the debate about debates heats up in kingston and the islands
kingston and the islands campaigns spar about the conditions for candidate debates
2 minute read
candidates for the federal riding of kingston and the islands from left: liberal incumbent mark gerretsen, ndp candidate daria juüdi-hope, conservative candidate bryan paterson and green party candidate fintan hartnett. kingston whig-standard file photos
whig-standard file photos
kingston — liberal candidate mark gerretsen’s stance on debate during the federal election has drawn the ire of the other campaigns in the federal election.
earlier this week, the campaign co-chairs for the liberal incumbent said he would take part in up to three debates but only if candidates from the major parties also participate.
“mark gerretsen values the role of debates in fostering healthy democratic discourse,” liberal campaign co-chairs ann parker and kelly banks wrote in a social media post monday.
“as with every campaign, our first priority is for mark to knock on doors and connect with as many voters as possible. with this in mind, our campaign looks forward to participating in up to three debates, providing all local candidates representing the major political parties attend,” parker and banks wrote. “we have seen over the years that certain political parties restrict their candidates from attending these events, and we believe the only way to have an informative discussion is if all candidates participate.”
on thursday, campaign officials for ndp candidate daria juüdi-hope put out a statement calling out gerretsen for trying to avoid public debate.
“the truth is, the liberals don’t want a debate because they know that they’re mostly offering the same things as the conservatives,” wrote ndp campaign manager sean illman-white and voter contact organizer nick pease.
advertisement
“daria juudi-hope believes that everyone should have their voice heard, even those you might not agree with,” they added. “that’s why she will happily debate any candidate from any of the major parties.”
elia anagnostopoulos, campaign manager for bryan paterson also called out gerretsen’s campaign for its debate stance.
“it is unfortunate that the other parties have invented convenient and self-serving excuses that allow their candidates to skip debates instead of taking responsibility for their own decisions,” anagnostopoulos said thursday.
“as the other campaigns are aware, we have already committed to one town hall event and look forward to future opportunities to share our positive, common sense message with voters,” he added. “we encourage all participants in the campaign to invest their time in presenting the best ideas to meet canada‘s and kingston’s current challenges.”
“for any candidate standing for election in kingston, the opportunity to give our constituents the ability to make an informed choice is a privilege which should not be taken for granted,” added green party candidate fintan hartnett. “the fact the two major parties contesting this election are too timid to engage in purposeful debate at this time in canadian history speaks volumes. kingston will judge them accordingly.”
advertisement
share story
