North Island College nursing students will be hosting an all-candidates forum for the North-Island Powell River riding with a focus on issues that affect students.
“We’ve been speaking with students at NIC and gathering questions on the most popular topics we’re hearing about from them,” said Lydia Hardy, one of the student organizers of the event.
The free public event will be held Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Stand Hagen Theatre at NIC’s Comox Valley campus. It will be moderated.
The students are hosting the event as part of a leadership course.
“We wanted to encourage the public and, in particular, students to engage in the 2019 federal election,” said Hardy. “Students have a significant stake in the future of our country. This event will provide a platform to bring student voices forward to our candidates and present people with an opportunity to connect with their candidates and make an informed decision when voting.”
All seven of the North Island–Powell River candidates are confirmed. They are (listed alphabetically): Rachel Blaney, NDP; Mark de Bruijn, Green Party; Shelley Downey, Conservative Party; Carla Neal, Marxist-Leninist; Brian Rundle, People’s Party of Canada; Peter Schwarzhoff, Liberal Party; Glen Staples, independent.
Members of the public will also be able to submit questions on the night of the event.
According to a press release, the final questions will be chosen by relevance to the federal election and the number of similar questions submitted on each topic.
The event will also feature a meet and greet with candidates before the forum, starting at 6 p.m. The last opportunity to submit questions is 6:50 p.m.
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