FTLComm - Tisdale - November 22, 2000

Tuesday night at 7:30 the RecPlex theatre was packed with standing room only as the community came out to hear and evaluate the five candidates running for the November 27 federal election. Hosted by the Tisdale Chamber of Commerce and CJVR the rules were explained, a five minute opening speech and questions, only one to a customer with

a two minute response from

each candidate to each question. A draw had been held to establish the speaking order and the well known author and opponent of Free Trade David Orchard lead off in his bid to gain this seat for the Progressive Conservative party. Mr. Orchard told of his farming background and his deep opposition to the globalisation process. He spoke passionately about the flagrant disregard government has shown for agriculture and vowed to make the Prairie view heard in Ottawa if he is elected.

Tim Longworth has the dubious task of representing the Liberal party in this riding and though a mild mannered individual he spoke with conviction and impassioned belief that this riding would be much better served by someone in the government rather than opposing it. He spoke of the Liberal record of putting the budget in order and being able to create a modest surplus and how the Liberal government will continue to do its part to expand services to the country with fiscal responsibility. Longworth spoke from a prepared text but his sincerity and clear dedication to the task at hand had a special charm.

Brian Fitzpatrick spoke for the Canadian Alliance party but essential spent five minutes ranting and complaining about the prime minister and the government During his speech he made no mention of any constructive or positive thing he and his party intended to do. His speech was pure acid.

The most eloquent and by far the best public speaker of the candidates was Dennis Nowoselsky who represents the NDP in this riding. He told of his background as a minister and long time parole officer. What came through was his compassion and concern for people in all walks of life but especially those who are disadvantaged and how we as a society must do our best to provide for every citizen. He is very concerned about the withdrawal of money from the provinces by the federal government which has created the crisis in health care and blamed the federal government for its neglect. He mentioned his personal admiration of

Tommy Douglas and how

we as a province and country are more than wealthy enough to provide for each other. My apologies to the fine young man who is running for the Green party. He grew up in Moose Jaw and began his political life joining his father on the picket line. He lived in Alberta which is definitely not the promised land if you are a poor student and has returned to Saskatchewan. He told of his deep concern for the environment and how the Green party stands for an increased awareness of the consequences of betraying the important things about us. Though not an experienced speaker his message and genuine heart felt concern resulted in the audience giving him a warm round of applause.

The first question was about Canada's armed forces and the role Canada plays internationally. Each candidate presented their party's views on these issues and David Orchard and Dennis Nowoselsky strongly condemned Canada's action in Kosovo. It was the Green candidate who pointed out the remarkable ill treatment Canada's servicemen and their families receive and that this is unjust.

The second question of the night was an emotion question about abortion and the candidates showed their personal and political stripes as they each explained what they felt about the issue and if it was possible that it might once again come before parliament. It was surprising how close the views were of each of the candidates. Orchard stood out as declaring the topic a personal matter between a woman and her doctor.

The issue of Free Trade and party stances on it came up with a question about the Canadian Wheat Board. This brought the tensest moments as it was clear that the position held by the Alliance, the Progressive Conservatives and the Liberals were extremely polarised and it also brought a light moment when the Liberal candidate explained his distress at having to defend the Liberal government's role in this issue. Tensions and responses from the audience were especially high during these speeches with some heckling and the lady from the Chamber of Commerce felt the need to produce some Tisdale decorum during this exchange. There is no question that this

one issue offers the voters the greatest range of choice and may well be the main issue troubling those at the meeting.

With one more question on gun laws the party platforms and views of the candidates showed an excellent range of opinion but also a remarkable amount of common sense. All oppose the present laws yet the NDP and Liberal candidates explained what those views are so widely supported in other parts of Canada. It was the young candidate for the Green party who best explained the issue and seemed to understand the knee-jerk reaction that had brought the legislation into existence Orchard and Fitzpatrick strongly oppose the law especially the violations within it of the charter of rights. With the questions over each had a chance to sum up speaking in the reverse order that they had begun the evening. Fitzpatrick trucked out his negativism once more declaring that it would be a grievous event for Canada for Chretien to be re-elected. Nowoselsky offered hope and himself as a positive influence standing for the common good. Longworth claimed the constituency can expect nothing from Ottawa unless a Liberal is representing it and Orchard condemned the negativism of the Alliance party and its deceptive nature declaring his determination to advocate the importance of Canadian agriculture and how he would defend and protect farming interests. All in all it was an interesting and effective evening. You can look around the room in the QuickTime VR below.