sa国际传媒 candidates for the party that bills itself as being the most business-friendly are refusing to attend election forums sponsored by the citysa国际传媒 Chamber of Commerce.听
BC Conservative candidates Kristina Loewen, running in sa国际传媒 Centre, and Tara Armstrong, running in sa国际传媒-Lake Country-Coldstream, have declined invitations to participate in the forums.
鈥淚 find it sad that people who want to represent people in their riding and be an elected official are deciding to not get themselves out in front of the electorate, and hear from the people,鈥 the chambersa国际传媒 acting chief executive officer Colleen Clark said in an interview Monday.听
鈥淚鈥檝e never seen this before, and I鈥檝e been doing all-candidate forums since 1994, where candidates from a main party decline to show up,鈥 she said.听
The chamber, one of the largest organizations of its kind in sa国际传媒 with 1,100 members, has organized provincial election forums for many years. It even held an online one during the pandemic election in 2020.
Neither Loewen, a realtor, nor Armstrong, a business person, responded to emails Monday morning asking why they are declining to attend the election forums.听
Gavin Dew, the BC Conservative candidate in sa国际传媒 Mission who ran unsuccessfully for the leadership of the BC Liberal Party in 2022 before it changed its name to the BC United Party, has agreed to participate in the forum.听
鈥淚 have a long history in the business community and I鈥檝e worked with chambers of commerce across the province on both policy and procurement opportunities,鈥 Dew, who replaced Alexandra Wright as the BC Conservatives鈥 candidate in sa国际传媒 Mission this summer, said via email. 鈥淥ur family business, Play Area, is a member of the sa国际传媒 Chamber of Commerce.鈥
Asked what he thought of his fellow BC Conservative candidates not showing up to the chambersa国际传媒 election forums, Dew responded: 鈥淓veryone has different schedules and priorities, and I know everyone is focused on connecting with voters in what is sure to be a close election.鈥
In sa国际传媒 last Friday, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad suggested he doesn鈥檛 care if his candidates don鈥檛 attend election forums.听
鈥淐andidates are free to decide what they want to do in terms of how they want to fight the campaign and how they want to present themselves to the riding,鈥 Rustad said.听
鈥淥ur candidates are out busy every day knocking on doors. I know that, for example, two of our candidates are out there right now knocking on doors in their ridings, fighting for the votes that are needed and making sure they鈥檙e connecting with people,鈥 Rustad said.听
But sa国际传媒-area candidates who are attending the election forums criticized the BC Conservatives for not showing up at the debates, which are being held on three successive mornings beginning Tuesday at the Coast Capri hotel.听
Anna Warwick Sears, NDP candidate for sa国际传媒-Lake Country-Coldstream said: 鈥淗ow can we evaluate people with no track record, who refuse to do interviews, or come to debates where they may be asked challenging, unscripted questions?
鈥淚f Rustad doesn鈥檛 trust his candidates enough to let them speak openly to us, how are we expected to trust them?鈥 Warwick Sears said. 鈥淚tsa国际传媒 an insult to people organizing these forums, and an insult to voters.鈥
sa国际传媒 Centre Independent candidate Michael Humer said: 鈥淚f a candidate won鈥檛 show up and be accountable at a candidates鈥 debate before an election, why would we expect the individual to show up or be accountable after the election?鈥
鈥淧eople deserve to have their priorities heard and answered by potential leaders,鈥 NDP candidate Loyal Wooldridge, running in sa国际传媒 Centre, said via email. 鈥淭he BC Conservatives refuse to show up in community or with a solid plan to overcome our greatest challenges.听
The chamber of commerce said Monday that about 50 tickets had been sold to the first of the three election debates, Tuesday's 7:30 a.m. affair focusing on the sa国际传媒 Mission riding.听
Wednesday is the debate for sa国际传媒-Lake Country-Coldstream, and Thursdaysa国际传媒 is for sa国际传媒 Centre. Ticket price, which includes breakfast, is $35 for chamber members, $40 for non-members.听
Last week, Independent Stephen Johnston was the only one candidate who showed up at an election forum for the riding of West sa国际传媒-Peachland that was hosted by the Greater Westside Board of Trade.听
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