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North Bay Pride will proceed with its planned, live-streamed debate among local provincial election candidates despite the absence of some of the hopefuls for the seat in the Nipissing riding.
Ontario NDP candidate Erika Lougheed, Ontario Green candidate Sean McClocklin, Ontario Liberal candidate Tanya Vrebosch, and None of the Above candidate Giacomo Vezina have all confirmed their attendance, according to North Bay Pride.
"At this time, we have not heard from MPP Vic Fedeli from the Conservative Party of Ontario although two letters have been sent to him," nor Taylor Russell, of the New Blue Party, after invitations were sent, says North Bay Pride. The group had asked debate attendees to respond by last Friday.
Ontario Libertarian candidate Michelle Lashbrook just announced her intention to run Monday and her debate status was unknown as of publication time. Update: Lashbrook has confirmed her participation.
See related: Vrebosch 'concerned' Fedeli will only attend one candidates debate
“North Bay Pride has made sure this debate is accessible for anyone in the riding, says Jocelyn Green, CEO of North Bay Pride. "We believe that every current Ontario MPP should attend debates across this province to defend their record against the other candidates. We learn a lot about people during the debates, we learn about party platforms, and we learn about someone who wants to represent the people," at Queen’s Park.
After a successful local candidate debate ahead of the September 2021 federal election, North Bay Pride, led by moderator Geri Atrick will host the locals vying for the Nipissing riding's seat. The debate will be held on May 13 at 7:30 p.m. from the auditorium at Nipissing University and will be streamed live via the North Bay Pride Facebook page.
North Bay Pride says its fall debate was received as "fun, entertaining, and informative... the moderator knows her politics. We have seen the same debates, same speeches, same platforms, but Pride gets the answers you want to the questions you have."
"Any candidate or incumbent should never be afraid to stand on a stage and answer questions or defend their record. If you want the position, you need to speak to the people, and if you cannot do that, you should not be running in any election," observes Green. "I am not saying this about just our riding, it's about every riding in Ontario. People deserve to see and hear all candidates and the candidate should never just pick and choose what they want to do. It's about the people, not about the candidate."
Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod sent a letter in support of the North Bay Pride debate invitations, writing, "Debates miss the opportunity to include marginalized communities like the 2SLGBTQ+, persons with disabilities and Indigenous communities. North Bay Pride proved that good community representation is possible during a debate when they created the federal candidate debate during the last federal election."
North Bay Pride says McLeod will have the honour of asking the first question of the debate.
According to Pride's Jason Maclennan, “First Nations across Ontario should be always given the space to be heard and bring their issues to all candidates, especially the leaders of all parties. We must respect the Indigenous communities and always create safer spaces for those voices to be heard, because if history has taught us anything, marginalized voices have been silenced far too many times, including by some political leaders when they should have been leading by example."
The May 16 YourTV debate, which has secured the participation of its four invited candidates — Fedeli, Lougheed, McClocklin, and Vrebosch — has promised "free time messages that will air as part of the debate programming," for the remaining candidates. According to YourTV, its more structured debates are only open to candidates who represent parties with seats in the Ontario Legislature and are members of the party to which they were elected.
Fedeli indicated in late March he would participate in solely the YourTV debate. A request for comment clarifying Fedeli's debate plans from his election campaign team at TWG was not returned before publication.
See also: Candidates circle the date for local debate
According to North Bay Pride, its debate guarantees a more inclusive format with all candidates offered a place on stage and less rigid debate topic guidelines.
“We have ensured that anyone can attend the debate in person, but also can watch through a live stream. We have invited all parties that are on the ballot as we are not restricted by rules when it comes to debates. We believe that if you are willing to put your name on a ballot, you should have the same opportunity to be heard during debates like everyone else."
