Frankly Speaking

Finance Minister Bill Morneau has given no indication that controversial tax proposals will be withdrawn. Small business operators who spoke at a consultation meeting were almost universally opposed to the federal Liberals’ plan for tax fairness. The meeting took place Tuesday (Sept. 12) in Langley City, and was hosted by Cloverdale-Langley City MP John Aldag. The Liberal MP said his office has had more correspondence on this topic than any other since he was first elected two years ago. In response to a question from Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce director Jenny Hinch, he said responses to the letters he has received will start going out tomorrow. He had been waiting for a Liberal caucus meeting, which took place last week in Kelowna, before responding, as he knew the issue would be an important one of the agenda there. He also urges anyone wanting to speak about the proposals to send responses to fin.consultation.fin@canada.ca . He asked that people sending responses...

Photo by Brian Woudstra Three of the four candidates in Fleetwood-Port Kells spoke at a candidates' forum on Oct. 7 at Northwood United Church. At the microphone is Liberal Ken Hardie. NDP candidate Garry Begg is on the left, with Green Richard Hosein in the centre. As the empty podium indicates, Conservative incumbent Nina Grewal skipped the meeting, as she has did with forums organized by the same two church groups during the 2008 and 2011 election campaigns. Nina Grewal, in her own unique way, has been a trendsetter for some of the Conservative Party's actions in this election campaign. First elected in 2004 in what was then the new riding of Fleetwood-Port Kells, she and her husband Gurmant, who was elected in 2004 in Newton-North Delta, were the first husband and wife team of MPs elected to the House of Commons. Gurmant had first been elected as a Reform MP in 1997 in the Surrey Central riding, which took in the middle third (and most populous) part of the city. By ...

It is quite possible that voters in Surrey and Delta will be taking part in the most competitive elections in many years, for all or most of the six local seats in the House of Commons. That is likely why many came out to vote at advance polls over the weekend. Across Canada, 3.6 million voted at the four-day advance polls – up 71 per cent from the 2011 totals. In Surrey, a number of voting stations had lengthy lineups at times over the weekend. Elections Canada clearly had not expected so many to come and vote early. It seems certain that voter turnout will be up in this election. There are a number of reasons. It has been a lengthy election campaign, the longest in modern Canadian history, so very few people can say they aren’t aware of it. The prime minister has been in office for almost 10 years and, as a result of decisions made over that period, there is clearly a mood for change among many. Strategic voting has been highlighted more than ever, and has been aided by se...

Bonnie Bucholtz photo Three of the four candidates in Cloverdale-Langley City attended a candidates' meeting Wednesday organized by a variety of seniors' and veterans' groups in Langley City. With organizer Leslie Gaudette (far left) are (left to right) Rebecca Smith (NDP), John Aldag (Liberal) and Dean Drysdale (Conservative). The candidates' meeting in Langley City Wednesday was the best of the three I moderated during this campaign. There were two reasons. One was the presence of Conservative candidate Dean Drysdale, which ensured that there were clear choices offered to the voters who attended. The other was the fact that all three candidates are passionate and not afraid to defend their partisan perspectives. This was particularly true of Drysdale and NDP candidate Rebecca Smith. Both on occasion became a bit personal in their remarks, underscoring why they are running. Liberal candidate John Aldag, who has worked very hard in the past year to get to know ...

Another federal candidates' meeting, another missing Conservative candidate. I moderated a forum Monday in Aldergrove, which was organized by a number of seniors'  and veterans' groups. Candidates from the Langley-Aldergrove riding, which takes in most of Langley and a small portion of western Abbotsford, were invited to attend several weeks ago. Three of them showed up - Green Simmi Dhillon, NDP Margot Sangster and Liberal Leon Jensen. All gave detailed presentations of both their parties' platforms and their own views on numerous seniors' and veterans' issues, as well as topics like the Kinder Morgan pipeline. The 130 people or so in attendance were mostly seniors. Judging from their questions and conversations I had with a number of them afterwards, most were there to get more information about candidates, to help them decide who to vote for. There were few overt partisans of one candidate or another. Prominently missing was longtime Conservative MP Mar...