Prince George candidates politely present platforms at all candidates debate

There were few surprises at the all candidates meeting in Prince George last night.

All three parties running in the city’s two ridings were present and all of them stuck close to their party platforms.

The Prince George-Valemount candidates went first. Liberal Shirley Bond, NDP Natalie Fletcher and the Green party’s Nan Kendy were very polite to each other.

“The first debate there was clearly one candidate that simply wasn’t there,” says Francisco Cabanos, who attended in a Green Party T-shirt, and wasn’t impressed with Fletcher’s showing. “I thought there were two candidates who have their act together and one that was doesn’t – that’s the essentially the message I got. Shirley Bond is a strong candidate as a candidate. She’s a weak candidate because her party has a lot of problems.”

Howard Lloyd, who served as MLA for the region in the 70s, remembers candidate debates with a little more fire.

“I think they were a little livelier in the old days. It was livelier but it wasn’t maybe quite as good a chance to hear everybody. I think they’ve done a good job overall and Shirley Bond in particular.”

Lloyd wasn’t alone. Kathy Nautilene, who is registered in the Valemount riding, likes her current MLA.

“Shirley Bond’s a powerful lady. She’s been there long time she’s got a lot of contacts and for them to want to push out the corporations – you push out the corporations, you’re pushing out the jobs.”

Both the Green and NDP candidates accused the current Liberal government of pandering to corporate interests instead of serving the majority of the province. Bond held her ground, touting the Liberal government’s record on job creation and the province’s current standing at the top of the country’s economic heap.

The second debate, featuring the candidates for Prince George-Mackenzie, was a bit livelier with NDP candidate Bobby Deepak challenging incumbent Liberal Mike Morris on issues from energy to healthcare and Green candidate Hilary Crowley pushing her party’s platform consistently.

John Moxin, who votes in the riding, was much more impressed by the second half.

“This gang, from Mackenzie, they’ve done the reading. They know what they’re talking about. Way more interesting way more challenging.”

Cabanos, who says he’s been following the races in both ridings closely, thinks there’s reason for a feistier tone in the PG-Mackenzie debate.

” There, you have a weak candidate with a weak party as the incumbent. I think there were opportunities of attack that weren’t used and I’ll say that of both the NDP and the Green candidate.”

Candidates in both section of the debate had a chance to weigh in on six topics: energy policy, resource development, education, healthcare, relations with First Nations and support for small business.

That’s exactly what Prince-George Valemount voter Chantal Grafton came to hear.

“This was my first debate that I’ve ever attended. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I found it very informative. You can get quite a bit from reading on their websites but you get quite a bit more when you’re seeing them answer the questions on the fly and and learning about exactly what they’re going to do for your community.”

Elizabeth MacRitchie, who also votes in the Valemount riding, has already cast her ballot but still attended the debate.

“I wanted to hear what everybody had to say because I have a sense of what the policies are but I wanted to hear it from the people.”

For those who walked away undecided, there will be one final candidates forum in the City before Election Day. It takes place at the Native Friendship Centre on Thursday evening.

A more detailed breakdown of each half of yesterday’s debate will be published soon.