No Answers From the Conservative Candidate, After all
By Sara Golling
A couple of weeks ago, I sent each candidate in this riding an invitation to answer questions — the same questions for each candidate — to allow the candidates and their parties to help us all understand both the differences and the similarities in their respective positions on issues and their policies, and what they are promising. We need to know these things so we can choose accurately. Really —who should get our vote?
The initial results were wonderful! ALL of the three candidates — Conservative, Liberal and NDP — agreed to participate in the question and answer exercise. I produced questions and sent them off. And waited. I recieved answers from Liberal candidate Connie Denesiuk and from NDP candidate Richard Cannings. And finally I recieved a telephone call from the agent of Conservative candidate Marshall Neufeld, thanking me for offering the opportunity but stating that Mr. Neufeld would be “unable to participate.”
I cannot help but wonder why the Conservative party is not allowing its candidates to participate in an exercise like this one. It seems to betray either a lack of trust in their own candidates, or else an intention that voters NOT BE TOLD the answers to questions such as these.
Or — could it have been the questions themselves that frightened off the Conservative powers-that-be, that is, whoever made the decision that Mr. Neufeld (or his agent) would not be able to answer any questions? Or was it my scary RULES that I laid out at the beginning? In case you’re wondering, here are those rules and the beginning of my letter, exactly as I sent them to all the candidates:
Dear Candidates:
First, a big thank you to each of you for your willingness to take on the hard work and hurly-burly of Parliament.
Second, another big thank you for your willingness to answer questions for publication, to help our readers understand the points of difference between your party and the others — at least, the ones that these questions can bring out. Only with an informed electorate can democracy function well.
Third, I remind each of you that this is NOT a forum for negative campaigning. Any answers that mention other candidates or parties will not be published. You must limit your answers to speaking for yourself and your own party.
Fourth, answers must actually answer the questions. Non-responsive answers or extraneous “speechifying” that does not relate directly to the question will not be published.
Fifth, if anyone makes a statement of fact that I know to be untrue, or which the preponderance of scientific evidence suggests is false, I reserve the right to point that out and to refer readers to respected sources of information.
And then I set out the questions. I did not need to edit any of the answers sent in; both the Liberal candidate and the NDP candidate honoured my rules well enough. And of course, when there are no answers at all from one candidate, it reminds one of the warning given to criminals by the police: “You have the right to remain silent … “
And the rest of us have the right to wonder why.
