When you run for elected office, you expect voters will have a lot of questions for you.
It comes with the territory.
But there is a limit to what candidates should be expected to share – especially when those questions don’t have anything to do with the office they are running for.
Case in point, five questions that have been emailed to people running to become school trustees for the New Westminster school district.
They appear to be from just a regular citizen. I won’t say who they are from because I personally don’t want to give them publicity.
From what I can see, only one of the questions has anything to do with school issues – the SOGI policy that I wholeheartedly support as a person. I only wish they had had this policy in place when my daughter went to elementary and high school.
The other questions are highly personal and completely inappropriate. Voters have no business asking school trustee candidates about their views on abortion or if human life begins at conception. It’s nobody’s business what their views are – especially since trustees have no impact on federal or provincial policies. Ask a federal candidate, maybe, but school trustees – just go away.
Another question is about if the pride flag should be flown at city hall (yes, of course), but there again, it has nothing to do with school trustees.
On this question, the person asking says that the pride flag is a “controversial symbol” – only to people who don’t support the LGBTQ community, sir.
Frankly, the questions just creeped me out. They were all soaked in the stink of intolerance. Just because someone is running for public office doesn’t mean you get to know their every personal opinion.
I hope the candidates just ignore them. I will say I liked the response from candidate Anita Ansari (I didn't receive the questions from her, in case you were wondering). She posted a photo on Twitter of her holding a rainbow scarf as an emphatic way of saying where she stands.
Here are the questions:
1. Organizations like Planned Parenthood (PP) routinely counsel women to have abortions. Given that abortion is a controversial practice that many taxpayers in our city find abhorrent, do you agree that PP and its affiliates should not receive taxpayer funds through the city?
YES_____ NO______
2. Do you acknowledge that human life begins at conception (fertilization)?
YES_____ NO______
3. Do you consider yourself pro-life or pro-choice? (Check one only)
PRO-LIFE_____ PRO-CHOICE______
4. Do you agree that city hall and other public municipal buildings should not fly the gay pride flag due to the fact that it is a controversial symbol and not inclusive towards the beliefs and values of all city residents?
YES_____ NO______
5. The SOGI 123 curriculum teaches gender ideology which is controversial and which many residents of New Westminster are not comfortable with. Parents cannot opt-out of all aspects of the curriculum. If elected, will you oppose the use of SOGI 123?
YES_____ NO_____
