Federal funding, immigration, climate action and tax cuts were all discussed on the Country 600 CKAT candidates debate Thursday morning.

All five of the candidates in Nipissing-Timiskaming took part in the cordial affair.

A question about pharmacare being affordable brought about this exchange on hallway healthcare and new Canadians between Conservative Jordy Carr and People’s Party candidate Mark King.

The NDP’s Rob Boulet says with Canada being a wealthy country there’s no reason why we shouldn’t already have a pharmacare plan.

Liberal Anthony Rota, meantime, says the question should be can we afford not to have pharmacare.

Green Party candidate Alex Gomm also weighed in on the issue.

He pointed to a variety of items like taxing e-commerce, financial transaction taxes, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies and more.

Gomm cited those additional sources of revenue during a discussion about taxation, too.

He says their platform doesn’t include tax cuts.

The question about proposed tax cuts and potential service cuts drew a few exchanges, with Boulet questioning King over a plan to discontinue a $1.2 billion subsidy of the CBC.

Boulet says the NDP would add taxes to the wealthy, transition to a green economy with credits and invest in pharmacare.

King says taxation is out of control and the PPC would review it.

Carr, meantime, outlined a series of tax cuts, but also questioned Rota.

She says 80 percent of the middle class has seen their taxes go up by $800 under the Liberals.

Rota says tax cuts mean cuts elsewhere, so they’ve looked at incentives like the tax-free child benefit and green tech incentives.

Here is the audio of the entire debate.

Election Day is October 21st.