The Curious Case of the Missing Tory
We tried to interview Diana Dilworth, who wants to win the New West-Coquitlam by-election. We really did try.
Conservative candidate Diana Dilworth at Minister Jason Kenney's side.
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Settle in for Long Harper Reign
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The Rise of Stephen Harper
PM's first year is the number three story of 2006.
If the Conservative campaign now underway in New Westminster-Coquitlam says anything about how Prime Minister Stephen Harper hopes to win a majority in the next federal election, the message is this: Run for a strong economy, run against crime, and run away from public debate whenever possible.
"This riding has always been what I would call kind of a cusp riding," former Conservative MP Paul Forseth explained. "There's an inner-city voting pattern, and then it becomes more Conservative as you move out. And this community is right on the cusp of that, so that always makes things interesting here."
Forseth, who won four contests in the suburban swing riding but is not a candidate in Monday's by-election, expects local sentiment to mirror national polls that put the Tories within reach of the 12 seats needed to form a majority.
"There's a good chance here," Forseth told The Tyee. "I'm hoping that because Conservatives have a rising reputation nationally -- it's showing in the polls -- maybe that will spill over to here. And that will give voters the confidence to say, 'Yeah, Diana Dilworth is a young, new, fresh person... We've had enough NDP ideology rammed down our throats. So let's go for the Conservative option.'"
And so it was that The Tyee went looking for Conservative candidate Diana Dilworth. That's when things got a little strange.
'Um, we're going out'
I started phoning the Diana Dilworth campaign on Oct. 16. I left one or two telephone messages a day for nine consecutive workdays. I also wrote several emails, and even phoned the national Conservative Party headquarters in Ottawa seeking comment on the Nov. 9 by-election in New Westminster-Coquitlam.
No one called me back.
So on Oct. 28, I dropped by Dilworth's campaign office in person.
Dilworth, a three-term Port Moody City councillor, was standing near the front door. She shook my hand and greeted me warmly.
But when I explained that I was a reporter, she dropped my hand and took two quick steps backward.
I asked if we could schedule a time to talk about her campaign.
"You know what?" she asked. "We probably could." She then gestured toward two men who were standing near the door, and added, "But all these people are waiting here."
I said I'd be happy to wait.
"Um, we're going out," she responded.
"For a couple hours," one of the men volunteered.
"Yeah. We're going out. And then I'm going to a senior centre. And after that, uh," her voice trailed off.
"You know what?" she asked again, using the question like a turn signal. "Talk to Paul. Paul can figure out my calendar."
She then scurried out the door.
After she'd left, Paul, a pleasant volunteer, explained that he knew nothing about Dilworth's calendar.
He telephoned campaign manager Mike Martens, who told me he'd look into the matter and call me back.
Blown off in Burquitlam
Given that I'd already waited nearly two weeks for such a call, I did what I often do when I feel rejected: I walked out for a cheeseburger.
As I trudged across the Burquitlam Plaza parking lot, I got to wondering: Was it just me? Or had Diana Dilworth blown off other news reporters as well?
I Googled while dining.
In the Georgia Straight, I found this: "Conservative candidate Diana Dilworth didn't return The Straight's call before deadline."
In the Vancouver Sun: "Dilworth, a Port Moody councillor, was unavailable for comment Monday. However, her campaign manager issued a press release highlighting the economy and crime as the top election issues."
And, a week later in the Tri-City News: "Dilworth wasn't available to comment before the Tri-City News' deadline."
So it wasn't just me. I felt a bit better. (Or was that the root beer talking?)
I walked back to where my car was parked, just outside the Dilworth campaign office. It had been about half an hour since the candidate had rushed out the door.
I guess Councillor Dilworth's afternoon plans must have changed. Through the plate glass window, I could see her sitting by herself at a desk. She did not appear to be meeting with anyone. She appeared to be sitting alone, staring off into the distance.
Dilworth ducks debates
Over the next few days, I learned that with the exception of a tightly structured appearance on CKNW's Christy Clark Show, Dilworth has yet to participate in any all-candidates' debate.
A New Westminster community group called Tenth to the Fraser abandoned plans for a debate after Dilworth declined to participate.
"She never returned our calls," Will Tomkinson told The Tyee. "The Dilworth campaign did eventually send a note saying there were already two debates scheduled, so she would not participate in ours."
Figuring two local debates were enough, Tomkinson threw his meager resources into other projects.
But as it turned out, there were no other debates.
"The other events never really were scheduled," Tomkinson said. "Perhaps the staffer I was communicating with was confused."
Likewise, the Dilworth campaign never returned calls or emails from the Douglas (College) Students' Union, which plans to hold an all-candidates meeting tonight (Nov. 4).
"I left numerous messages. I've been told her campaign manager would get back to me. But I never heard from him," said Priscilla Bartleman, external relations coordinator for the students' union.
Campaign manager Martens later told the Tri-City News that a scheduling conflict prevented Dilworth from attending the Douglas College event. But Bartleman disputes that version of events.
"We asked all the campaigns to indicate dates they would be available," Bartleman told The Tyee. "If she'd let us know her availability, we would have scheduled something else."
And the story is much the same at Burquitlam Community Association. The neighbourhood group left numerous messages for Dilworth. None were returned.
"We sent somebody down to her office to ask," association president Don Violette told The Tyee. "We were told she is too busy, and that our event is not on her schedule."
Campaign manager Martens told the Tri-City News: "She'll be a no-show at the Burquitlam meeting because of concerns the venue isn't a 'credible venue for citizens to find out what the candidates are all about.'" Martens also told reporter Diane Strandberg that the meeting held for last year's federal election was "incredibly biased" and "unruly."
Voilette disputed that claim. He said his group has been sponsoring debates for more than a decade, and noted that all questions to the candidates are submitted in writing.
He also said the Burquitlam group will hold its debate with or without Dilworth. That event is scheduled for 7 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday) night, Nov. 5, at the Sir Frederick Banting Middle School.
'Folks, this is a political meeting'
The day after my visit to her office, a man named Dane Minor called me on behalf of the Dilworth campaign. He invited me to cover a "town hall meeting" about immigration on Halloween. And he promised I'd get a half-hour with Dilworth afterward.
Centennial Secondary School was festooned with Dilworth campaign signs. On the way into the gym, I was handed a flyer that asked, "In an unstable world, shouldn't some things be stable?"
The brochure went on to list three such things: "Our Economy, Our Security, and Our Families."
Richmond MP Alice Wong opened the meeting, praised Dilworth, and introduced Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to an audience of about 100 souls, three-quarters of whom appeared to be of Asian or Indian descent. Wong's head was barely visible above a giant Diana Dilworth sign that obscured the podium.
Minister Kenney -- the Calgary MP who made headlines last year after he banned British MP George Galloway from Canada -- spoke for about half an hour.
"Folks, this is a political meeting," Minister Kenney said. "We are so glad to have a strong candidate who I believe will be the next Member of Parliament."
Kenney praised Dilworth's credentials: She is a single mother with two grown children. She ran her own small business, which contracted filing and clerking services to area municipalities. She has worked for the Fraser Basin Council, a non-profit that advocates economic and environmental sustainability. And she has served three (non-consecutive) terms on Port Moody City Council.
He concluded with an attack on two NDP Members who he said voted against a bill aimed at fighting the trafficking of sex workers.
"This is one of the reasons why we need Diana Dilworth in Parliament," Kenney said. "Diana Dilworth will support common sense and decency... You don't have to take a chance on the NDP candidate when it comes to reflecting our values."
Kenney then fielded seven questions from the audience. The diverse crowd posed a series of detailed inquires about live-in caregivers, professional licensing, family reunification and immigration quotas. No one asked anything of, or about, Dilworth.
'This riding does matter'
The audience scrummed Minister Kenney after the meeting. Dilworth stood at his right elbow, nodding seriously as he spoke.
Paul, the polite volunteer I'd met at the Dilworth office, confirmed that the campaign had set aside time for me after the meeting. So rather than hog the scrum, I chatted with a couple of the other Tories in attendance.
Yonah Martin ran for this seat at a Conservative in 2008, losing to NDP incumbent Dawn Black by only three per cent of the vote. Primer Minister Harper subsequently appointed her to the Senate.
Senator Martin predicted Dilworth will do better because she started campaigning earlier.
"I'm confident that people have heard the difference between having a Member of Parliament at the governing table versus elsewhere," she said.
Also milling about was former MP Paul Forseth, who'd served the region for 12 years. Forseth had hoped to run for his old seat, but missed a filing deadline for the by-election. He was first elected as the MP for New Westminster-Burnaby in 1993 as a member of the Reform Party. He won reelection in 1997 with Reform, in 2000 with the Canadian Alliance, and in 2004 as a Conservative. But he lost the riding to Dawn Black in 2006.
Forseth said the "cusp" riding consists of two regions: New Westminster, which is more friendly to the NDP, and Coquitlam-Port Moody, which is more friendly to the Conservatives.
"The strongest NDP polls are in New Westminster. But that doesn't mean that we can't win," Forseth said. "When I won, sometimes I may not have won every poll in New Westminster, but I was always competitive. And they I would make it up in one of the other areas."
Forseth now plans to run in Burnaby-New Westminster during the next federal election.
"This whole controversy around the minority status has just really turned people off," he said. "I hope that maybe voters have had enough of that, and they're prepared to say that, look, we need a majority government."
I asked the veteran MP how important this riding is to Tory hopes for a majority.
"Yeah, this riding does matter," Forseth said. "And, yeah, there is a trend toward majority government."
'You know what?'
I waited until nearly everyone else had left the school. That's when campaign handler Dane Minor told me that Dilworth would only have a few minutes to speak with me.
"This really isn't a good time," Minor said. "We have a very busy schedule."
I mentioned that it was he who has proposed this time and place. He shrugged.
Dilworth walked up. I asked questions.
What would she do to improve the economy?
"I would particularly look at the businesses, and look at where we can provide tax incentives. See, you know, the Conservative government has helped businesses by producing some tax cuts for them, and tax credits. So again, it's just supporting incentives and supporting programs to help the businesses."
What did she mean by a comment she'd made on CKNW that appeared to express support for private health care?
"What I said is there's certain options that could be looked at in changing our medical system. And you look at private care: You know what? We already have chiropractors. We have naturopaths. We have cosmetic surgeons. There are choices for people who want to look at those options."
So what is she saying about private options?
"I'm not saying private options. What I'm saying is that if there was proposals that came forward to look at other options, I would look at them."
I asked a few quick questions about her campaign. She said she has 200 volunteers going door-to-door. She said she will raise and spend the federal limit on her campaign. (In this riding, the limit will work out to about $72,000.)
I asked her to name her top achievements on Port Moody council.
"I brought in a retention and recognition program for small businesses. We recognized that our small businesses didn't feel like they were getting enough attention. So we brought in a program where once a year we had an annual event. We invited every business in town to come in. We did a number of connections."
She added that she was "the driving force" behind Port Moody's adoption of a sustainability plan, and noted that Port Moody is "The City of the Arts."
I asked whether she will participate in the Burquitlam debate.
Her reply began with that same turn signal she'd flashed earlier in the week.
"You know what?" she asked. "I haven't looked at my calendar. As you can appreciate, candidates' calendars are huge."
I observed that she had yet to participate in any local candidates' forum.
"There hasn't been any all-candidate meetings yet," she replied, in what appeared to have been a much-improved recollection of her huge calendar.
Minor put his hand up and said, "Last question."
I asked who'd paid for the town hall meeting,
"As far as I know, it was a campaign event," Dilworth said. "The specific logistical details, I don't understand all of those."
I asked if there was anything else she wanted Tyee readers to know about her.
"I've got a two-year track record of working in federal government, running my own business, working for nonprofit. I believe that helps bring a very healthy perspective."
Tomorrow: A look at Fin Donnelly, the NDP candidate in the New Westminster-Coquitlam by-election. ![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
ReeferMadness
05-11-2009
Is this what our democracy has come to?
Is this what passes for democratic representation? The candidate can't even be available before the election, much less after? Yikes.
Grandma_J
05-11-2009
Questions but no answers from Diana
I attended the all candidates meeting at Douglas College on November 4 and Diana Dilworth was represented by an empty chair. The other candidates who attended the “most candidates meeting” as NDP candidate Fin Donnelly called it, gave thoughtful and informative answers to questions about a variety of topics including transportation, the environment, high levels of student debt, the HST and my particular concern, the sad state of our Canadian childcare system. There didn’t seem to be much point in asking about their opinions on the Canada Health Act since the candidate who suggested on the Christie Clark show that she was open to revisiting the CHA, thus opening the door to more user pay medicine, was not present. Someone told me later that she couldn’t attend because she was attending a “coffee party.” Guess what Diana – the Douglas College student society knows how to make and serve coffee too.
Gary
05-11-2009
Leaders run the candidates
One could get the idea from the Dilworth situation that The National Party is running the campaign. Keep the candidate in the background and in carefully orchestrated meetings. Use her as a puppet. Then if elected don't follow any of her , or the parties platform.
It sounds to me like she is running for the provincial Liberals. I wonder how many times Harper or any of the Cabinet ministers will show up here? While they are here lets ask them about the HST. Its their baby. The liberals are only going on board for the 1.6 Billion.
realisticman
05-11-2009
You don't want the 1.6 billion?
Since the federal NDP and the Liberals are voting for the Conservatives in the House these by-elections won't change a thing. Ekos reports today that the NDP is down to 16%. Expect a turnout of less than 40% at the poll.
Van Isle
05-11-2009
If Dilworth looses this
If Dilworth looses this election, will she get appointed to the senate too? She's just another example of the best description for a politian; "a fence post with hair".
Gary
05-11-2009
No (un)realisticman
I don't want the $6B. What I want is a government that does what they say. I also want a government that is honest with the people.
These by-elections will change everything. The people don't want the HST and that is why Harper is running the local campaigns. They don't want questions asked about the HST.
Every vote in every house whether it be Provincial, Federal, or municipal should be a free vote for each member. Just like the gun control vote yesterday. The country should not be run on a dictatorial basis.
I am predicting a defeat for Dilworth here. I think the people woke up during the last Provincial election to this type of campaigning.
Chris Keam
05-11-2009
I LOL'ed (and now crave a cheeseburger)
Great article! Thanks for injecting some humour into the dismal state of political representation.
TheV3H.com
05-11-2009
She did an email interview with us
Diana Dilworth did an email interview with our site that was posted last week.
http://www.thev3h.com/2009/10/diana-dilworth-conservative/
It has been a curious campaign. Diana was very responsive at the beginning, but now with the business around the all-candidates meetings I have yet to hear from her. It makes you wonder who is really pulling the strings at the campaign.
RossK
05-11-2009
Aha!
The Stealth-Cons are back!
.
realisticman
05-11-2009
Gary
Maybe every vote should be a free one. Not a bad idea at all. Is there a party in Canada that agrees with this position on free votes other than the Conservatives? It was the Conservatives too that allowed a free vote on, what was it, abortion or homosexual marriage?
We're more likely to have free votes under the Conservatives than under the Liberals.
Kam Lee
05-11-2009
MIA
As a Port Moody resident, a neighbour of Ms Dillsworth, I have a different perspective and not a comfortable feeling I might add. She, as a member of our city council has been basically invisible. She appears only to “be seen” at events. Fluff, no substance. I have tried also to talk with her, and the same response, nothing. On the other hand, Fin Donnelly, returned my phone call almost immediately, and was honest and forthright on his comments. This is where my vote, my family members votes, as well as many of my friends will be voting. I feel very positive about Fin been in parliament. The best choice.
Hermans Hermit
05-11-2009
Some More Tyee Objectivity Please!
Dilworth's media responses:
1. CKNW debate;
2. Dilworth Interview - Tri-Cities News
http://www.bclocalnews.com/tri_city_maple_ridge/tricitynews/news/68966662.html
3. Dilworth Interview - New West News Leader
http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/newwestminsternewsleader/news/67782007.html
4. Dilworth Interview - Tri-Cities News
http://www.bclocalnews.com/tri_city_maple_ridge/tricitynews/news/66587217.html
5. Dilworth Interview - New Westminster Leader
http://www.bclocalnews.com/greater_vancouver/newwestminsternewsleader/news/66706357.html
6. Dilworth Interview - Georgia Straight
http://www.straight.com/article-265112/diana-dilworth-new-westminstercoquitlam-needs-strong-voice-government
7. Dilworth Interview - thev3h
http://www.thev3h.com/2009/10/diana-dilworth-conservative/
That said, Fin will still win.
OilbertaRedTory
05-11-2009
Con-bot tactics
Harper, the Pro-Rogue, has a hate-on for Parliament :
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070518/tories_parliament_070518/20070518
The strategy of avoiding speaking to media dates back to Reform Party Randy White's infamous admission of hating the Charter:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20040626/martin_attack_040625?s_name=&no_ads=
The strategy of avoiding unscripted public access by Harper's Con candidates is - successful.
dave49
05-11-2009
I got a sore neck from
I got a sore neck from shaking my head in disbelief so many times...
Ingmar Lee
05-11-2009
typical Neocon election tactics
I ran Independent during the penultimate provincial election in Victoria-Beacon Hill. The only "all-candidates meeting(of many that I attended) that the Gordon Campbell politician bothered to show up at was organized by CanWest Global and the Victoria Chamber of Commerce, and which charged the audience $50 to attend. Although I asked to be present at that "all-candidates meeting" I was excluded, as was the Green candidate, because "only major parties were invited." I was however welcomed to pay the $50 to get into the meeting. I did ultimately get into the meeting for free, where I saw several paying audience members sitting at large, empty tables, nevertheless there was a huge corporate media presence, attempting camera angles which attempted to portray a large, enthusiastic turn out. As I sat there in the front row, a procession of succesively more important looking officials kept approaching and asking to see my ticket to the "all-candidates meeting." Finally, the cops came in, arrested me and dragged me out of the venue. As I recall, Gordon Campbell has never showed up at a single all-candidates meeting, preferring to transact his election promises to his corporate media sycophants
Laura S
05-11-2009
Rebecca Hurts
This is such an important election. Don't let the Greens help elect the Conservatives
Chris Keam
05-11-2009
not an interview
to nitpick...
6. Dilworth Interview - Georgia Straight
http://www.straight.com/article-265112/diana-dilworth-new-westminstercoquitlam-needs-strong-voice-government
is really more of a prepared statement by the candidate.
seth
05-11-2009
spokesmodels
Despite her claim on her website to represent her constituents Dilworth will do exactly what Harpo tells her to, when and if he tells her to do it. The muzzle is on.
Her website claims she has "...become a passionate voice for economic, environmental and social sustainability. " Yet those are three things the Harpo is completely against. Rape and pillage our economy, environment and social structure is the Conservative (Neocon) agenda.
A very effective strategy Harper has adopted is to appoint spokesmodel types to candidacies. They attract a lot of votes from disenchanted male voters. If she looked like Dilworth, Carole James would have beaten the Gordo hands down.
Spokemodel types are difficult to beat if a bunch of Harpo HQ mandated membership buys from the local fundamentalist church fixes the vote in a nomination battle.
I wonder what is her church affiliation and how many of her supporters originated there?
poltourist
05-11-2009
Conservative
"She ran her own small business, which contracted filing and clerking services to area municipalities. "
Just love it - she made her living from tax payers money, supplying workers with reduced wages, rights and security of employment, while creaming off the difference between what she charges for her workers and what she pays them. the hypocrisy of conservatives with their small government, while really using it for themselves and their friends. i know there are some benefits to temp agencies, but i think the negatives outweigh the positives.
offended
05-11-2009
SOP (Standard Operating Procedure)
for the Conservabots. They did the same thing in the last general. You were expecting something different?
Orcinus Cedarbough
05-11-2009
Hmm.
This doesn't come as a surprise, nor should it to anyone who has dealt with many conservative members of parliament. I've had this happen to me a number of times. Especially as a young person - there is no consideration for communication. Especially for youth under voting age.
dave49
05-11-2009
Sadly, political representation is not locally-controlled
I know several people who either had direct experience or know of a relative who got involved in politics at the riding level, being on the executive of the riding association. Once there was a change in party leader or new priorities set, these people were promptly turfed from their positions and the executive of the (so-called) LOCAL associations was filled with puppets loyal to the party leader or the party machine.
Dilworth sounds like a suitable puppet
For a better world
05-11-2009
A Candidate with integrity?
I met Diana Dilworth as she and her entourage toured the neighbourhood, delivering flyers, and knocking on doors the day before the election was called. We discussed how ethics are important in politics; however, her twice weekly mail deliveries provide misinformation and her lack of availability indicate she will not be a worthy representative.
I also suspect the Harper's call today for an inquiry into the missing sockeye salmon is a red herring. Because the popular NDP candidate has expressed the need for an inquiry, the Tories are trying to create the impression that that they care. Whether Dilworth is successful or not, you can be assurred that any inquiry into the salmon problem will be either dropped or inadequate.
North of Hope
05-11-2009
No interviews
She had one interview out of the 7 listed. And that had only 5 predetermined questions - no give and take, no development of ideas and issues. The rest consisted of one question. However being a conservative, it doesn't matter as she like Gordo's conservatives (AKA BC Liberals with no mind of their own. Look at what happened to Paul Nettleton when he represented his constituents.
The Blackbird
05-11-2009
Repeat Strategy
The Tories used this distancing of candidates from public forums and debates while limiting them to scripted public statements to media with no follow up question and answer period. I was at an all-candidates meeting at Little Mountain Social Housing where all parties were represented except the Conservatives.
Here's a shot from the event: http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackbird_hollow/2915540911
The amazing thing is, people vote for these Tories without knowing who they are, what they stand for, not knowing if they are capable of answering simple questions.
realisticman
05-11-2009
For a better world
"...an inquiry into the missing sockeye salmon is a red herring."
Wonderful. That has to be the scribble-of-the-day.
When you went on with, "...any inquiry into the salmon problem". I thought you were going to write, "...will be dead in the water".
I guess that when you're talking about the Conservatives it's just like shooting fish in a barrel.
realisticman
05-11-2009
Anyway...
The big story of the election night will be long way away in Hochelaga and whether Iggy has any traction in Québec. That's what the media will be interested in. One or two seats in the make up of the House will not be a story.
crankypants
06-11-2009
The old scheduling conflict scam
Diana Dilworth wants to get elected without facing the electorate at a couple of all-candidate debates. That is disgraceful. Why should anyone vote for someone that shows such disregard for the people in this riding. It's obvious that she wants to get elected to represent the Conservative Party, not the people in this riding. We already have 301 such MPs in Ottawa and maybe it is now time to vote in someone that will actually represent its constituents.
Maybe it is time to send a message to Ottawa and the political establishment in general. We have 4 candidates representing 4 parties, but only one that does not have a leader sitting in Ottawa. That is the Green Party candidate. Thus if she were to be elected, she would be pretty much an independent and therefore be free to represent us rather than a party. No leader to tell her how to vote gives her a power that none of the other three candidates can claim.
I was ready to just go and spoil my ballot because I do not believe in party politics. I also do not like the platform of the Green Party. What I do like is that if elected, she will be free to vote with her conscience and truly answerable to her electorate. What a concept.
freebear
06-11-2009
A sow politician lining up for the trough
I guess she is running not for her constituents , rather from the consituents!
West End Bob
06-11-2009
Excellent
article, Monte. Informative and humorous at the same time - Well done!
Crankypants (above) is on to something:
she will be free to vote with her conscience and truly answerable to her electorate. What a concept.
Sounds good to me . . . .
Amazed_Theseus
08-11-2009
Try to be at least a little objective
It would be refreshing if Tyee reporter and leftist worshiper was as objective as many of the comments following his articles. In the Diana Dilworth article Monte tells us "Over the next few days, I learned that with the exception of a tightly structured appearance on CKNW's Christy Clark Show, Dilworth has yet to participate in any all-candidates' debate." He neglects to mention neither had the NDP, Liberal, or Green Candidate... because at the time of writing the article there hadn't been one. I also suspect that Christy would be surprised at being accused of having a highly structured show. Her trademark is a wide open non partisan grilling. I did do the Google search Monte suggested and found a number of interviews in the Tri City News, New Westminster Leader, and the Coquitlam Now so obviously she wasn't ducking them.
Then Monte worships rather than reports in his Fin Donnelly article. We are even treated to a visit from the ghost of Tommy Douglas past. People who met and knew Tommy Douglas, know that Fin Donnelly is no Tommy Douglas. An honest evaluation would also note that Fin's anti HST campaign, which Monte used prominently in his headline is a shell game hoping to tap into a provincial jurisdiction anger to affect a federal election.
After reading both articles I see that there is a reason that Monte's photo is prominently featured on Fin's campaign Facebook page.
RossK
08-11-2009
But Is It Secular Humanist....
...leftist worship?
.
Grandma_J
08-11-2009
Diana Dilworth - still no answers
Note to Amazed Theseus - At the time the article was written Diana Dilworth had already informed the organizers of the all-candidates meetings that she did not plan to attend, whereas the other canddates had accepted the invitations to attend. Perhaps Monte could have said "Dilworth has yet to agree to participate in any all-candidates' debate" if you want to quibble over words. As you'll note in my post of 3 days ago, she did not attend the November 4 meeting nor did she appear at the November 5 meeting. I stopped by her campaign office to see if she was making any public appearances at all before the election but the receptionist claimed not to know where she would be for the next 3 days. None of the articles you mentioned discussed her remarks on the Christy Clark show concerning reopening the Canada Health Act or her opinion on the affordability and availability of childcare from her own viewpoint as a self proclaimed "single mother." These were the questions I went to her campaign office to ask her. The receptionist took my name and phone number but I have yet to receive a call back. My opinion is that either Diana is afraid to face the public and answer hard question or she has been told by "head office" to keep quiet.
In my opinion, Fin Donnelly has no intention of trying to be the next Tommy Douglas but rather is a man of strong character and principles who believes in Tommy's famous quote "Courage, my friends, 'tis not too late to build a better world."
dave49
09-11-2009
Her picture in the Georgia Straight
Her picture in the Georgia Straight makes me think of a former cheerleader. Go, Stephen, go! (Gag!!!)
G West
09-11-2009
Grandma_J
You won't get a call back. Dilworth, like all Tories, has to clear any statements with the 'Dear Leader' or one of the ciphers in the PMO.
The only way most of these trolls are electable at all is if they keep their mouth shut and their tongue firmly 'in cheek'.
Not much that's new about that - Pee Wee is perfectly sanguine about running a dictatorship.
You can ask Garth Turner, Belinda Stronach and Bill Casey if you don't believe me....
Monte Paulsen
10-11-2009
On objectivity
I'm a bit taken aback by Amazed Theseus thesis.
This was a race between two smart, energetic and accomplished city councillors of the same generation. I looked forward to this byelection because I thought it would give me the opportunity to spend more time with the candidates than I am able to do in a general election. I'd hope to write long profiles of each candidate. I'd hoped to tease out their similarities and differences. I think that was an objective goal.
I was denied that opportunity by Diana Dilworth or her handlers. So were many others. The Vancouver Sun dubbed Dilworth the "invisible" candidate. The National Post described her as "gagged and closeted." Since when has Don Martin been a left-worshipper?
With almost nothing from Dilworth, I faced a difficult choice: (1) Report what I knew, or (2) cut my report about Fin Donnelly down until it matched the meagre bits I had from Dilworth.
Many of the local papers in the Tri-City area took the second option. That didn't look objective to me. One reporter told me, off the record, that one editor didn't want to disclose to readers that the paper had no access to the candidate. In other words, the newspaper was trying to save face, not be objective.
It seemed to me that if I simply cut everything down to Dilworth size, then I'd be giving in to the Tories' desire to limit debate. In my opinion, that's not objective; that's just bad journalism. So I opted to report what I knew to be true. That said, I did trim my report about Donnelly quite a bit. Indeed, I worked hard to provide about the same level of biographical detail in each report. In my view, that was a reasonable compromises, and one made out of a desire to remain fair, if not as "objective" as Thesus would like. (If indeed that is Thesus' desire.)
If Thesus wants to explain how any reporter should report fairly on a candidate who won't meet with or provide meaningful information to the media, I'm all ears. Something tells me that this is not the last time Canadian reporters will have to grapple with this problem.
P.S. -- And as for Facebook? Come on. I'm "friends" with people of all political stripes, as are most reporters who use social media. Hell, I'd even be Facebook friends with Thesus if he or she had the strength of character to cough up a real name.
G West
10-11-2009
Some small consolation Monte
It seems as if Dilworth was pretty much 'invisibile' last night too.
Good job!