All Candidates Debate

[Dave_ON]

I find the demise of local candidate debates to be disturbing, and no party seems to encourage lack of participation in such events more than the CPC. Now the CPC has always been tight lipped and kept their candidates on a short leash, but I find it quite sad that we can't get to know the person we're electing. Now I can't speak for all ridings but I see a distinct lack of grass roots canvasing by our CPC candidate. Granted she's against Glen Pearson who is quite popular in London North Center and I don't think the riding has elected a non LPC for the better part of 2 decades.

Thoughts? Is there visibility of all candidates in your ridings? Why the trend of local MP's actually getting engaged with their constituents? Have all traces of responsible government passed into history?

Here's the article.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/story/2011/04/18/cv-election-tory-candidates.html

[ToadBrother]

I find the demise of local candidate debates to be disturbing, and no party seems to encourage lack of participation in such events more than the CPC. Now the CPC has always been tight lipped and kept their candidates on a short leash, but I find it quite sad that we can't get to know the person we're electing. Now I can't speak for all ridings but I see a distinct lack of grass roots canvasing by our CPC candidate. Granted she's against Glen Pearson who is quite popular in London North Center and I don't think the riding has elected a non LPC for the better part of 2 decades.

Thoughts? Is there visibility of all candidates in your ridings? Why the trend of local MP's actually getting engaged with their constituents? Have all traces of responsible government passed into history?

Here's the article.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/story/2011/04/18/cv-election-tory-candidates.html

I stopped going to ACMs years ago when the local groups that organized them basically turned them into a free for all where the local whackos were getting the same share of time as the candidates who actually would get votes greater than the number of toes and fingers they possessed.

That being said, for the Tories it's a choice of the lesser evils. Better to have your neophyte candidates muzzled then have them to go off and say something idiotic. But to me, it shows a fundamental lack of faith of the party in its candidates, and I'd have a damned hard time putting an X beside someone who was deemed by his or her own party too untrustworthy to be able to sit beside the other candidates and ask some questions.

[Shakeyhands]

Did this issue not come up a couple years ago with CPC candidates as well? What is the harm of letting the local candidate debate with ther others?

[scouterjim]

I find the demise of local candidate debates to be disturbing, and no party seems to encourage lack of participation in such events more than the CPC. Now the CPC has always been tight lipped and kept their candidates on a short leash, but I find it quite sad that we can't get to know the person we're electing. Now I can't speak for all ridings but I see a distinct lack of grass roots canvasing by our CPC candidate. Granted she's against Glen Pearson who is quite popular in London North Center and I don't think the riding has elected a non LPC for the better part of 2 decades.

Thoughts? Is there visibility of all candidates in your ridings? Why the trend of local MP's actually getting engaged with their constituents? Have all traces of responsible government passed into history?

Here's the article.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/story/2011/04/18/cv-election-tory-candidates.html

There was a candidates debate here yesterday. The Liberal candidate didn't show up. I guess she didn't know how to get here from Vancouver.

[M.Dancer]

Ignatieff is going to miss his own all party debate...

no big whoop