P.E.I. party leaders square off in debate ahead of provincial election
CBC
Health care took centre stage as the leaders of Prince Edward Island's four main political parties faced off in a televised debate ahead of the provincial election.
CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin is moderating the debate between Green Party Leader Peter Bevan-Baker, Liberal Leader Sharon Cameron, NDP Leader Michelle Neill and Progressive Conservative Leader Dennis King.
CBC News asked for questions from the public to put to the leaders. The questions were drawn directly from the responses and the leaders have not seen them beforehand.
The debate kicked off with each leader laying out what they would do immediately to prevent the health-care system from collapse. Health care has been one of the biggest issues on the campaign trail, along with housing and the cost of living.
Bevan-Baker said the Greens would increase salaries of health-care workers by 15 per cent, Cameron said the Liberals would make "significant investments" in health care, King pointed to the party's investment in medical homes across the Island and Neill took aim at the Maple app, vowing to ensure public funds are utilized to fund the system.
As debate opened on the health-care system, Bevan-Baker slammed the Liberals and PCs, saying previous governments have been "hellbent" on maintaining the status quo within the system instead of fixing it.
"We have held this government's feet to the fire for four years," he said.
Cameron turned her attention to King, too, questioning how the PC leader can say P.E.I. has the greatest health-care system in the country when tens of thousands are on the patient registry awaiting a primary care physician.
King defended his government and former premiers, saying there is "no magic button" and if there was he would have pressed it, as would former premiers Wade MacLauchlan and Robert Ghiz.
Neill said the health-care system is failing partially because of the amount of paperwork doctors are forced to take on instead of addressing Islanders' issues, saying they shouldn't be making doctors' salaries to take on administration work.
The focus then turned to what's been called the province's "mental health crisis."
King touted the province's mental health and addictions campus — a $200-million project he called the "biggest capital project" in the history of the province — which he said is about 40 per cent complete.
Bevan-Baker and Cameron both jumped in, with Bevan-Baker saying the project is closer to four per cent complete and "Islanders have lost trust in this premier and they're not sure what to believe."
Cameron said not only is the mental health campus delayed but so too is the planned UPEI medical school.
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.