NDP candidate Malcom Allen used his opening remarks at the Tuesday night gathering in Port Colborne to inform the public that this election was about deciding who will put you and your family first.

"There are 150 jobs lost every day," said Allen. "Canadians are drowning in debt."

The event was presented by the Port Colborne-Wainfleet Chamber of Commerce. A panel consisting of Karen Bird, Sandy White and Gary Talosi asked the questions.

Jennifer Mooradian, candidate for the Green Party, agreed with Allen that costs in Canada were rising. She also said that while the Green Party is normally thought of as a one-goal party, it's not.

"Climate change is affecting so many things," said Mooradian.

The first question of the night asked candidates to outline their parties strategies on poverty reduction.

Jody DiBartolomeo, an independent candidate who formerly ran under the NDP, said that poverty reduction can't be handled with one or two simple little policies. Poverty is a result of the economic and political system.

"In Canada we don't have a social housing program," said DiBartolomeo. "We need a national social housing program to help people who can't afford to live otherwise."

DiBartolomeo also said that Canada should get out of the Free Trade Agreement.

Liberal candidate John Maloney said his party was working on a 30-50 plan. The plan would see overall poverty reduced by 30 per cent in five years and child poverty reduced by 50 per cent in five years. He also said that the GST reduction by two per cent, implemented by the Conservative party, hasn't helped the economy.

The second question touched closer to home -- it asked candidates to give in specifics what their parties would do to address job losses, given the 800 jobs being lost at John Deere and the 235 laid off from Henniges.

Allen said there needed to be strategies in place to put workers first. He said trade rules allow corporations like Deere to leave the area.

"It needs to be fair, not free," said Allen. "If you want to sell things here, you have to build them here."

Conservative candidate Alfred Kiers disagreed with Allen, saying that what the NDP were suggesting would be difficult because someone would need to police it.

"We need to rebrand Niagara," said Kiers. "And build up the talent pool."

The environment also played a role in the candidate's debate when they were asked what their vision and plan was to protect Canadians from the enormous impact of climate change.

"Every policy must be screened from an ecological perspective," said DiBartolomeo. "Politics must become eco-politics."

Allen said that the place to start would be with big polluters and making them pay by taxing them. He also said we need to lower our carbon footprint.

Kiers disagreed with both the Liberal and NDP candidates, saying that a carbon tax will only kill jobs. As well, he said, both the Liberal and NDP parties believe that people deliberately pollute on purpose, a point with which he disagreed.

"The Conservative party wants to implement a 20-20 plan," said Kiers. "The plan is to reduce emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020."