Voters complain forums leave them in the dark

By Shaun McKenna

Some voters in Ottawa Centre say they feel they’re having a hard time getting answers from some of the candidates at all-candidates forums in this election.

“I received no direct response,” said Tracey Lauriault, who attented a child-care forum at the Bronson Centre. Lauriault is a full-time student at Carleton University and a mother of two children aged 4, and 8. She asked for a commitment from the candidates to increase child-care spaces.

Instead, she got promises she says dodged the issue.

“We received potential long-term plans,” said Lauriault, referring to the Liberal candidate Richard Patten’s response to her question. “But it’s a four-year term where they will stay in power, long term could mean from 20 to 25 years. This won’t meet my immediate needs.”

Voeters at another, more general forum, at the Carleton Heights Community Centre, echoed the complaint that candidates weren’t giving straight-forward answers.

Lynda Davies, who teaches nursing at the University of Ottawa, for example, was unhappy with the resposnses she recieved to her question about reversing cuts to battered women’s shelters.

At the child-care forum, Patten and NDP candidate Elisabeth Arnold answered tough questions from a hand-picked panel and from the audience.

Because of scheduling conflicts, the Tory candidate Ray Kostuch was unable to attend, which drew harsh comments from the panel as well as some in the audience.

“You can’t get an unbiased opinion without the Conservatives here,” said Krissie Duhan. “It’s really easy to Tory-bash when they aren’t here.”

Duhan, a young mother who is awaiting an acceptance to university, remarked that the Conservatives failed to attend another forum she attended on education.

A spokesperson for the Tories pointed out, however, that their opponents have also missed some forums.

Patten did not attend the Carleton Heights forum. His absence drew a similar reaction from that audience. However, it was attended by Green candidate Chris Bradshaw and Communist Marvin Glass.

Along with Lauriault many in both audiences felt they weren’t given answers to their questions.

“They were very respectful,” says Sarah Gilbert, who attended the child-care forum.

“But I found they really didn’t answer the specific questions a lot of the time, instead they just repeated their platform again and again.”

Gilbert, a young mother with two children, has been accepted to Carleton University this fall. As of yet she doesn’t know if she can attend, it depends on whether she can get a space for her children in an adequate daycare facility.

Gilbert and Duhan agreed that both the NDP and Liberal’s plans to bring back the National Child Benefits supplement to people on welfare is a step in the right direction. Both said it was the only definite promise made during the child-care forum.

Even though Richard Verver agreed with some of the criticism, he said forums, nevertheless, offer the best opportunity that voters have to speak to candidates one-on-one.

“It’s the best option,” he said. “Literature is just party slogans.” Verver also likes the fact that he can hear from candidates, like Bradshaw and Glass, that don’t rely on television commercials.

The Carleton Heights forum also highlighted a clash between Kostuch and Glass.

Kostuch pounced on Glass, after the communist candidate had made a joke about the government’s drug testing policies for people on welfare. Glass suggested that such testing should be extended to people in Queen’s Park.

After several more jokes, Kostuch wondered why people had to listen to his Communist drivel. The exchanges garnered jeers from many audience members.