PROPOSAL: Community-organized 'All Candidates Meetings'

in ridings around the province prior to the election


Proposal from: Council of Canadians – Fredericton Chapter


To: All NBEN member and associate groups and all interested individuals

We are asking groups and individuals to host all-candidates meetings in their ridings. This is easy to do!

Citizen engagement is the key to these meetings, where the citizens in the audience ask the questions. The public meetings provide constituents with an opportunity to publicly ask questions of their MLA candidates on issues which concern them. These meetings will be citizen-led and non-partisan.

These meetings are extremely easy to organize. We simply need an individual, a community group, or a union to book a venue in their riding for the first week of September.  Invitations would then be delivered or e-mailed to all the candidates [see sample letter below that was used in Fredericton South] at least two to three [2-3] months in advance of the meeting.

For the meeting, only one moderator is necessary to introduce the candidates, and also to keep track of the time limit that candidates have to answer each question from the audience. A donation jar can be circulated at the meeting to pay for the cost of the venue plus advertising posters.

Here is the simple outline of the meeting:

• At the start of the meeting each candidate will have 3 minutes to introduce himself/herself to the audience.

• Following these introductions, the main portion of the meeting will give an opportunity for constituents to ask questions directly from the floor.

• After each question, each candidate will have 2 minutes to respond.

• At the end of the meeting, each candidate will have 2 minutes to address the public with closing remarks.


The best time for the meeting in each riding would be the 1st week in September, after people return from vacation, and before the advance polling starts. According to the Elections New Brunswick website - FAQ Information, it says that "The first advance polling day is 9 days prior to the election. The second advance polling day is the Monday, 7 days prior to the election." This means that the advance polling for the Sept. 22nd election will start sometime in the 2nd week of September.


Where possible, we would like to have All Candidates meetings broadcast live [live streamed] on the Internet. Each meeting would be saved and archived on YouTube for future viewing, to allow as many people as possible an opportunity to view proceedings and hear the candidates’ positions on the issues.


SAMPLE INVITATION ONLY


April 30, 2014 

                                                                           

To [MLA Candidates in Fredericton South]:



RE:  INVITATION TO ‘MEET THE CANDIDATES Q&A’, THURSDAY, SEPT. 04, 2014


As citizen organizers of the Voice Of The People tour, we are pleased to offer a valuable opportunity for all candidates in the upcoming provincial election to engage and interact with their constituents.  Meet the Candidates Q&A town hall meetings will be organized for a number of ridings around New Brunswick, where candidates from each political party will have the opportunity to present their positions prior to the elections.  These citizen-led meetings will be non-partisan and described as a “Meet the Candidates Q&A – A Town Hall Meeting”.


For Fredericton South, the Meet the Candidates Q&A will be held on September 4, 2014 at Christ Church Memorial Hall, 168 Church Street from 7:00-9:00 pm.  This event will be well advertised in advance as a chance for the public to clarify each candidate’s perspective on a variety of issues, to better inform their decision later that month in the provincial election.


This is a formal invitation for you, as the announced candidates for Fredericton South, to attend and participate in this debate.  Invitations will go out to all other candidates for Fredericton South when they are announced.


At the start of the meeting each candidate will have 3 minutes to introduce himself/herself to the audience.  Following these introductions, the main portion of the meeting will give an opportunity for constituents to ask questions directly from the floor.  After each question, each candidate will have 2 minutes to respond.  At the end of the meeting, each candidate will have 2 minutes to address the public with closing remarks.


All candidates are asked to confirm attendance at this event by May 15, 2014 by sending a reply to [Email Address].  We trust that you will appreciate the generous lead time to prepare for this event.



Respectfully,

____________

Fredericton NB
Member Council of Canadians-Fredericton Chapter
Constituent Fredericton South


Print friendly version - English
http://nben.ca/en/get-involved/action-alerts/item/download/122_f8d61ef9633b7f24ad5518d665827564


Print friendly version - French

http://nben.ca/en/get-involved/action-alerts/item/download/123_d89eb9485acb1b42501e2d9b3eceebd6

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