Voters, candidates talk election issues at London Chamber of Commerce meet and greet

At a job fair, usually it's the attendees looking for work, not the other way around.

But on Wednesday, nearly a dozen London-area politicians looking to get a job in Parliament paused their door-knocking efforts to set up shop in the downtown event hall of Goodwill Industries for a two-hour meet-and-greet with the people who will decide whether they get the gig.

Organized by the London Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors, the trade show-style event was described as an "informal networking opportunity" for voters, business leaders, and candidates. 

It's a departure from the debates the chamber has hosted previously. CEO Graham Henderson said difficulties persuading candidates to debate, and getting voters to attend, played a role in the change. Other debate organizers have faced similar challenges. 

Compared to a debate, which can look artificial, meet-and-greets let voters and candidates talk in depth, said Bronagh Morgan, a former debate moderator, federal and provincial Green Party candidate, and self-described non-partisan.

Morgan had one key issue in mind — grief and bereavement support. She wants to see a national strategy to help those suffering and prevent related mental health impacts. "It really serves everybody. Everybody, at the end of the day, is going to experience death and loss."

Davon Michel, a marketing and design strategist, came to hear how the candidates would approach U.S. President Donald Trump and trade with other countries.

"Also, I'm looking at the younger generations. How are you incentivizing them to even come out to vote and understand what's going on with politics?"

Of the 16 candidates running in London's three main ridings, 10 participated in the event, including all from London Centre. Absent were the Conservative and Liberal candidates from London–Fanshawe, and the Canadian Future Party, Green Party, and United Party of Canada candidates in London West. Liberal Arielle Kayabaga was listed as attending but didn't make it.

Most candidates told CBC News that Trump's tariffs, annexation threats and the high cost of living were the main issues at the event and at doorsteps.

"Ninety per cent of the conversations are focused on the Trump issue," said Peter Fragiskatos, the Liberal candidate in London Centre, formerly London North Centre, of what he's heard while canvassing.

"Our region is particularly affected. Windsor directly, but also jobs in London, perhaps as many as 10,000 jobs could be lost if this goes any further."

For Conservative Adam Benni in London West, it's tariffs and affordability.

"The two are tied with each other," he said. "What I say to everybody is if you need to tackle Trump, (you) need a strong economy.

"I've knocked on so many doors. I have even seniors who are now going back to work because ... life has become so unaffordable," he said. 

Affordability was top of mind for Yvonne Spicer, a local advocate for people with disabilities, along with questions about the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), Guaranteed Income Supplement, and housing.

Spicer wanted to know how candidates would improve the CDB.

"It launches in July. We only get $200 to live on. How can live someone live on $200 a month, which is $9.76 a day?"

In addition to Trump, voters have also brought up electoral reform and frustrations about strategic voting, said Mary Ann Hodge, the Green Party candidate in London Centre.

It was unfortunate climate change — the party's raison d'être — had taken such a back seat, she said.

"We did have a big ice storm just at the end of March, which is another wake-up call we need to be thinking about emergency preparedness and (making) communities more resilient."

In London-Fanshawe, voters are worried about a lot of things, but namely tariffs and the potential for job losses and a weaker economy, said New Democrat candidate Lindsay Mathyssen.

"That's linked, of course, to all the issues that were there before Trump, with affordability, with grocery prices, housing prices, the social safety net as well."

"The main thing I hear is the cost of living. Taxes, a lot of taxes," said Daniel Buta, Mathyssen's competitor with the People's Party of Canada.

The meet-and-greet format, he added, was beneficial for open conversations with voters about their concerns.

"We're on opposing sides, but we all have the same mentality," he said of other candidates. "We want to serve our constituents."

It also served as a chance for the Canadian Future Party, the incipient, self-described centrist party that formed in August, to get its name out.

"We're not expecting to form government, but we definitely want to change the debate and how policy is developed in Canada," said Bruce Lamb, its London Centre candidate.