SOOKE – In preparation for the October 19th federal election, Sooke was fortunate to have two very well organized and informative All Candidates Forums held to assist the general public in getting to know their Member of Parliament (MP) candidates in the Esquimalt-Sannich-Sooke riding, as well as their party positions on a wide variety of topics.
On September 16th, Transition Sooke partnered with the BC Sustainable Energy Association and the Dogwood Initiative to hold an extremely insightful session with the MP candidates on sustainable energy, climate change, green jobs, pipeline projects, and the National Energy Board. Other hot-button topics such as First Nation’s rights, proportional representation, fracking, Coast Guard cutbacks and vote-splitting left the public in attendance with a lot to think about, and even more to talk about.
On October 6th, the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce sponsored and hosted a very successful All Candidates Forum which further supplemented the general publics dialogue and decision-making process. The format for the 2 hour event was a basic Q&A period from questions we sought from the public in the month leading up to our Forum.
Over 150 questions were received by our Chamber in advance on topics ranging from foreign policy issues about international investment to national defence to foreign aid, to domestic policy issues ranging from health care to agriculture to the economy. We also received many questions about inter-provincial trade, national security, tanker traffic along the coastlines, national housing strategies, post secondary education, among other things.
Interestingly, quite a few of the questions received by the Chamber had a regional context, which exemplified this constituencies desire to have the MP they were going to vote for advocate on behalf of local needs at a federal level, and not just reiterate federal policy and rhetoric back down the line to people living in the Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke riding.
On October 6th the Chamber also welcomed questions from the floor at a public microphone, and in total were able to ask 25 questions of each candidate over the 2 hour long session.
Given the typical “attack-style” debates associated with federal politics, everyone in attendance at the Chamber’s October 6th All Candidates Forum was extremely impressed with the high level of decorum and mindful conduct by the MP candidates towards the audience and each other when answering the questions. Democracy involves dialogue, and we all witnessed passionate democracy in action facilitated with respect and class by each candidate.
Although each candidate expressed different ideas about what they felt were important, how to spend tax money, and how to solve current and future problems; they left it up to those in attendance to decide what would resonate best for them and for Canada.
The federal elections are over now and the voters have cast their votes, but the Sooke Region Chamber of Commerce and its constituents would like to take this opportunity to thank candidates Shari Lukens from the Conservatives, NDP candidate Randall Garrison, Liberal candidate David Merner and Green party candidate Frances Litman for participating in our forums. We’d also like to express appreciation to each of these candidates for putting themselves forward in service of the Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke area as a potential Member of Parliament.
