All five Yellowhead candidates running in the federal election have confirmed their attendance for the all-candidates forum in Jasper Oct. 5.
The free event will be held at the Jasper Activity Centre. At 6 p.m. the public will be able to meet the candidates in person and ask them any questions they may have one-on-one. The forum will start at 7 p.m. and run until 9 p.m. and will be streamed live on the Fitzhugh's website. Alternatively, for those who miss it, a recording of the forum will also be available following the event.
“I think any opportunity that any voter can have to come out and listen to the candidates that are vying to represent their constituency is vitally important,” said Pattie Pavlov, general manager of the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, which is organizing the event in collaboration with the Fitzhugh and Habitat for the Arts.
“People need to be informed, people need to understand and people need to know who they're voting for and understand what each party and candidate represents and stands for,” she said.
In attendance will be Conservative incumbent Jim Eglinski, NDP candidate Ken Kuzminski, Liberal candidate Ryan Maguhn, Green Party candidate Sandra Wolf Lange and Libertarian candidate Cory Lystang.
The forum will be moderated by Coun. Brian Nesbitt and will include an opportunity for the public to ask questions.
For those unable to attend the forum in Jasper, Hinton is holding a similar forum on Sept. 28 at the Hinton Legion, starting at 7 p.m.
Eglinski's confirmation for both forums stands in contrast to a recent Toronto Star report that stated Conservative candidates running in the federal election were advised not to attend all-candidates’ meetings or speak to reporters during the campaign.
Eglinski has returned every interview request made by the Fitzhugh since the election was called on Aug. 2.
