Conservative candidate Chloe Ellis appears to be a no-show at all-candidates’ events in New Westminster-Burnaby.
Peter Julian (New Democratic Party), Sasha Ramnarine (Liberal Party of Canada) and Kyle Routledge (Green Party of Canada) recently attended an all-candidates meeting with the Massey Victory Heights Residents’ Association.
“All of the candidates came out, except for Chloe,” said Jason Lesage, president of the residents’ association. “I invited her. I was told she was busy. I spoke via email to her campaign manager.”
Julian, Ramnarine and Routledge also attended the Queen’s Park Residents’ Association all-candidates’ meeting on Sept. 27. After three weeks of calls and emails, organizers said they finally heard back from Ellis’s campaign manager, who said there was a scheduling conflict and she couldn’t attend.
“Sad about the hide-and-seek democracy,” one of the organizers told the Record.
The New Westminster Chamber of Commerce is holding the next all-candidates meeting of the 2016 federal election campaign on Oct. 14.
Cori Lynn Germiquet, executive director of the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce, said organizers attempted to contact Ellis several times, and were finally told she wouldn’t be attending the meeting. The chamber also sent out questionnaires to candidates and asked them to respond so their answers could be posted on the chamber’s website.
“We have created a special section on our website that features all of the candidates, as well as their responses to the questions. Three of them responded with their responses, but not Chloe’s,” Germiquet told the Record. “I think it’s really important the candidates know what the business community is thinking and what their concerns are. … I think it is a missed opportunity.”
NEXT New Westminster and Tenth to the Fraser are holding a casual meet-and-greet with the candidates on Oct. 6, but organizers say Ellis isn’t on board for that meeting either.
The Record contacted Ellis by phone and email but did not receive a response by deadline.
