OPINION: An update after disappointing Castlegar All Candidates Forum
By Kyra Hoggan
Update:
Unfortunately, the really big news coming out of last night’s All Candidate Forum in Castlegar was that less than one per cent of the Greater Castlegar population attended – roughly 55 people.
Hopefully, residents will inform themselves via media and the Internet about the various candidates – but I’m afraid this doesn’t bode well for voter turn-out between now and election day on May 14 (I think many are discouraged by what they consider a foregone conclusion in this race). Although, the gorgeous weather is often advantageous in getting people out to the polls.
Voter apathy was one of many issues touched on by the four contenders, along with energy rates, delaying the election until October (by which time the provincial budget can be independently audited), the possibility of a new regional hospital, municipal engagement, NAFTA, the Columbia River Treaty, road conditions, education, apprenticeships and post-secondary tuition hikes.
When Mountain FM news director Glen Hicks asked the panel if they felt the minimal turn-out was, “because people already think Katrine (Conroy) has it wrapped up”, I’m not sure the candidates didn’t come off as a little disingenuous in their absolute denials – I think there would have been merit in admitting that was likely a factor, then explaining why the election isn’t over until it’s over.
But that’s not how it played out.
BC Liberal candidate Jim Postnikoff insisted no one has the election locked up, “by any means”.
“It takes time for people to realize they actually do have a choice,” he said.
Independent candidate Joseph Hughes acknowledged the problem of voter apathy, which he attributed to a partisan system that has people voting against parties they don’t like, rather than for something/someone they believe in.
“I think (it’s) a sign of the times,” Hughes said, arguing the system requires fundamental change. “People have given up. They feel that, regardless who they elect, the consequences will be the same.”
Incumbent NDP Katrine Conroy said she’s not taking anything for granted.
“I certainly don’t feel that I have it sewed up,” she said, adding she has worked for voter support for the past eight years and will continue to do so.
Independent Glen Byle concurred with Hughes in his perception that partisan politics have left voters feeling impotent.
“Voter apathy is one of the main reasons I wanted to run,” he said, saying he identifies with no one party, and once more pivoting the question to his TED (Technology Enabled true Democracy) plan. “I want people to feel they have a voice regardless their (political) affiliation.”
All friendly competition aside, I thought one of the most interesting questions of the evening came from Castlegar News reporter Marvin Beatty, who asked the panel if they would support postponing the election until October, “so the provincial budget can be fully audited before candidates use (the budget figures) in their campaigns”.
Postnikoff, in keeping with many of his answers, said that if constituents want a delayed election, they should follow the system and approach their MLAs to take it to the government.
Conroy said a post-audit budget prior to election is a key plank in the NDP platform, with the promise of an October 2017 election should they form a government in 2013.
Hughes pointed out that the notion of a postponed election was, “once again, from an independent MLA from the Caribou region”, and floated the idea of a coalition of independent candidates when this sort of issue arises.
When the issue of a regional hospital came up, I thought it was interesting that, despite studies conducted in the past, no one candidate committed to lobbying for a new facility in the region (or, conversely, to abandoning that notion in favour of extensive upgrades to KBRH).
The conversation continued in general terms, rather than specific declarations of what the region needs and from which community those needs should be met.
While Postnikoff blamed the West Kootenay’s limited heath services on the lack of a strong voice in Victoria, pointing to other regions that have received new hospitals and upgrades, Conroy said those regions spoke in a united voice, hinting at the municipal political infighting this region has seen over the location of a regional hospital and arguing the government has, “left us to duke it out”.
All four candidates, though, were clear in expressing the need for improved hospital/health services in the area.
When asked by resident Carol Shypitka how they plan to deal with the needs of the marginalized members of BC society, Postnikoff spoke to a planned core review of all ministries.
“There’s always more we can do,” he said.
Byle said he thinks BC residents are, “very compassionate,” and would vote to make things better for all, if given a voice.
Conroy said the issue is a massive one for the province, citing as an example, “140,000 children and youth with mental health issues, and only 20,000 are receiving treatment”, arguing the status quo has deteriorated under a Liberal regime.
Hughes argued against blanket provincial oversight, saying, “We need more elected people, not appointed people, in health authorities,” and advocating more from-the-ground-up solutions rather than a one-size-fits-all, province-wide approach.
I think some important issues were raised, but at the end of the day, it was a very quiet, low-key forum without any real heated debate – even former Castlegar mayor Mike O’Connor, who has been known to ask some very controversial (even confrontational) questions in past forums, pitched a comparatively soft question about reforming utility rates through the BCUC.
Not to put too fine a point on it, I don’t think anyone’s mind was changed by last night’s forum. There’s another slated for tonight in Rossland, which has the potential to be much more explosive should the issues of K-12 education or municipal spending oversight arise.
Previous editorial:
Neither The Source nor The Champion will be endorsing any candidate in the upcoming provincial election, but I think it’s fair to offer a personal analysis of last night’s All-Candidate Forum in Trail.
The evening offered few surprises from my perspective, with veteran NDP MLA Katrine Conroy offering the most polished, comfortable delivery – she’s obviously done this many times before.
Liberal candidate Jim Postnikoff seemed less at ease, often quoting directly from the BC Liberal platform rather than speaking in his own words, and eliciting the only angry audience reaction I noticed throughout the evening, when he suggested that poverty reduction strategies need to include addiction services.
Having said that, I felt his responses often showed conviction and independence – I was startled to hear him favour a ban and/or forced labelling of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) along with all three other candidates, and he was firm in denouncing the Interior Health Authority as management-heavy and thus fiscally irresponsible (the other issue upon which all four candidates readily agreed).
Rookie independent Glen Byle seemed to be facing something of a Catch-22 with his platform, which is dedicated to what he calls TED (Technology Enabled true Democracy), the basic premise of which is that he would cast ballots based on his constituents wishes, rather than his own values. I think perhaps it left him in a bind when the candidates were asked how they’d vote on a given issue, insofar as his platform demanded the answer, “however my riding tells me to.” The downside being, I think it came off, on occasion, as if he didn’t understand the issue well enough to have formed an opinion. That’s not to say he didn’t, I have no idea as to his specific views – but I think it creates a perception problem for his campaign.
He did, however, offer a strong statement on GMOs, saying, “I think I speak for all British Columbians when I say that genetically modified foods terrify me. We can’t control it, once it’s out there.”
Fellow independent candidate Joseph Hughes took an equally strong stance on the issue, specifically in regard to bio-tech giant Monsanto.
“Monsanto and corporations like Monsanto are an evil force in the nations of today,” he said, calling for a grassroots movement to create a GMO-free zone here in the Kootenays.
Another interesting byplay, for me, was the reaction of the two front runners to a call from BC mayors to create a ministry solely dedicated to municipalities – Conroy said she supported a dedicated Municipal Affairs Ministry, while Postnikoff said mayors should utilize the current system.
“As we know, there’s a lot of power on the coast – we have to be very careful,” Postnikoff said. “To make it a level playing field, what the mayors need to do is … approach the MLAs, tell them what (they) need, and they’ll take that back to the government.”
Other major issues brought to the table by the roughly 70 people in attendance included education, health care, seniors’ services, right to recall, provincial housing policies and, finally, how they intend to find the money to pay for all the promises made during the election cycle.
Byle suggested an issue-specific tax system, where people pay dedicated taxes specific to, say, health care, instead of the current system that sees a lump sum given into a huge pool that is then divvied up by politicians and bureaucrats.
Conroy spelled out the NDP agenda of increasing corporate capital tax to 12 per cent, bank taxes increased three per cent, and a tax hike for anyone earning more than $150,000 per year.
“We will not increase the Liberal deficit – we’re going to do what’s in our platform … what we can afford,” she said.
Hughes reiterated that spending today is based on partisan priorities, while an independent MLA can help communities and constituents determine for themselves what they need and where money is best spent, while Postnikoff pointed to the Liberal’s Job Plan.
“We’ll freeze personal income tax rates for the next five years,” he said. “B.C.’s budget is balanced and on the road to surplus if we stay the course. This money doesn’t fall out of the sky – what we need is jobs.”
He added that B.C. is sending a negative message to business and industry at home and abroad with issues like pipeline opposition.
I think, if I had to declare a winner, it would have to be Conroy by a strong margin – whether that’s a result of her extensive experience or the merit of her platform has to be yours to decide.
In all, I didn’t feel there was much to be garnered from the NDP and Liberal candidates that couldn’t be found on their parties’ websites, while I felt the two independents were not issue-specific enough, focussing on governance models at the expense of letting voters really get to know them. I was surprised, too, that neither was asked about the issue of vote-splitting.
In fairness, though, the candidates are facing complicated issues with complicated responses, which are impossible to encompass in a mere 120 minutes, and I think it takes enormous moxie to get up on that stage and field whatever questions the community has to throw at them (I’m always shaky and nervous at these things, to the point I actually make other people uncomfortable, and I’m not even a candidate).
I hope residents show their appreciation for that phenomenal effort by attending the forums yet to come (there’s one tonight in Castlegar, at the Sandman Inn from 7 – 9 p.m.), and by voting in the election (advanced polling starts tomorrow).
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