free
      rides’’
      in
      this
     
     
      world.
      This
      was
      when
      people
      started
      shouting.
     
    

    
     
      I
      found
      many
      of
      the
      candidates’
      answers
     
     
      unsatisfactory,
      and
      judging
      from
      the
      murmur-
     
     
      ing
      I
      was
      hearing
      around
      me
      and
      the
      looks
      on
     
     
      people’s
      faces,
      I
      think
      many
      agreed
      with
      me;
     
     
      however,
      not
      every
      statement
      was
      booed.
      The
     
     
      question
      was
      raised
      as
      to
      whether
      the
      parties
     
     
      would
      involve
      students
      more
      directly
      in
      affairs
     
     
      such
      as
      funding.
      Crane
      admitted
      that
      consulta-
     
     
      tion
      between
      student
      groups
      and
      government
     
     
      was
      needed,
      and
      people
      applauded.
     
    

    
     
      There
      were
      questions
      posed
      which
      did
      not
     
     
      deal
      with
      student
      aid.
      The
      problems
      faced
      by
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      esting
      when
      students
      and
      candidates
      began
      to
     
     
      publicly
      question
      one
      another’s
      ‘‘facts’’.
      For
     
     
      example,
      the
      percentage
      of
      students
      who
      de-
     
     
      fault
      on
      their
      student
      loans
      was
      given
      as
      25%
     
     
      and
      5.2
      %
      by
      different
      sources.
      The
      lower
     
     
      figure
      is
      correct.
      MacMillan
      (PC)
      disagreed
     
     
      with
      the
      statement
      that
      his
      party
      has
      failed
      to
     
     
      increase
      the
      dollar
      amount
      awarded
      to
      students
     
     
      for
      approximately
      10
      years.
      He
      is
      wrong,
     
     
      according
      to
      government
      documents.
     
    

    
     
      My
      opinion
      after
      leaving
      the
      debate
      was
      that
     
     
      the
      more
      I
      listened
      to
      politicians,
      the
      less
      sure
      I
     
     
      became
      about
      my
      opinions.
     
    

    
     
      SHANNON
      YOUNKER
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CAMPUS
      COMMENT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      What
      do
      you
      think
      of
      the
      election
      results?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Worst
      day
      in
      Canadian
      history
      because
      the
     
     
      opposition
      is
      a
      group
      of
      people
      who
      want
      to
     
     
      destroy
      the
      country
      as
      we
      know
      it.
     
    

    
     
      Chris
      Martin
     
    

    
     
      3rd
      year
      Bio
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Really
      good
      election
      because
      of
      the
      regional
     
     
      representation
      in
      the
      house
      of
      commons
      so
      we
     
     
      can
      screw
      first
      minister
      meetings.
      Now
      we.can
     
     
      just
      ask
      the
      ‘‘block’’
      leaders
      what
      they
      think.
     
     
      Darren
      Stretch
     
    

    
     
      2nd
      year
      business
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      didn’t
      like
      breaking
      the
      country
      into
      regional
     
     
      blocks
      with
      separate
      interests.
      I
      hope
      Chretien
     
     
      can
      pull
      the
      parts
      together
      to
      form
      a
      national
     
     
      outlet.
     
    

    
     
      Peter
      Trueman
     
    

    
     
      4th
      year
      Political
      Studies
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      4,
      1993/X-Press/9