I’ve been to a couple of all-candidate forums in St. Albert over the years that got pretty lively, and one in 2015 that was downright rowdy, but the nasty tone of the most recent candidate forum at the St. Albert Inn was something new.
Apparently this opinion was shared by some of my fellow St. Albertans, as I was approached by a couple of folks from around town who made the same observation that the attitude of the hecklers was meaner and more organized than anything they’ve seen or heard before in this suburban community northwest of Edmonton.
Well, there’s been a general decline in the tone of civil discourse in North America since the presidency of Donald Trump, and there’s no question it’s come to Alberta. It was inevitable that, sooner or later, we’d see some of the same in this small city too.
But maybe the sizeable group of United Conservative Party supporters that arrived early and occupied the first few rows of seats to cheer on their candidate, Angela Wood, weren’t all from around here.
There were some familiar faces, some less familiar ones, and one big ole UCP MLA who was definitely from out of town.
That would be Lac Ste. Anne—Parkland’s Shane Getson, best known for joining convoy protesters in a gravel truck jamming traffic near their Alberta Legislature in January last year to support the people illegally blockading the border at Coutts.
Or maybe the group contained some of the same folks who made news recently for their offensive comments during a series of meetings and surveys about the municipality’s naming policies last year. That one turned into a national embarrassment.
Who knows?
Be that as it may, it’s fair enough to cheer on your candidate, but that ought not to extend to catcalling the only other candidate at the event, New Democrat MLA Marie Renault, shouting “liar” when she tried to make a point, and it was certainly over the line to call out the c-word as someone did.
There were some cries of support for Renaud, too, but nothing like the ugly tone of the UCP crowd.
I spoke to Renaud briefly after the meeting, and she seemed quite shaken by the reception she received from the peanut gallery.
If Wood or Getson, who was sitting in the front row, told folks on their side to simmer down and watch their language, it wasn’t audible where I was. Might’ve happened. As for the moderator, Alberta Chambers of Commerce Chief Operating Officer Jason Leslie, he deserves credit for getting the crowd to behave.
Some of the claims Wood made could also be reasonably described as what the Cockneys of London call porkies. Just one example: “The NDP want to bring injection sites into every community in Alberta, and that includes St. Albert.”
I think we can safely assume the UCP knows that is not true – although it is true that suburban communities like St. Albert are not immune to the consequences of addictive-drug use or that the policies advocated by the UCP will lead to the deaths of drug users, here as elsewhere. I understand UCP candidates are making this claim throughout the province.
Beyond that, there’s not much point quoting the debate, such as it was, because both candidates stuck close to their party talking points and there wasn’t much new to be learned. The 150 or so people at the meeting were mostly supporters of one candidate or the other, so it’s unlikely any minds were changed.
Green Party candidate Cameron Jefferies, probably wisely, didn’t show up.
I imagine staff at the NDP’s joint campaign office for the area are concerned the same crowd will show up at the all-candidates forum in nearby Morinville tonight to support Morinville—St. Albert UCP MLA Dale Nally and give a hard time to the NDP, Green Party and Alberta Party candidates.
If by chance, some nut says the same thing to New Democrat Karen Shaw as was said to Renaud, the four-term Sturgeon County councillor needs to stop, point him out to the crowd, and ask sharply, “What did you just say to me?”
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