Dear editor,
Democracy took a hit in North Island—Powell River in the recent federal election. Twice, I and many others went to the Tidemark Theatre to attend an all-candidates public meeting. Twice they were cancelled, which gave Campbell Riverites no other public opportunities to hear the candidates present their platforms and ask them pertinent questions on important issues.
Add to this, the Conservative candidate was not a resident of this riding but was parachuted in from Victoria. Soon there were a multitude of signs bearing his name all over Campbell River. It wasn't long before he jumped into a lead in the polls. Who is this person, I wondered? Soon, it was made public that in the recent past he had made troubling statements on social media denying the genocidal impacts of the residential schools.Calls went out for the Conservative Party to withdraw his candidacy.
When all-candidates public meetings were held in Powell River and Comox, he was a no-show. He would likely have done the same in Campbell River if a public meeting had been held. Was this a Conservative Party ploy to discourage their candidates from showing up at such public meetings, thus not risking their exposure to public scrutiny and pointed questions? All this is quite troubling to me.
With democracy under siege in Trumpland and in many other countries of the world, we in Canada must be ever more vigilant in the defence of democracy. I hope we can do a better job of this in Campbell River and the North Island—Powell River constituency in future elections.
- Murray Etty, Campbell River
