Meet the candidates Aug. 27

As in all previous Meet the Candidates evenings held over the past 10 years, The Examiner is co-organizing the event with the Westmount Municipal Association.

The program will follow much the same format as in previous years. In a randomly selected speaking order, each candidate will be invited to introduce themselves and present their respective platforms. This will be followed by a question period, during which the public may address questions to one or more of the candidates. Then the candidates will give their closing statements in reverse speaking order.

The event will be moderated by Victor Drury.

As the main organizer representing the WMA, Stanley Baker has been in touch with the candidates and their agents, and so far all candidates are expected to attend. As of Monday's deadline for official registration, he said, the field consists of Guy Dufort (Conservative), Marc Garneau (Liberal), Claude William Genest (Green Party), Anne Lagacé Dowson (NDP), Charles Lariveé (Bloc Québécois)and independents Régent Millette, David Sommer Rovins and Ronald Andrew Wattie.

Examiner editor Wayne Larsen said the selection of an adequate venue was not so easy this year, because the floor of Victoria Hall's main ballroom is being redone. "Normally, Victoria Hall is our venue of choice," he said. "It has a great staff and ideal facilities for our needs, but this time it happened to be out of the question. "As soon as the City announced that Victoria Hall's main hall would be closed over the summer, I felt a twinge of uneasiness — because I knew there was a by-election coming and we would probably have to schedule the Meet the Candidates evening at some point during the time Vic Hall was closed. That's exactly what happened, but Westmount High School will suit our purposes nicely."

He said the delay in announcing the meeting was the result of the organizers holding out for their first choice — Westmount High — even though other local venues were available. Unlike most other venues, the Ste. Catherine Street high school is both centrally located and offers plenty of parking space. "We had to wait for English Montreal School Board staff to return from their summer vacations before we could get the final okay," Larsen said, adding that, just before they were forced to go with their Plan B, columnist Marilynn Vanderstaay was able to speak to WHS principal Michael Cristofaro, who readily agreed to work with the WMA and Examiner in presenting this important event.

Due to the strategic importance of this by-election, the campaign has attracted considerable attention from across the riding — which extends well into NDG to the west and as far as St. Laurent Boul. to the east. As a result, organizers are expecting a larger crowd than usual, so those planning on attending are advised to arrive early. "The results of this by-election could affect the decision of the party leaders on whether or not to hold a nation-wide election," said Baker. "That's why it's so important for people to get out and vote."