Richmond’s two NDP candidates in the Oct. 19 federal election are not concerned their lack of speaking Cantonese has ruled them out of an all-candidates meeting on Saturday.
According to information from Fairchild TV, Talentvision and Fairchild Radio, their jointly presented 2015 Federal Election Forum Oct. 3 at Aberdeen Centre will feature Kenny Chiu, the Conservative candidate in Steveston Richmond-East, Lawrence Woo, the Liberal candidate in Richmond Centre, and longtime B.C. MLA Jenny Kwan, who is running for the NDP in Vancouver East.
Left out are the NDPs Scott Stewart (Steveston Richmond-East) and Jack Trovato (Richmond Centre).
When contacted by the News, Trovato, said this was the first he’d heard of the event and wasn’t concerned about not being there.
“Ms. Kwan is a very good candidate and she will put us in good stead,” Trovato said.
“Sure, I’d like to be there, but if I can’t participate in the language, then perhaps this is why they went (with Kwan).
Asked if he was missing a chance for exposure to voters ahead of the election, Trovato said both he and Stewart have been at many public events already.
“We’ve been participating quite a bit and will in several other debates in the community. So, it’s not a lack of visibility on behalf of the two (NDP) candidates here...”
In an email, Stewart said his campaign staff informed him the debate was to include Cantonese speakers, and that’s why Kwan was selected to represent the party.
“I have been invited to the all-candidates forum on Oct. 9 by Fairchild Radio at Aberdeen Centre,” he wrote. “I look forward to that debate and hope my Conservative and Liberal opponents will be in attendance.”
Trivina Lee, from Fairchild Radio, said the event is not billed as one focusing on Richmond ridings.
And when organizers requested the three major parties to send a candidate, it was a coincidence they all spoke Cantonese.
“That’s why we decided to hold it in just Cantonese,” Lee said. “We are not...having it in Mandarin.”
Asked if she felt this was an exclusive event, Lee said it was not the intent to deter non-Cantonese-speaking people from attending despite the language barrier.
“You can always bring a friend who speaks Cantonese or ask someone there to translate for you,” Lee said.
