The All-Candidates Forum will be hosted by the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce on September 8. (file/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Political Q&A

Battlefords All-Candidates Forum set for September 8

Aug 30, 2021 | 5:58 PM

Federal candidates for parliament will have their voices heard for the Battlefords – Lloydminster riding over the next two weeks, starting with a question period.

The Chambers of Commerce in Lloydminster, Unity and the Battlefords will each host an All-Candidates Forum, where public participation is available.

The Battlefords forum will take place on Sept. 8 at the Western Development Museum in Heritage Hall from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Live streams will be available through the chamber and through Access Now.

Chief Operating Officer Linda Machniak said last year was a bit of an anomaly with two elections together amid COVID-19 restrictions, but they expect the event to run smoothly, barring some change that would bring back those restrictions.

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“We will have COVID friendly things like masks and hand sanitizer for people if they choose to use them,” she said. “And we won’t overfill the hall.”

Machniak still expects the event to be well attended, with most of the candidates confirmed to be there. Each of them received packages of information from the Canadian and Saskatchewan chambers that have recommendations for the next elected government. The hope is to have a wide range of topics from both the moderators and the public.

“People can submit questions ahead of time and the public there can write down or bring written questions,” Machniak said. “We’ll group questions, so if it’s health care, or finance or taxes, they’ll be grouped together.”

“I’m hoping that some public comes to see what the candidates have to offer and what the parties have to offer. There’s some new folks, so it’s important to see how they would represent voters as well.”

Lloydminster will not have a forum until at least the following week in order to combine with the Alberta riding. Unity will host their own event on Sept. 9.

This means two of the All-Candidates Forum’s for the Battlefords – Lloydminster riding will have occurred before voting begins on Sept. 10.

“Part of the choice to have it on Sept. 8 is to allow for people to see the candidates before they go to the advance polls,” Machniak said.

Vice-chair of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors Derek Schmidt will act as the Master of Ceremonies, while other members will serve as moderators. More information on the event will be available on the chamber website. Information on the candidates will be available in the coming weeks on the battlefordsNOW Federal Election page.

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW