This June, residents in two Toronto ridings will head to the polls. Federal by-elections are being held in both Trinity-Spadina and Scarborough-Agincourt.
In the riding of Trinity-Spadina, New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Olivia Chow resigned her seat in March to run for Toronto’s municipal election next October. In the riding of Scarborough-Agincourt, Jim Karygiannis, who held the seat as a Liberal Party MP since 1988, resigned in April to run for Toronto city council.
In Trinity-Spadina, which encompasses large portions of U of T’s St. George Campus, the candidates are Adam Vaughan for the Liberals, Joe Cressy for the NDP, and Benjamin Sharma for the Conservative Party.
JULIEN BALBONTIN/THE VARSITY
Chow won the riding in 2011 with over 54 per cent of the vote. Christine Innes, the Liberal Party candidate at that time, finished second with 23 per cent of the vote.
Vaughan, a two-term Toronto city councillor who spent over two decades in journalism before making the switch to politics, vowed to fight for affordable post-secondary tuition fees.
“By far, the most pressing issue for Canadian students is affordability and the burden of debt,” said Vaughan, “The debt that graduates carry can hurt their financial stability — and that of their families — long after they leave school.”
Cressy, Chow’s former campaign manager and cofounder of I Heart Public Transit, a campaign by the Trinity-Spadina Federal NDP riding association to develop a national transit strategy, agreed that a greater emphasis on post-secondary education funding is necessary at the federal level.
“After tripling over the past two decades, tuition fees are projected to increase by 13 per cent in the next four years. We need to help the provinces and post-secondary education partners plan by creating targeted funding to reduce tuition fees,” said Cressy.
Cressy also said he will make youth employment a priority. “The youth unemployment rate is nearly double the national average… Creating quality, well-paid jobs for youth has long been a priority for New Democrats.”
Sharma, the recipient of a joint Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Toronto, has been an active member of the Conservative Party since joining in 2004. Sharma said he will continue to support the Conservative Party’s post-secondary education programs.
“As a recent graduate from U of T, I understand the needs and concerns of post-secondary students. Our Conservative government invests annually to support post-secondary education, including financial assistance like Canada Student Grants. I believe in our party’s low tax plan for jobs and growth, and firmly believe it’s the best plan for Canada’s students,” said Sharma.
In Scarborough-Agincourt, the candidates are Trevor Ellis for the Conservative Party, Elizabeth Long for the NDP, and Arnold Chan for the Liberals.
The Liberal Party of Canada has held the riding for over 25 years.
Long, who immigrated to Canada from China as a child, graduated from U of T’s Faculty of Law. She has worked in both corporate and immigration law. Long also supports affordable post-secondary education.
“The NDP is the only party that is committed to bringing the federal government back to its historic role in funding post-secondary education and working with the provinces to reduce tuition fees,” Long said.
Long also highlighted her party’s ties with the student community. “A record number of young MPs were elected into the NDP caucus in the last election, so the youth and student perspective is actually at the table, helping to set the priorities,” she said.
Ellis, a schoolteacher in Scarborough and North York, said he will uphold the Conservative Party’s record of funding post-secondary education.
“Our government, time and time again, has stood up for post-secondary education and university students. We’ve committed nearly $10 billion every year through Canada Student Loans and Canada Student Grants, to help students save and pursue post-secondary education and gain the valuable skills and training they need to succeed in the Canadian job market,” Ellis said.
Chan, a lawyer and U of T alumni in the federal Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, stressed the importance of affordable and efficient transit for students, having personally commuted via TTC as a student.
“I believe that the federal government should invest more in public transit to relieve congestion, make communities more sustainable, and, most importantly, to improve the quality of life of Canadians, including students, who rely on transit immensely,” said Chan.
As of press time, the Green Party of Canada has not announced its candidate for either by-election.
Voting in both by-elections will occur on June 30.
