In the face of criticism that Conservative federal election candidates are no-shows for public forums and interviews, the party’s campaign managers say they are just setting priorities.
Campaign manager Glen McPherson, on behalf of Nanaimo-Ladysmith Conservative Mark MacDonald, declined an invitation from the Gabriola Ratepayers Association to have MacDonald speak at an all-candidates meeting.
What McPherson wrote in an Aug. 20 email explaining the candidate’s intentions exemplified what critics say is an informal edict to avoid unscripted comments through media interviews or all-candidate debates.
“At this time we will decline all invitations of debates, positions and questionnaires during the election campaign,” McPherson wrote.
“When Mark becomes an elected official you are more than welcome to contact his office, to discuss a variety of issues,” McPherson wrote. “Please know your issue is not being singled out, rather no response will be given any group, party or individual on any of the issues raised.”
Others, such as Bob Bossin and Ivan Bulic of VotesmartNanaimo, a left-leaning group that supports strategic voting, also received the letter when they inquired about an all-candidates meeting.
McPherson defends his email. Regardless of what he wrote, McPherson said the candidate has already accepted invitations to three all-candidates meetings with the chambers of commerce in Nanaimo (Oct. 14) and Ladysmith (Oct. 8); and another at the Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre, Sept. 5.
“We are doing them,” McPherson said. “The fact of the matter is debates are the most useless thing you can do in a campaign. If people want two-way dialogue that’s fantastic, but debates are just a gong show.
“We are not going to do all of them,” McPherson said. “We are not going to walk into set-up debates just so the Greens and the NDP can have fun. My candidate is out on the doorstep every day, day in and day out, and what we’re hearing on the doorstep is quite positive.”
MacDonald was not available for an interview.
Gabriola Ratepayers Association president Erik Andersen said the association is non-partisan and finds any suggestion to the contrary “distasteful.”
“It is no secret that the NDP has had a prominence on Gabriola Island and we scrupulously manage the times and remarks/ questions to keep the political temperature moderate,” Andersen said. “We are sticklers for good manners.”
Nanaimo chamber CEO Kim Smythe confirmed MacDonald’s campaign committed to the debate verbally about a month ago and formally on Aug. 22. Smythe has been told, however, the Conservative candidate won’t appear at the chamber’s all-candidates meeting on Gabriola Island.
Victoria Conservative candidate John Rizzuti, a retired school principal, said his campaign is considering all invitations for all-candidates meetings and he will attend some. “It’s a function of availability and how we prioritize,” Rizzuti said. “Right now I’ve been door-to-door almost nightly. My priority right now is to introduce myself to the voters in our riding … that’s not something I’m prepared to give up readily so I have to weigh that against all the other values.”
Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke Conservative candidate Shari Lukens said she plans to attend as many all-candidates meetings as she can, but that her priority is “knocking on the doors and meeting with constituents face to face and then we’ve got fundraisers and then community meetings and then the debates.”
Lukens said she hasn’t had any direction from party headquarters to avoid debates. “I’m trying to be as engaged and participate in everything I can,” Lukens said.
Campaign manager Teresa Sullivan said Lukens has been invited to up to 12 all-candidates meetings and that preparing for those takes the candidate off the doorstep.
Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce president Bruce Carter said he has a commitment from three of the four main parties for three all-candidates meetings: Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke on Sept. 29; Saanich-Gulf Islands on Sept. 30; Victoria on Oct. 1. But there’s been no commitment yet from Conservative candidates.
“I will work very hard to have the four principal parties attend,” Carter said.
