All Candidates Debate: A Packed House!

The room was packed--some attendees
listened from the hallway.

Students, staff, faculty, and community members crowded into the room last week to hear this region's four candidates share their views on student poverty, immigration, marijuana, and more. 

Member were given a few minutes to introduce themselves and their party platform, and then the questions began. 

Lambton College Professor Lois Nantais, our debate moderator,
kept us organized and focused.

To keep the candidates on their toes, the debate featured a "lightning round": each candidate was invited to ding in to answer speed questions including the light (favourite book, favourite band) and the serious (personal relationships with poverty).

One hour was not enough. We spilled into hour two, but still, time ran out, because we all have questions that need answering. Audience members were invited to submit questions via Twitter, and we had more than we could handle: what will your party do to make Sarnia a welcoming place for young people to stay? What steps will your party take to ensure Canadian scientists have access to data? What are your thoughts on a woman's right to choose? What really happened to Marilyn Gladu's Twitter account?

The goal was to encourage students to talk about the election and to remind all of us to vote, and that was certainly accomplished. The event also reminded the candidates that they should be listening to what students have to say.