At what point does a non-partisan town hall event turn into a campaign rally?
I had some mixed feelings going in to the BC Townhalls event last week. I had no idea who the speakers would be, and while I thought I knew a bit about expect, it certainly wasn’t to find myself in a campaign rally for the BC Conservative Party. It wasn’t until I was sitting down in the crowd that I found out three of the five speakers on the panel were candidates running or planning on running for the party, including the party’s leader John Rustad. What was marketed as an informative evening about some dense government bills turned into a mix of conspiracy theory and fear mongering. At one point the words “authoritarianism” were flashed on screen in bold lettering.
No wonder people are scared. I would be too, if I was as immersed in that rhetoric as some people are.
In fairness, the organizers told the crowd that they’d invited Premier David Eby and local MLA Michele Babchuk, both of whom did not attend. But I think they knew as well as I what the event truly was.
The event was one of many being held around the province. Some panel speakers in other communities did not have the same name-recognition as the who’s who of North Island Conservatives, but the mood and information was much of the same.
One of my favourite things about living in Canada is the fact that our election campaigns only last a few weeks. For the upcoming provincial election, the pre-campaign period beings on July 23. That’s usually when the electioneering starts taking place. However I’ve noticed things changing in that regard over the last few years.
I’m afraid we’re learning too much from our neighbours to the south. Every party, it would seem, is on the constant campaign trail. This is not just a right-wing phenomenon either. I covered the announcement of the federal Green Party’s candidate last May, when I spoke to NDP leader Jagmeet Singh earlier this year much of his message was about opposing the Conservatives’ policies, and now this thinly-veiled campaign stop months before anyone else is doing it.
The government is still in session. I think their time would be better spent governing, rather than trying to scare people into voting for them. There is work to be done, so instead of jumping the gun and hitting the campaign trail, politicians should be out doing the work. I get that part of politics is pushing back against the other guys, having debates and whatnot. But this is just getting to be too much. Politicians need to finish the job this time around, before they start thinking about the next one.
BC Townhalls’ website says they are non-partisan, and are not affiliated with any political party. When the only people who speak are affiliated with a certain political party, that seems a bit hard to believe.