Rose Theatre debate draws out commitments on infrastructure, multiculturalism and cybersecurity

If voters could draft a dream team of politicians like a game of fantasy football, the correct choices ahead of this election could make Brampton’s problems vanish.

Picking the right team would, hypothetically, deliver two-way all-day GO services, a fully functional LRT, the Ontario Line and a brand-new hospital. Those were just some of the promises candidates made during the city’s all-party debate at the Rose Theatre on Wednesday night. 

The stage was crowded, as all candidates from the Greens, NDP, PPC, Liberals and Conservative Party were invited to take part. The affair dragged at times and fell into vague repetition of the national platform, but brief moments of genuine debate yielded informative responses about infrastructure, multiculturalism and cybersecurity.

Clockwise from top left: Maninder Sidhu (Lib-Brampton East), Ephraim Roger Sampson (PPC-Brampton West), Melissa Edwards (NDP-Brampton North), Ramona Singh (CPC-Brampton East), Sonia Sidhu (Lib-Brampton South), and Norbert D'Costa (Green-Brampton North)

Some candidates failed to turn up. The PPC had four in attendance and the Greens three, while the NDP boasted all five. Kamal Khera (Brampton West) was the only Liberal candidate missing, while Pawanjit Gosal (Brampton Centre), Murarilal Thapliyal (Brampton West) and Ramandeep Brar (Brampton South) of the Conservative Party all chose not to attend. 

Tactical or not, the move worked out well for the Conservatives. Two strong candidates, Arpan Khanna (Brampton North) and Ramona Singh (Brampton East), were allowed to answer all questions in place of missing colleagues with a looser grip on the language or public speaking. Ruby Sahota (Liberal, Brampton North) similarly tried to commandeer a question on diversity intended for her present colleague, Maninder Sidhu (Brampton East). However, a moderator shut down the incumbent, telling her it was “kind of unfair” to have her substitute.

Given more than his fair share of questions, Arpan Khanna shone. He spoke well, offering concrete proposals and demonstrating an impressive knowledge of the city. The candidate made no fewer than six commitments to the city, if elected.

“I could easily point blame and say the city isn’t sending us projects, but I want to sit down with council, work with Patrick Brown, work with the premier of Ontario, to see what projects we can fund,” he told assembled voters.

In a short and passionate response, Khanna signed up to increase service in both directions on the Kitchener-Waterloo GO line, extend the TTC subway’s planned Ontario Line all the way out to Brampton and fund the city’s LRT dreams down Main Street. 

The Liberal incumbent for Brampton Centre, Ramesh Sangha, also committed to funding an LRT in Brampton, alongside further funding for electric buses.

Where the Liberal and Conservative candidates offered specific new promises, the NDP were quiet in the wake of their earlier announcements. The lack of discussion on health care, which all five NDP candidates cited in their closing remarks, left them with no space to flaunt the new hospital their leader is already promising Brampton.

The Green candidates struggled on some specific local issues and demands for commitment. Jane Davidson (Brampton West) apologized and said she had no answer to a question on how to innovate in Brampton. The PPC also floundered: Brampton Centre candidate Guarav Walia said he was not given enough detail in a question about the Brampton Riverwalk Project to respond. 

Clockwise from top left: Arpan Khanna (CPC-Brampton North), Ramesh Sangha (Lib-Brampton Centre), Baljit Singh Bawa (PPC-Brampton Centre), Jordan Boswell (NDP-Brampton Centre), Ruby Sahota (Lib-Brampton North) and Pauline Thornham (Green-Brampton Centre)

In addition to the city’s infrastructure goals, candidates also addressed the idea that Brampton could become a world leader in cybersecurity.

After the collapse of Brampton’s plans for a university hub, which the NDP has pledged to restore, an alternative arose. With the backing of Ryerson University and federal and private funding, the Cybersecurity Catalyst project launched in June. It’s expected to create more than 700 jobs.

Pressed on the opportunity to create a new reputation for Brampton, the candidates again offered some pretty ambitious promises. Melissa Edwards of the NDP (Brampton North) told voters her party would make Brampton a cybersecurity world leader within 10 years, while Conservative Khanna said he would begin work “on Day 1” of his term to recruit international software talent to come to the city. 

The candidates traded blows across various issues. The NDP and Conservatives took various pops at the Liberal Party, while incumbents told voters their party was the only fiscally responsible and realistic option.

Khanna, who had the floor more than any other candidate, also praised Patrick Brown’s policy on city hall. He said the number of community celebrations that took place in the building was an inspiration and said he wanted a similar open-door policy in Ottawa.

“Every single month we see some kind of celebration happening in [city hall in] our community, because this is our city,” he said. “And the same thing has to happen in our country as well. I want to make sure that we open up the doors to Parliament Hill.” 

Finally, Khanna said he would like to explore the creation of an education centre for cultural diversity in Brampton, particularly based around educating people against anti-Black racism. 

If the debate at Rose Theatre belonged to anyone, it was the people of Brampton. Though candidates dodged a number of questions, a few huge commitments came out of the evening that could see Brampton realize its long-talked-about potential.

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Twitter: @isaaccallan