By Dessa Bayrock (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: May 8, 2013
I was either lucky or bored enough to attend the Abbotsford South All-Candidates Meeting last Monday night. It’s not that I don’t like politics—I’ve attended enough SUS meetings to at least get a taste for policy and political promises—but the meeting was a purely theoretical exercise from my point of view because I’ll be voting in a Chilliwack riding on May 14.
On the other hand, I think that this puts me in a position to offer my advice to Abbotsford-southers. I’m an outsider looking in. I share many of the concerns discussed by these candidates, but I will ultimately be voting for none of them.
Five candidates came to the meeting: Marcus Halliday (Excalibur), Steve Finlay (Marijuana), Lakhvinder Jhaj (NDP), Darryl Plecas (Liberal) and John van Dongen (Independent).
At this point I would say the front-runners are easily Plecas and van Dongen, with Jhaj trailing in third.
Plecas and van Dongen are both knowledgeable and experienced fellows, and to be quite honest I’ll be happy to see either of them in office. Plecas has a strong foundation in criminal law and community politics through years’ worth of work as RCMP Research Chair at UFV. He has an utter no-nonsense attitude about him that is refreshing in politicking. Asked for his thoughts about the price of post-secondary schooling, he noted that cutting student fees means cutting the funding that universities have to work with. That being said, he sees the need to return to a world where student loans are forgivable, and maybe even moving towards the European model of treating post-secondary education as a resource and offering free tuition to students.
Plecas has strong ties to the UFV community, which is a pro (in my eyes) but that also made it extremely surprising that he was completely unaware of the student shuttle that will be implemented between Chilliwack and Abbotsford in September. He talked at some length about how there should be transportation between the two campuses, when his proposed solution is already a reality.
I think that van Dongen has an advantage over Plecas in a couple of ways. On the topic of transportation, he had the specifics of the shuttle close to hand and recognized both SUS and university involvement in the project. He has years of direct experience in politics, while still exhibiting the cut-the-political-bullshit attitude that makes Plecas so approachable.
His decision to run as an independent rather than a liberal is a strong one, and in an age where candidates vote exclusively according to party decision, he offers flexibility and the chance to directly represent the needs of Abbotsford.
Jhaj seemed the most reliant on buzzwords and fluff when relating her points, which frankly bothered me. I’m also sick of politicians (including Jhaj) highlighting their family history as an example of their family values. I would say that most well-adjusted people can showcase family ties; the fact that you’ve been married and had kids does not necessarily make you a good politician.
I’m sure that she’ll still get a sizeable chunk of votes, because a lot of people seem to be supporting NDP these days. I know that the NDP is promising change, but I’m having a hard time seeing how – their promise of funding for skills training is certainly nothing new, and that was the only point that I heard Jhaj really stress during the meeting. She has plenty of experience on committees and in government bodies, so she’s not a bad choice, but much of her experience seems to be centred in her previous Okanagan community. Personally, I would rather see someone in office who lives and has experience in Abbotsford.
That leaves us with the less-likely candidates: Halliday (Excalibur) and Finlay (Marijuana).
Halliday, in short, is adorable. The Excalibur party is new this year, and was founded as an alternative to voting for the bigger-name parties. According to its mantra, it stands for truth, honour and justice. Do the six Fraser Valley Excalibur candidates have a chance of getting voted in? Hypothetically, yes. Realistically, no.
Halliday is easily the youngest candidate in the riding, and I would guess also the most naïve and inexperienced. He can’t be older than 22 or 23, and his sheepish grin and idealistic values are sure to melt hearts everywhere. He has a wonderfully refreshing enthusiasm – but from what I can see, no real experience or plan behind the dreams. He would campaign for more transit options in the Valley, and some kind of funding program to help university students pay for school. Admirable? Yes. Adorable? Definitely. Naïve? Extremely. If he sticks with the Excalibur idea and stays in tune with BC politics long enough to catch the next election, he’ll have more of an idea of what he’s doing and how to do that. Until then, I’m afraid his votes will be few and far between.
Finlay, of the Marijuana party, is highly unlikely to gain office due to the controversy surrounding the party goal of legalizing the Valley’s most popular herb. We know it; he knows it. Rather than use the campaign as a platform to further these beliefs, however, Finlay used his inclusion at the debate to criticize and commend the front-running candidates as needed, pointing out holes in logic and offering suggestions to streamline plans. As the meeting progressed, my respect for him grew. This is the kind of affable, reasonable candidate that I would want to see in office, although I don’t think the world is quite ready to accept a Marijuana Party candidate just yet.
