Waterloo candidates on what they think an ethical government looks like

Ethics and the ethical behaviour of Canadian politicians has been a major theme in this fall's federal election and Waterloo NDP candidate Lori Campbell says she's not suprised.

"It was a concern of mine which is probably one of the reasons that I chose to bring my name forward and to run in this election," she said in an interview Friday.

"I think it's extremely important for the public to have faith in our institutions and trust that they're going to operate under with under principles of good integrity."

She says being a Member of Parliament should be seen as a privilege and responsibility to represent the people, not any kind of position of power.

"It's something I've been taught in our indigenous philosophies," Campbell said.

"I've been feeling quite disheartened about things that have been said and promises that haven't been followed through on and I think that having some people with good integrity is really what's going to make a difference in the coming election."

Conservative candidate Jerry Zhang said there have been clear ethical violations by the Liberal party, pointing specifically to the SNC Lavalin controversy.

"Canadians are losing faith in our government justice system," he said.

Zhang was asked about his own party's leader, Andrew Scheer, and questions arising about his dual citizenshipafter criticizing other politicians for the same and the credentials onhis resume.

Scheer, Zhang said, is like a lot of Canadians whose parents immigrated or who immigrated themselves to the country. He said Scheer is in the process of renouncing his citizenship.

"I don't see a problem," Zhang said.

Learn from mistakes

The Liberals have faced a number of questions about how the party has handled such issues, but Waterloo Liberal candidate Bardish Chagger says the party doesn't ignore Canadians when they criticize the government.

"Our current government has had violations, but I will say, what do we learn out of them? And if we can learn from them, evolve and grow, and continue focusing on our job, it's important," she said.

"But the prime minister on every occasion has not only taken responsibility, he has looked at the recommendations and we have put measures into place to ensure that we strengthen and continue delivering for Canadians."

And, Chagger says she believes voters can trust Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.

"I have confidence in Justin Trudeau. I believe he's exactly the leader we need as we move forward," she said.

People's Party of Canada candidate Erika Traub said voters don't like to be lied to and when there are lies, it erodes confidence in politics.

"The first lesson we teach our children is to tell the truth and the truth in politics is the most unpopular thing to say," Traub said. "That has to stop."

Traub called on politicians to "not shout each other down" but instead have an open debate and discuss controversial issues "openly and respectfully."

There's no need for name-calling or yelling in the House of Commons, she said.

"It's all about respect and telling the truth. That's what we need more of and also I think what the public really wants to see," she said.

Defining issue of the election?

Kirsten Wright of the Green Party said people running for office need to have integrity.

"If the Liberals had that kind of integrity, we wouldn't need to be running this campaign for science-backed climate targets. Right? They wouldn't have bought a pipeline they wouldn't have had SNC Lavalin," she said.

"If the Conservatives had integrity, they wouldn't be running on undoing all of the progress that the Liberals did. And if the NDP had that kind of integrity, they wouldn't have taken our platform only after losing seats to us."

She said the Green Party doesn't whip votes, which means local MPs can vote their conscience and the will of the people in their ridings.

"I think this is probably the defining issue for this election: Do we have the integrity to rise to solve our greatest challenges?" she said. "Do we have the integrity to speak truth to power?"