By Steve Hubrecht
Invermere residents got a chance to see some of the Kootenay-Columbia-Southern Rockies candidates (in the upcoming federal election) up close and personal during last week’s all-candidates forum.
The forum, organized by the Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce, was held at the David Thompson Secondary School (DTSS) theatre on April 15 and drew a crowd of 110 people. The candidates had a few minutes each to answer questions (some of which they knew beforehand, some of which were first posed on the spot) on a range of topics both local and federal in scope. Only four of the six candidates were at the forum — Liberal candidate Reggie Goldsbury, NDP candidate Kalle Lins, Conservative candidate (and incumbent MP) Rob Morrison, and independent candidate Jim Wiedrick. PPC candidate Laurie Baird and Green candidate Steven Maffioli were unable to attend.
Questions touched on international trade tariffs and bringing down inter-provincial trade barriers; healthcare, pharmacare and dental services; proportional representation; upgrading municipal infrastructure to support more housing; and what role the federal government should play in regulating lakes, among other issues.
Given the short timeframe for responding and the broad nature of the questions, the candidates were unable to get into much depth with their answers and, perhaps consequently, their replies sometimes hewed close to party stereotypes or to recent party stances. Morrison, for instance, outlined a desire to cut back red tape and bureaucracy multiple times while answering; Lins emphasized equity and workers’ rights several times; and Goldsbury intoned on at least four occasions that “the Mark Carney Liberals are not the Justin Trudeau Liberals.” Wiedrick, in his answers, similarly repeatedly underscored his lack of party affiliation, pointing out that as an independent he is answerable only to constituents, not a political party as well.
The crowd tended to be mostly middle aged or elderly, but there were several 18 and 19-year-old first time voters there too. The questions on proportional representation and on regulating the lake seemed to generate a bit of extra murmuring among the audience. On the lake question, each candidate managed to cite something specific to the Columbia Valley in his or her response: Lin said federal funding for water monitoring should increase so the task does not fall solely to nonprofit organizations such as the Lake Windermere Ambassadors. Morrison said economic opportunity and environmental sustainability need to be balanced when it comes to lakes, that the feds need to step in more but also “need to listen to local people, like the Lake Windermere Ambassadors”, and that more education for visitors about the shallowness of Lake Windermere is necessary. Wiedrick cited the threat of invasive species such as mussels and whirling disease. Goldsbury pointed to the rock groyne (also called a weir) at the northern mouth of Lake Windermere.
An on-the-spot question asked candidates to cite an example of having their integrity tested. Morrison related the story of being an RCMP officer in Creston and sticking up for a female colleague, back in the days when female RCMP officers were rare. Wiedrick cited a much more recent example, explaining how a mentor tried to sway him to run with a political party, and how he rejected this overture when he first announced his run as an independent. Goldsbury explained how he and his family fought hard for a new ferry boat on Kootenay Lake over a new ferry terminal, despite the fact that his family stood to benefit financially from a new terminal. Lins outlined a case in which she felt pressured not to use the word ‘genocide’ in a podcast pertaining to Palestine, but stuck to her guns.
The biggest laugh of the night came during the closing remarks, when Wiedrick compared the election to transportation, calling the Liberals the same old red bus with a different driver, and saying voters weren’t really sure about the blue bus (Conservatives) either or the “orange guy over there” (the NDP), then finished by saying “then, hey, a local guy pulls up in an eco shuttle” in reference to himself. The remarks had more than half the audience giggling, and even drew chuckles from Morrison and Lins.
