A collaboration article by K. Herbst-Reid and D. de Gracia
On Wednesday May 1st, a group of Sulli students were able to experience
what it was like to see first-hand what a debate between four political
figures looked like. These four were Martin Hunt for the Liberals,
Amrik Mahil for the NDP, Sara Sharma for the Green Party and Kevin
Rakhra for the Conservatives. These four took to our auditorium and
presented their “plans for our future” and their “plans for a better
BC”. There was a question and answer period, but this raises the
question: Why have a Q&A session when these four people dance around
the questions anyway? Not sure what this is about? As a person there
for myself and as a person who asked these people a question, I will
happily explain.
Section by D. de Gracia
Many students asked their questions to these people. We, and I say we
because I was doing this myself, lined up behind a microphone to voice
our questions. One student in grade 12 asked what the candidates would
do about the prices of housing rising due to foreign investors. The
candidates she asked basically said “It is out of our control, it
concerns legislature”. Basically an “I don’t know.” I would write the
rest of what they said, but it was just a dance around the subject.
Another student, in grade 10 this time, asked a candidate about how they
would try to help our parent’s generation. The candidate basically
replied “By boosting/improving our economy.” How would they do so? They
never said. When I asked my question about how they would help students
with student debt after post secondary education, one of them talked
about how their party would make plans to give children who are now 6
money to their parents so that they could build up money for post
secondary education. But what about us? It’s a good sounding plan for
future kids, sure, but what about us? The ones graduating in two years?
Next year? Three years from now? That plan only helps kids graduating 12
YEARS from now. They went on and on about OUR future, and OUR
involvements in Canada. But throughout all these questions, the
candidates dodged them and didn’t answer us. What does it say about
them?
Section by K. Herbst-Reid
One
grade 11 student came up to the mic and was pretty gutsy, saying they
were just dodging question after question and weren’t really explaining
WHAT they were going to do to help us in the future. They keep going on
and on about giving us money for education and helping the these
generation. But HOW? How are they going to get the money? What about
the last generations and our parents? Our parents are having trouble
too, and they should be helping everyone! Not just us. They have great
ideas and have big plans but how will they carry them out? When election
day comes, I guess we’ll just have to see.
What's your opinion?
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