Doug Rutherford

April 28, 2011

Once More Into the Breach

The last of the candidate forums took place Wednesday evening and again, there was little possibility of calling this a debate. This was sponsored by CBC and included an online Facebook feed and Twitter component as well. I was hoping to live blog the event but discovered that, when the hotel said that WiFi was available for the event, it just wasn’t available in the room where it was held.

The format was slightly different, in that the candidates answered questions from the floor and telephone and did have a chance at rebuttal after their earlier chance to answer. However, each of the candidates supported the various concerns, be it reducing violence against women or increasing the amount of affordable housing.

Some of the obvious things that appeared were the standard issues. Some of the candidates are very unfamiliar with the difference between Federal and Provincial/Territorial responsibilities. This was apparent in the answers on free entry staking mining and when discussing education as part of their answers. Much of the time, candidates read their responses from party platforms and their answers seemed flat and uninteresting. In one case, Ryan Leef, the Conservative candidate, refused to answer a question on how the candidates felt about removing support for abortion counseling. His response, that he knew little about the subject so it would be improper to answer, drew a bit of ire from the crowd.

Not all of the questions proposed were asked due to the two-hour time limit on the event. However, a point of note was that some issues, such as health care and the long gun registry, were not brought up in the discussion.

One aspect of many of the responses was the amount of time candidates spent referring to their history. One tweet from the Twitter feed dealt with this: “when a candidate speaks about himself, he has nothing to say.”

Winners? Losers? Most of the comments on Twitter and Facebook suggest that John Streicker, the Green Candidate, was the most passionate and informed. But, in the long run, I don’t see where these forums actually accomplished a great deal. There should be a more structured debate format rather than the current one next time. The current format does nothing to allow you to differentiate between the various parties and probably adds little to deciding on whom you’d choose.

For all intents and purposes, there should be little more to the campaign. The leaders are all running around safe ridings to ride out the last few days and avoid doing a “Kim Campbell” at the end of the campaign. Few big issues will come forward to prevent making any mistakes in the final days. Now, the main thing that remains is wondering what will come from the NDP polling results, a trend you probably will not see extended to our riding…

April 28, 2011

We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Live Blog

My posting today starts with an apology. I had planned to use Cover It Live to cover last night’s candidates’ forum. My plan was to do this through WiFi. I contacted the Gold Rush Inn early in the week and was told that WiFi was available. Sadly, their WiFi network doesn’t extend into the meeting room where the forum was held and I had no way of notifying people to the contrary. Sorry.

April 26, 2011

Candidate Duties

For those curious, I figured I’d throw together a little “Election 101,” or how do things work after elections. It helps to understand that candidates have more duties than simply running for election. There are a number of paperwork issues that must be dealt with, whether or not you win a seat.

One of the most important aspects to consider as a candidate is money. This is important even though a candidate really doesn’t have anything to do with the money. You are required to appoint an Official Agent who deals with all the campaign finances except your own personal expenses. This includes taking contributions, for which there are a few regulations as to limits and who can and cannot contribute to a campaign, issuing official receipts, running the bank account, etc. In short, you can buy yourself a coffee while on the road on a campaign. Renting a car for the campaign, though, must be done by your official agent. I’ve known people campaigning who, as a rule, never carried cash or their debit card on their person.

There are a few other related items. One month after the polling date is the deadline for submitting all contribution receipts for income tax purposes. You must issue a receipt for any contribution over $20.00. Issuing these is usually the job of your official agent since he or she is the one accepting the money.

Three months after the polling date, you must have submitted all of your expense invoices as well as the Candidate’s Statement of Personal Expenses to your official agent. Finally, within four months, you must have submitted all of the forms, auditor’s report, and invoices to Elections Canada, or have filed a request for an extension.

How important are these steps? One of the related issues is maximum campaign expenses. In Yukon, the maximum allowable campaign costs for this election are $85,898.10. Spending more than this on your campaign has serious ramifications, including a 5 year ban on sitting or being elected to the House of commons or holding a crown appointment. This penalty, on top of any others imposed such as a fine or jail sentence, is automatic for all cases on conviction. If the timing for filing your paperwork has expired, you are not permitted to run in the next election.

In short, there is a bit more to do than just run for election. You’ll note that I say that as if “just” running wasn’t enough to do…

April 26, 2011

Candidates Debate Live Blog

I’ll be covering the Yukon Candidates Debate Live. The debate starts at 7 pm, Wednesday and runs until 9 pm. The link for this is here.

Please note that this will open the live blog in a separate window so you must, at least temporarily, allow popups from the site.

April 25, 2011

One Week Left

The clock is ticking and there is still much to do.

The local campaign is winding down and all that is left is the main candidates’ debate. This, sponsored by the CBC, will be held Wednesday evening at 7 pm. While the other candidates’ forums were aimed at specific interests (i.e., post secondary education, youth, arts issues), this one is general and relates to the entire territory. A lot of us are really hoping that some differentiation between the candidates appears. I’ll be liveblogging the forum, and there will be other coverage as well.

Before that, at 6 pm, there will be a vote mob and lip-dub at the Canada Games Centre. I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes and determining just how good several organizations are at getting out the youth vote.

One thing we have learned this election: we do have some idea of the importance of the north, though. Only one riding was visited by the leaders. The NWT saw Stephen Harper, Michael Ignatieff and Jack Layton within a week. We, on the other hand, don’t seem to be on the dance card…

April 22, 2011April 22, 2011

The Little Things Mean So Much

Little things often show up to make something interesting. Today, being Good Friday, doesn’t offer much in electioneering. Even at the national level, only Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe, are out campaigning today.

Since it was quiet, I figured I bring up something I saw at the BYTE youth issues forum. They handed out the following cards: BSI meters. Needless to say, the name stands for bullshit index and their purpose is pretty easy to understand. They were so neat, the organizers from the Arts issues forum used them and they will also be used at the last debate Wednesday.

They’re certainly the neatest audience tool for candidates’ debates I’ve seen.

BS Index meter

April 21, 2011April 22, 2011

I Make the Rules, I Don’t Follow Them

I’m going to take a little leap from local election perspectives and consider an issue more national in scope.

I’m having one of those days where I shake my head and ask if I’ve read something correctly. I read it again and it hasn’t changed. I check a few other references and they all confirm it.

The Toronto Star, MacLean’s and CBC are reporting an incredible statement made by Stephen Harper in an interview with Peter Mansbridge. Reaction has been a bit different, in that CBC seems to have glossed over it and both Andrew Coyne of MacLean’s and Bruce Campion-Smith of the Star are mortified… and rightfully should be.

Mr. Harper was asked about potential implications of a minority goverment and what would happen if he was ousted on a vote on the Throne Speech, Budget or early in the session. He stated that this should call for an election. His response about the constitutionality of other parties being asked by the Governor General to try to find the confidence of the House was astounding. He challenged the validity of such an action and stated, “that’s a question, a debate of constitutional law.”

“My view is that the people of Canada expect the party that wins the election to govern the country…”

These comments come despite the fact that the King-Byng affair has set a precedent directly opposite to Mr. Harper’s opinions.

This is something to set constitutional experts erupting. Dr. Ned Franks, Professor Emeritus at Queens University, was quoted in the Star article as saying, “He’s trying to change not just the Constitution in terms of what confidence means, he’s also trying to change it in terms of how governments are formed.”

I think we are owed an explanation of Mr. Harper’s words. Is this just a little bit of election rhetoric? Can we expect him to abide by the Constitution Act and common law for the conduct of a Westminister government? Will he attempt to prevent the Governor General from asking another party to try to find the confidence of the House if his minority government should fall? Will he hire lawyers and attempt to litigate against the constitution he is supposed to uphold? What other actions would he consider to prevent another party or parties from taking power?

Such a comment should create a great deal of fear for everyone in Canada until such time as a viable explanation is put forward.

Two statements from the past come to mind here. The first is a strange comment from John Baird in the last sitting day in Question Period, where he stated, “We will not let the socialists take power in Canada.” I’m hoping this isn’t related.

The second relates to a far more frightening concept. I’m hoping that prime ministerial buzz phrases do not repeat, as I can so easily hear in the back of my mind the expression, “Just watch me…”

April 21, 2011

So, Who Do I Think Will Win Here?

I always tend to do poorly in projecting who’s going to win in elections. I do so poorly, I often think I may have jinx-like capability previously unseen in anatomically modern humans. This is why I am usually pretty reticent about predicting elections.

That being said, and with ten days left in the campaign, I’m casting the bones and reading the entrails (actually, it was a grilled cheese sandwich but few people tend to follow them anymore). Here’s my not so official guesses for the Yukon riding, based on people I’ve talked to:

1. Greens
2. Liberal
3. Conservative
4. NDP

I know lots of you are thinking I’ve now completely killed off the chance for John Streicker to be the first person to win a seat for the Green Party. However, unlike any poll based on less than 3,000 people that supposedly predicts how everyone in the country will vote, I’m putting my faith in the grilled cheese. After all, it’s probably a good a reflection on how Yukoners will vote as any polling firm can come up with. This, of course, is subject to the whim of next week’s sandwich…

April 20, 2011April 20, 2011

Yup. We’re Yukoners.

Note: This is also my next posting for the CBC Your Take blog.

I attended the all candidates forum on arts issues held in Whitehorse Tuesday evening and have noticed a trend. The candidates don’t want to disagree with each other.

Art forum — Audience and candidates at the All Candidates Arts Forum, Whitehorse, April 19, 2011.

I’m not the only one see this, either. I’ve had comments from people attending the forums that there’s been “a great deal of commonality” on the issues. The local papers have also noted the lack of debate at the forums as well. There have been minor discrepencies between the parties, but, to the greatest degree, the forums have been cordial, respectful and each party seems to put forward the same message: “Yes, we support … (insert issue here).”

It took me until this morning to understand what’s going on here. There seems to be some agreement between the candidates to not be antagonistic, aggressive or belligerent. In short, they have been conducting themselves much along the lines as we have been asking them to conduct themselves for years. They’ve given us what we’ve requested.

Here’s the problem. If they’re bickering, we call parliament a daycare. If they’re agreeable, it’s boring. We’re from the Yukon. We spend more than half of the year going, “It’s too cold” and the rest saying, “It’s too hot” in a pretty whiney voice. Most of us list Eeyore as our mentor.

As a Yukoner, I guess I should express this using a beer analogy. Not having beer is a bad thing but a case would probably be too much. I guess the official election request is “Give us a six-pack.” And, as a working philosophy goes, the six-pack thing pretty much works for me…

April 19, 2011

A Little Lull in the Action

I’ll concede that I’ve fallen behind in posting. However, if you follow the local campaign here, you’ll notice that there’s not much new.

Over the weekend, Candace Hoeppner, who proposed the private members’ bill last fall to abolish the long gun registry was in town. There was a bit of coverage in the local paper but really nothing much else. Yes, she was talking about the gun registry. Most people here tend to stick that topic under the general heading of, “Who really cares.”

There will be more to say this evening though. The Arts Issues forum for all candidates starts at 7 this evening at the Old Firehall. One party has already raised issues about the wording of the prepared questions given to the candidates, so this should turn out to be a bit interesting. I’ll let you know how things went. Here are the talking points on arts issues in Canada.

Let’s be honest, the really big news is that none of the candidates really seem to want to disagree with the others. One question in the last two candidates forums saw any really difference in opinion. Ryan Leef, the Conservative Candidate, did say that he was in favour of releasing the name of a young offender if he or she was considered dangerous. The other three candidates did not. For all intents and purposes, you’d think that the candidates were all running for the same party.

Maybe, the arts is a topic that will have them scrapping. Or scrapbooking. Or not…