There was a lively debate over minimum wage at a Sarnia-Lambton all candidates meeting Tuesday with the June 7 provincial election just over a week away.
The debate at the Sarnia Golf and Curling Club was jointly hosted by the Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce and Seaway Kiwanis club.
Liberal Party candidate Neil Wereley challenged incumbent Progressive Conservative Bob Bailey on his support for the minimum wage.
"Our party increased minimum wage 13 times in the last 15 years and the Conservative party voted against every single one of them," Wereley said. "Bob said that he supported a basic guaranteed income and the Conservative Party voted against it."
Wereley accused Bailey of claiming credit for things he voted against expropriating money for -- including $100-million at NOVA and $88-million in infrastructure funds coming to the city.
"Bob's party has advocated rolling back the minimum wage," Wereley said. "He would actually implement legislation that would take one dollar away per hour, to bring the minimum wage back to $14."
Bailey, who's served as Sarnia-Lambton's MPP since 2007, told Wereley he's voted against every Liberal government budget, and he's proud of it.
"The first budget did away with Lambton Generating Station, killed all kinds of jobs there," Bailey said. "The other budget destroyed the horse racing industry in Ontario."
Bailey told Wereley he had his facts wrong on the guaranteed income pilot.
"I did support, here locally, for this community to be identified as a guaranteed annual wage. We didn't get it here. But, I did support that because I do know that people do need more money to get by," said Bailey.
Bailey believes his party's plan to reduce the provincial income tax for anyone earning less than $30,000 is a better route.
"I'm convinced that's far better to have people working. To have a job. The best step out of poverty is to have a job," said Bailey.
NDP candidate Kathy Alexander, Green Party candidate Kevin Shaw and Fanina Kodre of the Century Party said they support a $15/hr minimum wage.
Trillium candidate Andy Bruziewicz said he supports measures that reduce the size of extreme income polarization.
Jeff Lozier of the None of the Above Direct Democracy Party did not attend.