I guess Mayencourt is accepts the fact that he cannot win in Vancouver Centre

Tonight I attended about half of the Xtra West sponsored Vancouver Centre all candidates debate. I left when the debate shifted to questions from the floor. It was clear that the audience was largely made up of partisans so the quests ions were going to surely be designed to embarrass one candidate or another.

I was a little bit surprised at how far Lorne Mayencourt went while attempting to defend himself from what was a rather hostile audience. Mayencourt rightly tried to defend his personal record both as a private citizen and as an MLA. While I do not like Lorne Mayencourt and I think he was an ineffective MLA who did not spend enough time in the riding, I do think that he has every right to defend himself. Mayencourt does have a record to run on, which is important, it is okay to not be too impressed by his record, but I think that people should accept that he has done some good work over his life, and he has at least been motivated by worthy causes.

Mayencourt went too far though. He lashed out at the audience, he seemed angry rather than passionate. He even decided that it was okay to say “fucking” during his tirade. The word fucking was uttered earlier in the night as well but in reference to the film Young People Fucking. Plus, the word sounds much classier coming from Hedy Fry than from Lorne Mayencourt. I think that if Mayencourt wanted to defend himself and his record he should have presented the facts calmly. He should have ignored the hecklers who so rudely hissed and booed at him from the moment he arrived. Instead, because he chose poor language, because he lashed out at the audience, and because he generally did not answer the questions that were asked, Mayencourt has written off a large constituency in Vancouver Centre.

I am sure that a large number of GLBT people are going to support Mayencourt, but I am also equally certain that anyone who was perhaps thinking of voting for him who was at the debate tonight will think long and hard before voting for a man who lashes out in such an angry and unprofessional fashion.

A friend who was also at the debate was somewhat impressed with Mayencourt. He was impressed that Mayencourt stood up for himself, and for gay conservatives generally. While I disagree with how Mayencourt defended himself, I do think that it is important that all political views be treated with respect. Within the gay community, conservative minded folks are often thought to be crazy. I am conservative on many issues, but on social policy I consider myself to be rather progressive. I do find it a little bit odd that some GLBT people support the Conservative Party when it is so very clear that the party does not support them. Regardless though, all views should be respected.

Other than Mayencourt’s blow-up the night was rather uneventful. Michael Byers of the NDP, and Hedy Fry of the Liberals traded a lot of shots. It seems that they have both been doing a fair bit of lying about each other and it seems to be getting to them.

Adriane Carr was generally too vague in her answers but I do think that she gave a great answer in response to a question about what it means to vote strategically. She had to avoid suggesting that strategic voting is the right thing to do to stop the Conservatives; to say so would be encouraging people not to vote for her. What I boiled Carr’s point down to on strategic voting is that you should vote out of hope and not out of fear. I would much rather vote for a party that inspires hope in me, than vote against a party that I am afraid of. That being said, I just might be afraid enough of the Conservatives to abandon hope this time around.

Carr also brought up a fair electoral system, an issue I care a lot about, and one that no other candidate ever mentions. The other great point that Carr made was regarding the Conservative reversal on Bill C-10. She noted that the main reason the Conservatives reversed their position was that they were taking a total beating on the issue in Quebec. While there were artists and activists across the country upset with Bill C-10, it is only in Quebec that the issue translates into a large number of votes.

One thing that upset me a little bit was that Libby Davies was at the debate. Other candidates from Vancouver East were invited but they declined the invitations. It is not that I dislike Libby, but having two NDP candidates when every other party only had one was a little bit unfair. I also think it is a little bit unfair to Michael Byers to get compared to Libby Davies. If I had the option of voting for Libby I would never have any issues about who to vote for. Tonight Libby was excellent. She was charming, intelligent, and avoided the sharp political exchanges that Fry and Byers engaged in. Libby Davies is always a breath of fresh air in my view. She presents her views with solid reasoning, and a quiet passion that comes across as very genuine.

All in all I was very unimpressed with the debate. None of the candidates really put forward any substantial ideas. Lorne Mayencourt seemed to lose his composure and that is unfortunate because he had a valid point to make. Hedy Fry and Michael Byers look petty in their constant squabbling. Adriane Carr came out looking good in my view, but she does not seem to be a serious contender in the riding. With all of that said, at least the night was somewhat entertaining.