OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor ([email protected]). Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to a letter, published May 24, titled, 'Value of issue-driven debates is debatable.'
*************************
As a former Canadian and World Studies Department Chair at Park Street Collegiate Institute, who coordinated multiple all-candidate forums through “student vote” (some attended by Doug Lewis), I want to respond to Lewis’ letter – itself a response to Sandy Agnew’s letter concerning Jill Dunlop skipping two (eventually four) all-candidate debates last week in Orillia.
In doing so, I want to acknowledge (Mr.) Lewis’ formal contribution to public service as Simcoe North’s MP from 1979 to 1993. He is supporting Jill Dunlop in the 2022 provincial election. I am supporting Elizabeth Van Houtte in Simcoe North.
Over the many campaigns in which I have been involved, supporting the PCs, the Liberals, the NDP, and other politicians at the municipal level, canvassing was certainly important. And this campaign is no exception because it has allowed our team to share highlights of our platform, such as mental healthcare and dental care, with residents.
But, more importantly, it has allowed the residents to share their concerns with us. We listen to them. And we are hearing that many of them, including several longtime PC supporters, are fed up with the cuts made by the Ford government to healthcare, education, and a wide variety of other social services.
Earlier this month, while canvassing in our neighbourhood, Dunlop heard from two of these former PC supporters that Ford was trying to buy their votes by refunding the licence plate stickers and they would not be supporting him this time. So, yes, canvassing is essential. But so is attending forums, in which questions can be asked by the media, the public, and these so-called “issue-driven” organizers.
Whatever problem Lewis has with “issue-driven” events, such as Lake Simcoe, small businesses, and colleges and universities could be clarified in a future letter. That said, Dunlop also skipped the “issue-neutral” forum hosted by the Chamber of Commerce for reasons known only to her campaign team.
I am also interested in how Lewis concluded that 75 per cent of the crowds had their minds made up beforehand, and therefore there was only the potential to influence 40 to 50 voters – especially when forums are live-streamed and often rebroadcast multiple times before an election.
The bottom line is this. Premier Ford has refused to be interviewed by TVO’s Steve Paikin – the first-ever. And PC MPPs all across Ontario are skipping debates as well.
Were they directed by Ford to do so? Or did they make these decisions all on their own to avoid answering for the past four years of mismanagement in Ontario? Need a reminder? Google “Ford Tracker,” a compilation of their government’s actions compiled by the Ontario Federation of Labour. (Yes, another “issue-driven” organization, Lewis).
But does it really matter who made the decision? The fact of the matter is these MPPs are not: being accountable to the media, willing to engage in intelligent discourse with other political parties or willing to listen to and respond to the voters they represent. As such, Lewis’ belated attempt at damage control should be seen for what it is—minimizing the importance of his own MPP to be held accountable to all voters in Simcoe North.
Ultimately, it will be up to (a plurality of) the voters here and in every other riding (as it should be) to decide how important it is to have an MPP who is willing to do their job. And that includes showing up.
John Winchester (Orillia)
Voter Contact Outreach
Simcoe North NDP Campaign Team
*************************
