Candidates for the Burnaby South byelection have been invited to a townhall this Saturday in Burnaby to discuss if they will deliver on fighting climate change if elected.
Just don’t expect People’s Party of Canada candidate Laura-Lynn Thompson to be there.
Organizers of the event – including the Canadian Union of Postal Workers – didn’t invite Thompson due to her strong opposition to the SOGI education materials implemented by the B.C. government.
“We didn’t think it was appropriate,” said James Hutt, a CUPW representative for the event.
Hutt said that federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has confirmed he is coming, while Conservative candidate Jay Shin had a scheduling conflict. Hutt said they are waiting to hear if Liberal candidate Richard Lee will be available.
The topic is the role of public services in the transition to a greener economy.
“We know we need to reduce and eventually eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels,” said Mike Palecek, national president of CUPW.
“The question is: how? We have some ideas and we want to hear theirs. Voters deserve to know who’s willing to be part of that conversation and who is ready to take a leadership role in the new economy,” adds Palecek.
There will be guest speakers, including:
- Palecek
- Kari Michaels, executive vice-president, BCGEU
- Kai Nagata, communications director, Dogwood
- Stephen Crozier, New Westminster and District Labour Council
The event will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Firefighters Banquet and Conference Centre, 6515 Bonsor Ave.
