Banff-Airdrie incumbent MP Blake Richards is the latest in a long list of Conservative candidates trying to dodge or dictate the terms of all-candidates debates in the lead up to the Oct. 19 federal election.
Richards is only interested in attending if Banff and Canmore join forces to host one forum. He also wants to have the final stamp of approval on the format of the debates, not liking open mic and unstructured question periods.
But the organizers of both forums – one in Canmore on Sept. 29 and another in Banff on Oct. 15 – say both communities will host separate forums as initially planned regardless of whether or not Richards attends.
“Frankly, I’m confused why Mr. Richards hasn’t whole-heartedly embraced the invitation,” said Darren Reeder, executive director of the Banff Lake Louise Hotel Motel Association (BLLHMA), one of the organizers of the Banff forum.
“Forums are a great opportunity to appeal to a wide range of people in a short period of time. I can honestly say that in 10 years our organization has been involved in executing election forums, we’ve never once had a candidate decline to participate.”
The Association for Mountain Parks Protection and Enjoyment (AMPPE) is joining BLLHMA in hosting the Banff forum, while the Bow Valley Builders & Developers Association (BOWDA) is hosting the Canmore forum. The Rocky Mountain Outlook is a partner in both events.
NDP candidate for Banff-Airdrie, Joanne Boissonneault, the Liberal Party’s Marlo Raynolds and Green Party candidate Mike MacDonald have all confirmed their attendance at both forums.
None of those candidates have expressed any concerns about the format of the forums.
Media across the country have been reporting that many Conservatives running in the Oct. 19 federal election have been advised not to attend all-candidate meetings or speak to reporters during the campaign.
In emails sent to the Outlook as a partner in the forums, Richard’s campaign team indicated he only wanted to attend three forums given the size of the Banff-Airdrie constituency – one in the Bow Valley, one in Airdrie and one in Cochrane.
Handlers in Richards’ election campaign office indicated the incumbent MP’s schedule does not work for the date of the Canmore forum, but that the Oct. 15 date in Banff does work for him.
However, in an exchange of emails, they raised concerns about the format of the Banff forum, notably the unstructured portion of the debate, saying they believe it would not be “conducive to a productive and collegial exchange of ideas”.
Rachel Wenger, a campaign team member, said Richards’ office was awaiting confirmation on the format of the Banff forum and that their requested changes are being addressed.
“Mr. Richards’ participation is subject to agreement on format and inclusion of the Canmore organizers,” said Wenger.
Richards did not return a phone call to the Outlook, but he emailed a statement that said his campaign is focused on reaching out to voters in all communities across Banff-Airdrie.
“A combination of dedicated door-knocking, community gatherings, as well as follow-up calls and emails are just some of the ways we reach constituents every day,” he said.
Richards said his team has encouraged several community groups to come together to host a joint forum in the Bow Valley.
“I remain hopeful that, in the best interests of the broader community, the organizations will choose to work together in order to enable a Bow Valley all-candidates forum to occur for all residents of the Bow Valley,” he said.
Reeder said the format has always been the same in all the years that BLLHMA has hosted election forums.
He said the Oct. 15 forum will be professionally moderated and includes candidate introductions, followed by a series of structured questions on issues affecting Banff. Next will be an open mic and question period, followed by the candidates closing remarks.
“This has never been an issue with past candidates in making their decision to participate, nor have we ever received any negative comments about the format after the fact,” said Reeder.
“The assurance we’ve given Mr. Richards is there’s no room for personal attacks, but no candidates should be shielded from receiving legitimate questions about policies, platforms and objectives.”
Ron Remple, executive director of BOWDA, said the Canmore forum is going ahead without or without Richards.
Remple said while it would have been possible for Canmore to join in on the Banff forum, it’s not an ideal option.
“I think it would eliminate a lot of Canmore people from attending. It comes down to an opportunity for people to be able to attend,” he said.
“Canmore is a pretty sizeable community within the riding and so it seems like it makes sense to have one here as well.”
Remple said previous forums for municipal and provincial elections have been well attended. More than 150 people showed up for an all-candidates forum for the provincial election in April.
“It’s a good opportunity, in my opinion, for candidates to get in front of local people and for locals to better understand what the issues are and who the candidates are,” he said.
“For me personally, I try to get a feel for who these people are so I know who to vote for.”
Jason Lyon, publisher of the Rocky Mountain Outlook, said there was never any intention, as suggested by Richard’s campaign office, to have a joint Banff-Canmore forum, noting attendance in the past has shown there’s an appetite for forums in both communities.
“Both communities have sizeable populations and although we share much in the way of history, culture and economic drivers, each community is unique,” he said.
“We also feel that residents would be less inclined to travel to their neighbouring community to attend, thus diminishing opportunities for voters to get out and hear what each candidate stands for.”
Reeder said forums are a great way for candidates to share their vision and priorities, and to hear from the public what they believe are the biggest challenges confronting the federal government.
“I think what it does is give people an opportunity to understand what is most important to the community and how each candidate plans on representing those issues as an elected MP,” he said.
“In this election, there’s a lot of uncertainty, a lot of indecision, and I think what forums do is become a really important tool to inform the public about the choices they have and the issues on the table.”
• The Canmore forum: Tuesday, Sept 29, from 5-7 p.m. at Silvertip Golf Resort
• The Banff forum: Thursday, Oct. 15, from 7-9:10 p.m. at Banff Community High School.
