Would you hire someone who didn't bother showing up for a job interview?
If the answer is "no", why vote for politicians who skip all-candidates meetings?
There’s something endearing and heartbreaking about all-candidates meetings. Both were on display last night at the Minoru Centre for Active Living in Richmond.
What’s endearing is the passion of volunteers who want to promote democracy in the community. They are carrying on in the fine tradition of Pericles, who fostered democracy in Ancient Greece. It remains the best form of government.
The Richmond Centre for Disability, Richmond Poverty Reduction Coalition, Jewish Seniors Alliance of Greater Vancouver, and the Kehila Society Richmond branch organized the event.
The moderator, Richmond News acting editor Maria Rantanen, competently directed the discussion well into the night. Her media outlet livestreamed it for anyone in Richmond who wanted to listen. The staff stepped up for the community.
Everyone had ample time to speak without any rancour from the audience. Candidates respected their time limits. There was no bickering and I heard no cheap shots.
The only uncomfortable moment came when Richmond-Queensborough independent Errol Povah complained about the effects of immigration. Then, he professed that he wasn’t racist.
Povah, an anti-SOGI activist, was sitting at the same table as one immigrant, Richmond-Bridgeport independent candidate Glynnis Chan, who has raised large sums of money to fight cancer. Another independent candidate and immigrant at the candidates table, Wendy Yuan from Richmond Centre, has chaired the donor development committee at the Richmond Community Foundation.
I thought to myself: “I wonder if Errol is aware that if he ever ends up in hospital or in need of community care, he can thank immigrants in Richmond for improving his likelihood of survival.”
Fewer candidates show up
Now, to the heartbreaking aspect of this event. The B.C. Conservatives sent only one candidate, Michelle Mollineaux from Richmond-Steveston. Richmond-Bridgeport candidate and former cabinet minister Teresa Wat, Richmond Centre candidate Hon Chan, and Richmond-Queensborough candidate Steve Kooner were no-shows.
Rantanen noted that in the last election, there were 22 candidates at the forum. This time, she mentioned that there were only 11 at the front of the room.
The B.C. NDP sent two representatives: incumbent Kelly Greene from Richmond-Steveston and Richmond-Bridgeport candidate Linda Li. Meanwhile, incumbent Henry Yao, who’s running in Richmond Centre, and Richmond-Queensborough incumbent Aman Singh did not show up.
Politicians with major parties may tell themselves that if their party is represented, that should be good enough. But it’s not. Mollineaux is running in Richmond-Steveston. Folks living in Richmond’s three other constituencies deserve a chance to see how their Conservative candidates perform in public. The same is true of NDP candidates.
Residents from across Richmond were willing to head out into the rain, seek parking in a lot jammed with cars, and listen respectfully. They deserve the same courtesy from those seeking to hold public office.
I think of all-candidates meetings as job interviews. Voters are the prospective employers.
The basic compensation for a B.C. MLA is $119,532.72. If someone can’t be bothered to appear at a job interview for a six-figure salary, would you hire that person?
Independents spoke with conviction
Meanwhile, Mollineaux claimed that the B.C. Conservatives are a “big tent” party. As a member of the audience, I found that a little laughable in light of the party’s recent news release about shutting down “drug dens” in Richmond. There are no stand-alone supervised consumption sites in the city. There aren’t even any cannabis shops.
Here’s another thing that crossed my mind. If it’s such a big tent party, why did the B.C. Conservatives not recruit two more centrist former B.C. United candidates who were sitting at the very same table as Mollineaux?
One of them, Yuan, has knocked on thousands of doors in Richmond Centre to hear directly from voters. The other, entrepreneur Jackie Lee, is a likable independent with an engineering background in Richmond-Steveston.
In fact, Richmond has several capable and qualified independent candidates. I urge anyone living in the city to do their homework, read their biographies, and seriously consider what they can offer the community.
What about housing?
I hope to become one of those independent candidates. I’m trying to collect the signatures of 75 registered voters in Richmond-Bridgeport so I can challenge the incumbent, Teresa Wat.
The B.C. Conservatives claim to be fiscally responsible. Yet I believe that their willingness to revoke Bill 44 will send the cost of housing into the stratosphere. I didn’t hear other candidates in Richmond making this point, which is one reason why I’m putting my name forward.
If you aspire to be a first-time home buyer—or you hope that your children or grandchildren become first-time home buyers—beware of the B.C. Conservatives.
I wanted to ask Teresa Wat about the housing issue last night. Sadly, I was unable to do so because she skipped this “job interview”.
Update
Several hours after this article was posted, the B.C. Conservatives issued a news release and background document explaining their housing plan.