Kitchener Centre candidates discuss climate change, homelessness, U.S. tariffs

Kitchener Centre voters have seven candidates to choose from in this federal election.

The seven candidates are (in alphabetical order by last name):

CBC K-W invited the candidates from the four major parties. The topics covered included climate change, how to help people and municipalities with homelessness, local companies and the impact U.S. tariffs could have on them.

Adeba of the Liberals says his background is in policy analysis and journalism. He has lived in the riding since 2010 and is married with two children.

Kelly DeRidder of the Conservatives was asked to take part in the panel but her campaign never responded to invitations. Her website says DeRidder has worked in tech as an automation and engineering project manager.

Morris of the Greens is the incumbent in the race after winning the seat in 2021. He says his focus has been on bringing the community's priorities to Ottawa and he's helped secure funding for shelters, advocated for increases to the Canada Disability Benefit and has worked across party lines to get other local issues addressed.

NDP candidate Heather Zaleski also did not take part in the panel and did not respond to invitations to take part in the panel. Zaleski's LinkedIn page shows she is currently a parliamentary assistant in the House of Commons and is located in Windsor. She has previously worked on Ontario NDP and federal NDP campaigns.

Both DeRidder and Zaleski have been sent the questions from the panel. When they respond, their answers will be added to this story.

LISTEN | Federal election candidates from Kitchener Centre take part in panel discussion about top issues:

The panel was held on Tuesday, which was also Earth Day, so the candidates were asked what the federal government has done correctly in recent years when it comes to tackling climate change and what needs to happen going forward.

Morrice said in 2017 the federal government put forward $752 million to get train tracks built for two-way, all-day GO train service between Waterloo region and Toronto.

"We have yet to get a timeline though for completion. And as you and listeners know, I've been up and down in Parliament calling for the federal government to get some accountability," Morrice said.

He said he wants the next government to put pressure on the Ontario government to give a timeline for when the work for two-way, all-day GO trains will be completed.

"I want to go back to Ottawa to continue to fight for that timeline on climate broadly," he added.