As I pen this editorial, we are about two weeks away from Oct. 19 and provincial election day in B.C.
I should be using this space to say how important this election is and how it is everyone’s duty to exercise their democratic rights and cast their vote.
And I’m certainly encouraging you all to do that, but I find it hard to promote this message when there appears to be so much apathy amongst some of the candidates and their parties we are being asked to chose from.
In Delta we have two ridings – Delta North and Delta South.
In Delta North there are four candidates – incumbent Ravi Kahlon, running for the NDP, Raj Veauli for the Conservatives, Nick Dickinson-Wilde for the Green Party and Manqoosh Khan for the Freedom Party of BC.
So far, we have heard next to nothing from three of these candidates. In fact, only Kahlon showed up on Sept. 29 for an all-candidates meeting hosted by the Delta Residents’ Association.
Tonight (Oct. 10), the Delta Chamber is hosting an all-candidates meeting and Kahlon and Dickinson-Wilde have confirmed, while Khan has declined and no answer from Veauli.
If you are a North Delta resident wanting to learn more about your candidates, I wish you luck.
Here in Delta South, we have incumbent Ian Paton running for the Conservatives and Jason McCormick running for the NDP.
Green candidate, UVic political science and Indigenous studies student Sophia Borghetto was running for the party in the riding, but she failed to get the needed signatures required by Elections BC at the close of nominations on Sept. 28, so her name will not be on the ballot.
This is too bad. I was encouraged to see her as a candidate. It is vital to get more young voices involved in politics at any level. Hopefully, she will stay involved in some shape or form.
The Green Party really dropped the ball here. Everyone has known for a long time when the election was. For the Greens to get a candidate in place so late and then not get them approved is troubling indeed.
And the move in August by BC United leader Kevin Falcon to pull his party out of the campaign leaving so many candidates out in the cold and having to switch political parties and alliances has not done this election any favours.
Many out there feel that their choice has been taken away and they simply won’t vote.
That hurts our democracy and ultimately hurts the future of this province.
I will still be voting – in the next few days in fact during the advanced polls, but the lack of choice and the lack of engagement by our candidates makes it difficult.
