Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

MEL ROTHENBURGER: "What’s so important about topics like the environment and education that they deserve discussion on their own?"



SOME PEOPLE are concerned about the fact B.C. Liberal candidates Peter Milobar (Kamloops North Thompson) and Todd Stone (Kamloops South Thompson) haven’t accepted invitations to attend certain forums. It came up again with respect to last night’s (April 13, 2017) forum at TRU co-sponsored by the TRU Faculty Association, CUPE 3500, CUPE 4879, and Kamloops Thompson Teachers Association.

I’ve commented here a couple of times about the Liberal record on avoiding some of the forums, but I can see their point of view.

There are, actually, several good reasons why candidates should not attend so-called single-issue forums:


  • Single-issue forums get too detailed. You have to do way too much homework on whatever the topic is.
  • It’s too hard to use weasel words at forums, so if you can reduce the number of forums you have to attend, and have a plausible-sounding excuse such as “I’d rather be door-knocking and talking to people on their doorsteps,” it really helps.
  • Single-issue forums draw tough crowds, especially for candidates from the governing party. Why take heat from a room full of people when you could be holding court with a friendly crowd at a coffee party or BBQ?
  • Single-issue forums tend to attract people who know a lot about a particular issue. There’s no fun in arguing with people who know what they’re talking about.
  • You lose control of the message at forums, especially single-issue ones. Way better if the message goes out with as little fear of contradiction as possible. Use your media dollars to full advantage, because the other parties probably don’t have as much in the piggy bank as you do, and you can win that game.
  • You have to think on your feet at forums. Scripted party-line talking points don’t work nearly as well there.
  • If candidates for the governing party don’t show up for a forum, hopefully fewer people will attend, delegitimizing the other candidates who have taken the time to be there. Which, in turn, may diminish the democratic process a little, but that’s just collateral damage.


Anyway, what’s so important about topics like the environment and education that they deserve discussion on their own? You’d think from the way some people talk that the future depends on such things. Get over it.

Besides, exceptions can always be made to the single-issue rule, like when the chamber of commerce asks you to tape a video on business topics for their website.

Generally, though, single-issue forums are best ignored if at all possible.



About Mel Rothenburger (aka The Armchair Mayor)

Mel Rothenburger is the former Editor of The Daily News in Kamloops, B.C. (retiring in 2012), and past mayor of Kamloops (1999-2005), and previously served as Chair of the Kamloops School Board and Chamber of Commerce Director. He was elected Director for Electoral Area P in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District in November 2014.

Mel is the recipient of the Queen's Jubilee Medal (2003), the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellowship award (2006), the BCYCNA Eric Dunning Integrity Award (2008), the Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award — Jack Webster Foundation (2011), the Glacier Media Group President's Club Award (2011), and the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce President's Award (2012).
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Budget 2027: After a Decade of Decline, NDP Budget Delivers an Assault on Seniors, Working Families, and Small Businesses

Peter Milobar, BC Conservative Finance Critic, condemned the NDP government’s latest budget as the result of a decade of decline that has left British Columbians broke, unsafe, and paying more for less.   “After ten years of NDP mismanagement, this budget is an assault on seniors, working families, and the small businesses that drive our economy,” said Milobar. “The NDP have turned their back on the people working hardest to make ends meet and the seniors who built this province.” Milobar pointed to a new $1.1 billion annual income tax increase and warned that the government is piling new costs onto households already struggling with affordability.   “This government keeps asking British Columbians for more, while delivering less,” Milobar said. “The question people are asking is simple: Where has all the money gone?” Milobar noted that BC has gone from a surplus in the first year of NDP government to a projected deficit of more than $13 billion this year, while prov...
Post a Comment
Read more

WARD STAMER -- Those are REAL forestry numbers, not just made-up numbers

The following is a condensed version of remarks Kamloops – North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer’s made, regarding Forestry, in the BC Legislature, on Tuesday afternoon (02/24/2026)   Let’s talk a little bit, when we talk about Budget 2026, about the forest industry, which is near and dear to my heart. Forestry remains one of British Columbia’s foundational industries. It’s a pillar that built this province. Entire communities depend upon it. Interior towns, northern communities, Vancouver Island regions, the Kootenays, the Lower Mainland, with manufacturing facilities in Surrey and Maple Ridge, just to name a few — everywhere in BC is touched by forestry. One word that was not mentioned in Budget 2026 was forestry. That’s a shame, an incredible shame. It wasn’t an oversight – it was intentional. This government has driven forestry into the ground .... INTO THE GROUND! We can talk a little bit about some of the initiatives that this government has brought forth, to try to resurrect ...
Post a Comment
Read more

FORSETH -- Before anyone gets excited about one poll showing a candidate with a 25 percent lead, and 44 percent support overall, let’s give it a few more weeks

Is this based in reality -- how accurate are the numbers? In the past couple of weeks a couple of candidates, for the leadership of the BC Conservative Party, have been presenting polling results that they lead the pack – one even going so far as to say they have a lock on 44% of those who will be voting, and a twenty-five percent lead over the individual ranked second. I am going to say that this one, from Kerry-Lynne Findlay, is highly suspect. First of all the company conducting the poll, ERG National Research, is not a Member of Industry Bodies (the Canadian Research Insights Council), meaning they do not adhere to established industry standards for research, such as transparency, privacy, and methodological rigor. AI Overview states that ... based on alerts from the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) and reports, ERG National Research should be treated with extreme caution regarding its reliability, and legitimacy, in conducting political polling. Before I even read this in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more