Jackson, Robinson face off in debate

Two of the three candidates running in Brandon-Souris faced off Wednesday evening in the riding’s only debate of the 2025 federal election campaign.

With voting day next Monday, Conservative Grant Jackson and New Democrat Quentin Robinson debated at Brandon University on topics ranging from police, the CBC, their personal strengths, taxes, affordability and diversity, equity and inclusion. More than 100 people were in attendance at Evans Theatre.

The only other candidate in the riding, Liberal Ghazanfar Ali Tarar, did not participate in the debate, citing an emergency medical procedure his wife was undergoing in Winnipeg.

Policing was a subject of discussion at the debate, as panellist Chris Hunt, a political science researcher at BU, raised the question of funding and pathways into the future. “Is the RCMP up for the task?” Hunt asked. “And how do we support policing security in rural areas?”

Both candidates said they support the police and that concerns stem from a lack of resources rather than shortcomings from officers themselves.

“If ‘up for the task’ means the members of the RCMP are sort of incapable of doing a good job, I would contest that,” said Robinson. “I believe, although there are problems in the RCMP from time to time, by and large, members do their best to do their job as best they can with the tools afforded them. There’s obviously room for improvements internally. There have been some issues, as we know.”

Robinson said police need to be adequately staffed, with support from all levels of government, particularly rural Manitoba detachments that are faced with large coverage areas that make their jobs difficult.

Jackson held a similar position. He said he supported a focus on getting people into recruitment and graduating more officers as a way to improve the system.

“Let’s be very clear about that. I think they do an excellent job,” Jackson said. “I think they are one of the best police forces in the world for what they do. They are absolutely strapped right now, in terms of the demand, because of the fentanyl and the drug-fuelled crisis, but also because of a lack of recruits. Depot (Division) was closed during the pandemic for a number of years. If you go for a couple years without graduating classes coming out of a program, you’re going to be short for a while because … retirements are still happening. And in fact, they were happening faster during COVID than they were ever before.

“So we need to do everything we can as a federal government to support the RCMP, to help them recruit more people, perhaps to expand the class sizes at Depot and ensure we’re getting more officers through that program … in Regina, and make sure that they are then servicing our communities. But I think the federal government has a big role to play in that.”

When it came to the publicly funded journalism outlet CBC, panellist Kelly Saunders questioned Jackson on his party’s plan to defund portions of the broadcaster. Jackson defended the position, saying the broadcaster could transform into a non-profit.

“I think there are folks that certainly identify with the CBC as an organization that is part of the fabric of Canada over the last number of decades that it’s existed. I don’t expect the CBC to disappear. I expect it to function as a non-profit, as many organizations in the country do.”

Jackson added that while the CBC holds a value in the Canadian market, it needs to adjust its programming to a changing landscape.

“I don’t personally watch mainstream media. Most people, I think, from a younger generation, in fact, are probably guilty of not subscribing to cable at all. So I think these platforms are changing as to how the Canadian public is consuming information, and the media landscape in the country needs to adapt as well.”

Robinson received support from the audience, winning the first applause of the night, when he pledged his support for the CBC.

“Lifelong CBC fan, and it’s hard for me to imagine a Canada without the CBC in the form that it is now,” said Robinson. “Because cutting federal funding means you cut funding to anything and services are going to be reduced. CBC is the voice in communities, the only radio voice, and sometimes always, a voice that has penetrated the far reaches of our country, our frontier areas, and helps people in those places feel Canadian as a result of having that service reach them.

“I think in an age of misinformation and disinformation, CBC has a potential. You can talk about it as being ‘government funded’ or ‘publicly funded.’ And I strongly prefer publicly funded, because it’s easy to make it sound like a voice of the government, which it is not. This is the voice of the people.”

Robinson said if the broadcaster underwent funding cuts it would be pressured into business motivations and may succumb to pressure to become an “infotainment” station rather than a news station, as it looks to increase revenue to fill the gap. He said it was critical to protect the quality of CBC’s work.

Age became a topic of discussion in the debate when Jackson leveraged his youth — he is in his late 20s — to answer a question about why he is a good candidate.

“I think it’s important to have a younger voice in Ottawa. I think I’ve got the necessary experience, having worked both provincially and federally, to get things done. We know there’s a lot of challenges. We’ve barely scratched the surface in terms of the challenges that are facing this country. I think it’s important to have somebody both with a younger perspective and some energy, but also somebody who knows how to get things done, both in Winnipeg and in Ottawa, to build bridges between the provincial and federal governments and this region. And I believe that I have the skills needed to make a real impact and deliver results for the Westman and Brandon residents. And so that’s why I believe I’m the best candidate on the ballot.”

Robinson replied that he has experience that comes with age. And he said he represents a change for constituents, especially by offering a new perspective the riding hasn’t seen for some time on how to represent many people who he said would benefit from him at the helm.

“I have a lot of experience, and I know that youth, the vibrancy of youth brings its own kind of gifts, and I will not discount folks in any way. But there are things that one learns with the passage of years, and especially in the time of crisis,” said Robinson. “I think that imparts a little bit less panic, maybe a little bit more stability in the measures and the view that a person might bring to them. So the experience is a big part of it, and I also just think that we need something different in Brandon.”

Robinson has lived in west and central Manitoba for 30 years. He worked as a grain farmer and livestock producer for roughly a decade. He then changed paths and spent three decades as a United Church minister, as well as working as a marriage and family therapist. He’s lived in Brandon the last nine years.

Robinson ran as a candidate for the NDP in Brandon West in the 2023 provincial election. He lost by under 100 votes to sitting Progressive Conservative MLA Wayne Balcaen.

Jackson was born and raised in Souris. He graduated from BU with a bachelor of arts degree and honours. He has been involved with federal and provincial politics for more than 10 years, working for MP Larry Maguire and former Tory leader Heather Stefanson. Jackson was elected as MLA for Spruce Woods in 2023, resigning from the position to run federally.

If Jackson wins election on Monday, he would become the youngest-serving MP to represent Brandon-Souris since the riding’s creation in 1953.

» cmcdowell@brandonsun.com