The politics of election forums
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/07/2011 (5387 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
During provincial elections, special interest groups often stage all-candidates forums to grill potential political leaders.
Those groups usually include chambers of commerce, labour organizations and First Nations associations.
Those single-issue forums are usually rounded out by non-partisan debates organized by mainstream media outlets, such as the Brandon Sun.
(A forum is where questions are asked of the candidates by a panel, and answers delivered to the audience in general. A debate allows candidates to interact with each other.)
This fall, the Brandon School Division board of trustees will join the election forum fray for the first time.
As you read in yesterday’s Sun, the BSD will join the Brandon Teachers Association in hosting an all-candidates forum in advance of the Oct. 4 provincial election, to which all declared candidates in the constituencies of Brandon East, Brandon West and Spruce Woods will be invited.
It’s not known if any other school boards will follow suit in Manitoba and it’s not immediately known if any have done so in the recent past.
“Education is the second-largest budget in the province,” board chair Marty Snelling said Monday. “Past provincial election forums have focused on issues that are led by the business community … but we feel we need to lobby on education specifically.”
It’s also a chance for the board and union to showcase their new close working relationship, which in the past was more of a Cold War.
But aside from the poor optics of giving an edge to a couple of Brandon West candidates — Jim Murray (NDP) is a school trustee and former chair who will be taking a leave to run, George Buri (Liberal) is a former trustee and chair — the $5,000 BSD/BTA forum has a few other inherent risks associated with it.
As the BSD is funded by the government, it risks biting the hand that feeds it should the questions — especially from the union — be seen as favouring one candidate or one political point of view.
If it turns out that the BSD is the only division staging a forum this election year, what message does that send about the type of division it is? Do we really want to be known as mavericks when the funding formula is so subjective — and, arguably, at times punitive — on the part of government?
And lastly, while it’s great to see the board and union working together, how will that work when the going gets tough during contract negotiations down the road?