In this space, over the years, we’ve often commented on the critical need for clarity in keeping everyone on the same page when it comes to making information available to all.
Two items in this week’s issue relate to the same concern, both federally.
The first, of course, is that our Member of Parliament, Blake Richards, will not take part in a Sept. 29 election forum set up for Canmore. At this time, his participation in a Banff forum on Oct. 15 also remains unknown.
Without speaking to the issue of not attending himself, his staff have let it be known that Richards would prefer Banff and Canmore parties join forces for one forum. As well, he’s not in favour of the format for the forums; particularly that they would include questions from the public and unstructured debate.
Much like his boss, Stephen Harper, he has chosen to participate in only certain debates, Richards has joined a growing list of Conservative election hopefuls trying to dodge or tweak the formats of forums to their liking.
In the Banff-Airdrie riding there are four main towns – Banff, Canmore, Cochrane and Airdrie – it should come as no surprise that interested parties and residents in all of the towns, plus surrounding areas and municipal districts, would be interested in attending a forum that puts all candidates in one room at the same time.
For many voters, at least those who put some thought into who they choose to represent them in Ottawa, public forums often provide valuable insight into how a candidate carries themselves, how they deliver party platforms, how they respond to criticism, whether they are aggressive or inattentive.
Richards, like Harper, should have expected to participate in a number of public forums in exactly the same way as with past elections.
It was the Conservatives, after all, who called an election that would feature an 11-week campaign. Did they believe, over all those weeks, that they wouldn’t have to defend or promote themselves and their policies as part of that campaign?
Clearly, as it has been for a great deal of the time the Harper-led Conservatives have been in power in Canada, the concept is that it’s better to say nothing and keep a tightly sealed lid on the transmission of information, and then absorb any flak that results, than offer clarity or valuable information on issues.
The concept is the same with the situation of the letter on page 21 submitted by a large number of former Parks Canada employees from all levels of the national institute.
Parks has been under the same “say nothing and you won’t get burned” philosophy for some time now; even more so after the election was called.
Many have commented on how science and the release of scientific information, funded by our tax dollars, is being strangled during under Conservatives’ watch.
Here at the Outlook, of course, we are familiar with the way of Parks Canada as they relate to the mountains parks. During the Conservatives’ tenure, information has slowed, then trickled, then halted for a time during this election campaign.
We can only assume that media in other areas of the country, say, on our coasts where Fisheries and Oceans Canada would play the same role Parks does here, have similar complaints and issues with the flow of information.
In the end, for media and many members of the public, restricted information is restricted by those with something to hide.
