Banff-Airdrie Conservative MP Blake Richards is the latest in a long list of Conservatives trying to dodge or dictate the terms of all-candidates debates.
Richards’ campaign office has indicated the incumbent MP won’t attend a Canmore election forum Sept. 29 due to his schedule. He has also not confirmed his attendance for a Banff forum Oct. 15.
NDP candidate Joanne Boissonneault, the Liberal Party’s Marlo Raynolds and Green Party candidate Mike MacDonald have all confirmed their attendance at both forums in the lead-up to the Oct. 19 federal election.
Handlers in Richards’ office indicated he only wants to attend one forum in the Bow Valley. While the Banff date works for Richards, his campaign has indicated he is unhappy with the forum’s format, which includes an open mic and question period.
Organizers of both forums – which include business groups in both Banff and Canmore – say the election forums will go ahead regardless of whether Richards is there or not.
“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, 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. We want Mr. Richards to be there and the people who voted him in want him there.”
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.
Media across the country have been reporting that Conservatives running in the Oct. 19 federal election have been advised not to attend all-candidate meetings or speak to reporters during the campaign.
Richards’ campaign office did not return a call to the Outlook.
However, in emails sent to the Outlook as a partner in the forums, Richard’s campaign team indicated Richards 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.
Alyson Robb, a Richards campaign team member, said there are concerns about the format of the Banff forum, notably the unstructured portion of the debate.
“We believe the format as outlined would not be conducive to a productive and collegial exchange of ideas,” she said.
In another email from Richards’ campaign office, Rachel Wenger said his 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,” wrote Wenger.
Reeder said that in all the years BLLHMA has hosted election forums, the same format has always been maintained.
He said the forum will be professionally moderated and includes candidate introductions, followed by a series of structured questions on issues affecting the Banff community. 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.”
Reeder said the forum in Banff is 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.”
Ron Remple, executive director of BOWDA, said the Canmore forum is going ahead without or without Richards.
He said BOWDA was initially contacted by Richards’ campaign office to see if they would be hosting a forum.
“I said we had not considered hosting a forum, but if there was interest we would definitely consider that,” he said.
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.”
- The Canmore forum: Tuesday, Sept. 29, from 5-7 p.m. at Silvertip Golf Resort
- The Cochrane forum: Friday, Oct. 9, from 6-9 p.m. at Seniors on the Bow, Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.
- The Banff forum: Thursday, Oct. 15, from 7-9:10 p.m. at Banff Community High School.
