Spruce Woods candidates spar on health care, ‘parental rights’ at final debate

SPRUCEWOODS — Gender education and health-care issues were awkwardly discussed Wednesday night during the second and final all-candidates debate prior to next week’s provincial byelection.

Progressive Conservative Colleen Robbins was the only candidate who vocalized concerns about sexuality issues in public schools, saying she believes parents need to be responsible for their children.

The candidates were asked their thoughts on so-called parental rights issues, as well as library books tied to identity issues such as LGBTTQ* subjects in schools.

“What I do know is, simply, I don’t believe that teachers should be responsible,” Robbins said. “Our parents should be responsible for their children, not the teacher … I believe that the parents should be involved until their child is an adult.”

Robbins said she doesn’t discriminate against people based on their sexuality or identity.

“I’ve always said that, but I honestly, I accept queers, I accept them all, and I have friends that are them. I have a campaign manager that is gay,” she said. “And I want to make it straight that I am not against any gay, lesbians whatsoever. I have lots of friends that are.”

Liberal candidate Stephen Reid, a teacher, refuted the idea that educators are involved in any way in shaping the identity of students.

“There is no way a student is going to get any sort of push towards being trans, gay, lesbian, etc., or change the chemistry of your body or whatever is also being suggested here,” said Reid.

“As far as teachers being responsible for children versus parents, as a teacher, I’m with my students seven, eight hours a day. I am very responsible for them, and I’m very involved in their community and their lives, but there is certainly no indoctrination.”

NDP candidate Ray Berthelette, who has worked as a Realtor, did not offer comments on the issue.

Other topics at the debate — which drew about 90 people to the Sprucewoods Community Hall in the Rural Municipality of Cornwallis — included health care, roads and social media.

After it was noted that Robbins had deleted years-old social media posts during the byelection, panellist and Free Press columnist Deveryn Ross asked the other two candidates to clarify if they had done the same. Both candidates said they had.

Berthelette said he deleted a post regarding the Clinton family, and Reid said he had deleted a post where he felt he had been “sucked” into a debate with an NDP supporter.

On the issue of health care, Robbins, a former nurse, criticized the NDP government, saying the party has not delivered results it campaigned on.

“Go back to the 2023 election, 90 per cent of that election was about health care and how the NDP have the plan to fix it. I have not seen any of that plan,” she said. “I have not seen anything that has been fixed. I would say it’s went backwards and backwards.”

Berthelette responded that the NDP has only been in office for two years, not enough time to patch up the shortcomings he blamed on the previous Tory government.

“Yes, there’s some issues with doctors and health-care professionals. But we are working hard to get those rectified,” said Berthelette, who said he stood by the NDP plan to double the size of its medical training program at Brandon University, adding 10 new seats.

Robbins said the province could follow in the footsteps of Saskatchewan, where she said doctors are attracted by a $50,000 incentive to stay in the province for three years.

The Liberal candidate said fights between the Tories and NDP prevent solutions on health care.

“We have a crisis, and the money that is needed for that crisis is being put inside the Perimeter,” when it should be placed into rural communities, said Reid.

The Spruce Woods constituency has been represented by a Tory since it was first contested in 2011. The NDP is fighting for the seat and made its presence felt in the Westman area with multiple funding announcements prior to the byelection call.

Advance voting remains open until Aug. 25, with election day on Aug. 26.

The winner will replace Grant Jackson, who stepped down in March and was later elected Conservative MP for Brandon-Souris.

— Brandon Sun