No advance notice of the Vancouver-Langara all-candidates provincial debate exasperates staff and students
The forum was hosted by the Langara Students' Union featuring the Vancouver-Langara riding candidates
By SOFIA MOHAMED
A provincial election all-candidates forum for the Vancouver-Langara electoral district left some staff and students disappointed by the lack of promotion.
The forum was organized by the Langara Students’ Union and advertised on its Instagram page only one day before the event. It was not advertised on its website.
Students unaware of the forum
Stephane Guillemot, a third-year bioinformatics student, said the event was “poorly advertised.”
“Everyone I spoke to about this event had no idea it was going on,” said Guillemot. He penned and distributed an open letter to Langara instructors, encouraging them to spread election awareness to their students.
The forum was held Oct. 8 at the LSU building where Conservative Party of B.C. candidate Bryan Breguet and New Democratic Party candidate Sunita Dhir answered questions on a variety of topics, such as electoral reform and the Societies Act. The final voting day for the 2024 B.C. general election is Oct. 19.
Stephen Phillips, a Langara political science instructor, promoted the event on his own initiative because he believed it was an “invaluable” opportunity for students to ask the candidates questions.
Phillips said he had asked the LSU if it was planning an election forum, but it notified him only four days before the event. He received a poster from LSU and printed 60 copies on his own and placed them on bulletin boards around campus.
Candidates show appreciation for the debate format
The two candidates who attended said they were pleased with the forum. However, Dhir said, “I wish I had more time to explain my platform.”
“Even if you prepare in advance, one minute goes really fast,” said Breguet, who is also an economics instructor at Langara. “But overall, I like the format … I like that we didn’t know all the questions in advance.”
Green Party candidate Scottford Price was at the LSU building prior to the forum but could not stay for the debate due to scheduling conflicts.
