Victoria-Beacon Hill candidates Sonia Furstenau (Green Party of B.C.) and Grace Lore (B.C. NDP) visited Victoria High on Oct. 7 to field questions from students.
"I find that there is extraordinary wisdom in young people," Furstenau said before the event. "Kids are engaged, they're interested in the world around them."
Before student moderator Talia Tuzinde opened the floor to questions, political studies teacher Brian Bradley, who organized the event, explained to the 100-person crowd that Conservative Party of B.C. candidate Tim Thielmann couldn't attend.
Early on, the candidates were asked how they would address the housing crisis.
Lore said the B.C. NDP has plans to build more affordable housing, adding that she is in favour of the protecting below-market complexes already standing in Victoria.
"We just worked with the Greater Victoria Housing Society to buy a building over on Chambers Street, just a couple blocks from here, and one on Michigan, as well," she said about two below-market apartment buildings. "They were going to go up for sale and could be bought by these giant corporations whose only goal is to extract."
Furstenau stressed the need for vacancy control, which she said could help stabilize the cost of housing by preventing landlords from increasing rent between tenants. The candidate added that building more non-market housing, while lobbying the federal government to further tax real-estate investment trusts, could help address the problem.
A student later asked the candidates what they would do to combat the toxic-drug crisis.
Lore stressed the continued need for recovery centres and harm reduction sites, as well as preventative measures, like hiring more counsellors in schools.
While expressing opposition to involuntary care, Furstenau also highlighted the importance of hiring more counsellors, adding that kids should have access to psychologists in schools. Addressing deep-seated issues like poverty locally and across the province could help, too, said the candidate.
"Some people with lived experience [are] saying we can't disconnect this crisis from poverty and inequality, we can't disconnect it from the lack of access to mental health and to health-care services," said Furstenau.
When asked about the conflict in Palestine, both Lore and Furstenau said they would advocate for peace.
"All of us want to have a world in which we know that people can be safe where they live," said Furstenau.
Lore added, "For me, a lot of what this work looks like is showing up in community and for community, at the synagogue, at the mosque, making sure that we are checking in with our community on what community here needs."
Yet another politically minded student asked the candidates about their stance on transgender rights.
"I think you're going to get agreement from both Grace and I," said Furstenau. "We are committed to protecting SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity). We're committed to protecting the human rights of everybody."
After the event, attendees gathered around the candidates to ask questions, shake hands and snap selfies.
Though the students in attendance can't vote, the B.C. NDP candidate recognized the importance of engaging with young constituents.
"When I'm an MLA, I represent everyone in the community – those who vote and those who can't vote. You also learn a lot from youth, from students," said Lore. "You hear what matters."
