Another all-candidates meeting in Milton has been cancelled due to a lack of participation, reducing opportunities for voters to hear directly from those seeking to represent them.
Elaine Reid, president of CFUW Milton and District and event organizer, confirmed that only Liberal candidate Kristina Tesser Derksen agreed to participate. Efforts to reach NDP candidate Katherine Cirlincione and John Spina of the New Blue Party were unsuccessful, while Green Party candidate Susan Doyle declined. PC candidate Zee Hamid did not respond to multiple outreach attempts.
An Unprecedented Situation
Reid called the situation unprecedented, noting that CFUW has hosted election forums for years, typically with strong participation from both candidates and the public.
“This is unusual,” she told Milton Today in a phone interview. “This sort of thing has never happened before.”
She believes the trend of some candidates avoiding public forums is part of a broader shift in political engagement.
“This seems to be the way we're going with things,” Reid said. “My understanding, anecdotally, is that the Conservative Party—both federally and provincially—is being instructed not to engage in public forums, and I find that incredibly disappointing.”
Reid also pointed out that during last year’s byelection, Hamid initially agreed to attend CFUW’s forum but withdrew at the last minute, despite participating in other election debates.
A Growing Trend of Cancellations
The CFUW-organized forum was scheduled for February 18. Earlier this week, another all-candidates event in Campbellville was also cancelled due to a lack of confirmed participants.
“Those were the only two forums in which the public were able to directly connect with all of the candidates in an unbiased way. So it is very disappointing,” Reid said.
Shifting Engagement Strategies
With the debate cancelled, CFUW is adjusting its approach to voter engagement. The organization plans to post key voter questions on social media, encouraging residents to press candidates for answers when they campaign door-to-door.
“We do still feel a sense of responsibility to encourage voters to engage,” Reid emphasized.
She also underscored the importance of debates in local elections.
“It’s an opportunity for people to pose specific questions,” she said. “Town halls are important in local politics. They're very important.”
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