On Tuesday, Sept. 16, The Varsity is co-sponsoring a debate between the three major party candidates for the Trinity-Spadina riding in the provincial elections, which will take place at Hart House. Naomi Fance breaks down the candidates and some of their key platform issues.

Helena Guergis

Helena Guergis is the Progressive Conservative candidate. In the fall of 2002 she was re-elected to the PC Party of Ontario’s executive for a third time, as vice president of policy. Currently she is a policy advisor to the Minister of Finance Janet Ecker. Prior to that she worked in the office of the Minister of Education as a caucus relations advisor and as the executive assistant for MPP Joe Tascona. Before entering politics Guergis was involved in volunteer work in her hometown of Angus, Ontario. She worked with a number of charities including the Angus Food Bank and the Barrie Rape Crisis Centre. She was also a small business owner.

The PC platform includes tax breaks for seniors, caregivers, businesses and mortgage interest tax deduction. They want to build on the Tax Payers Protection Act to protect against tax increases and by having more auditing regarding the way that taxes are spent. Debt reduction is an important part of the platform, as is improving healthcare. In terms of education, the PC party plans to continue the enforcement of standardized tests in high school and to prohibit striking by teachers. The Tories are lead by Premier Ernie Eves.

Rosario Marchese

The NDP’s Rosario Marchese is the current MPP in the riding of Trinity-Spadina and has been since 1990, when he won the riding by nearly a 2 to 1 margin. He was an English and French teacher and a public school board trustee. Marchese was elected vice-president of the National Congress of Italian Canadians. He serves as a trustee on the Toronto Public Library Board and chaired the Multilingual Literacy Centre of Toronto. Marchese, a U of T graduate, was also a trustee for the Toronto Board of Education from 1982 to 1990. He was the minister of culture and communications under the Bob Rae government. He is currently the NDP’s education critic.

Marchese believes in keeping hydro, education, healthcare, water and childcare in the public. He would like to change the property tax system, stop education cuts and reduce university tuition by 10 per cent. Marchese also would like to prevent the Island Airport Expansion from ruining the lakefront. The NDP is lead by Howard Hampton.

Nellie Pedro

Nellie Pedro is the Liberal candidate. She was the president of the Federation of Portuguese Canadian Business and Professional Inc., a past member of the United Way Board of Trustees, chair of the United Way Portuguese Community Committee, founding member of the Canada Portugal Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and Davenport School Council chair. In November 2000, Pedro was elected to the Toronto District School Board as Davenport trustee, and currently sits on a number of TDSB committees. Pedro graduated from the Radio & Television Arts program at Ryerson University, and works in her own television and radio production company. She is producer and co-host of Gente da Nossa TV, on City TV-CHIN multicultural programming.

The Liberal platform includes educational reform programs for helping struggling schools and for ensuring well-rounded educations. The Liberals promise to create clean and safe communities, as well as affordable housing. A reduction of urban sprawl and gridlock is also on the agenda. Getting tough on crime and supporting victims rights are also important elements of the Liberal platform. The Liberals are lead by Dalton McGuinty.