Frankly Speaking

My first foray into this year's federal election came Tuesday night, when I served as moderator of a candidates' forum in the riding of South Surrey-White Rock. Of the six candidates on the ballot, four had been invited by the organizers to speak. South Fraser Unitarian congregation and Crescent United Church organized the event, held at the United Church. The facility was packed, with more than 200 in attendance. Organizers Ann Bryce, Joan Wilson and Lynn McKay did an excellent job. They wanted the forum to concentrate on two major issues, climate change and end of life (specifically physician-assisted dying), which will be in front of the next Parliament, and prepared eight questions on these topics. The responses took up most of the meeting. In attendance were Liberal Judy Higginbotham, NDP Pixie Hobby and Green Larry Colero. Conservative Dianne Watts, the popular former mayor of Surrey who has never taken a back seat to anyone, did not attend. Her campaign office said...

Justin Trudeau with former South Surrey-White Rock Liberal candidate Joy Davies This week's column in the Peace Arch News and Surrey Leader  It’s been a topsy-turvy week for the federal Liberals in South Surrey-White Rock, with candidate Joy Davies resigning Sept. 10 after controversial remarks she made about marijuana use on social media came to light. Davies has been replaced by longtime Liberal and former Surrey councillor Judy Higginbotham. South Surrey resident Higginbotham has been soldiering for the Liberals, both federal and provincial, since 1983, when she first ran with the provincial Liberals in what was then the two-member riding of Surrey-White Rock. She left the provincial Liberals to run with the doomed Social Credit party in the 1991 provincial election in Surrey-Cloverdale, but has been a loyal Liberal since that time. She has run provincially five times and federally three times, in 1988, 2004 and 2008. In 2004, she got almost 37 per cent of the ...