Empty chair at Surrey mayoral debate leads to some political theatre
An empty candidate’s chair at a mayoral debate in Surrey Wednesday did not go unnoticed. In fact, the chair became a focal point for some theatrics and a few laughs.
Incumbent mayor Doug McCallum was the only one among a total of eight candidates for mayor in Surrey who did not show up at the event organized by the Surrey Board of Trade.
“It was just the nametag, no Doug,” said Surrey Connect mayoral candidate Brenda Locke.
During the forum, each candidate was given the opportunity to ask a question of one of the other candidates.
McCallum’s absence didn't deter candidate Gordie Hogg from asking the moderator if he could put a question to the absent candidate.
“I’ll be very respectful, I promise,” Hogg said.
To which the moderator replied: “Sure, go ahead. It will be entertaining.”
Hogg, after asking a question of the empty chair, then went over to it and jokingly answered his own question, as though he were McCallum.
“Well Gordie, you jerk, why would you bring this up?” said Hogg, prompting laughter again from the crowd.
Asked Thursday about his antics, Hogg said: “That was a question I wanted to ask him anyway and because he wasn’t there, I decided to ask him and give the response that I thought he might give.”
“A lot of people wanted to ask the mayor a number of questions," Locke said. "Certainly, I had a question for him.”
SBOT president Anita Huberman said McCallum did not reply to the invitation for the event.
“He wasn’t there and he wasn’t able to respond to critical economic questions,” she said. “We’re disappointed, but we went on with the evening without him.”
The Safe Surrey Coalition, McCallum's municipal party, said in a statement that McCallum is on the campaign trail “and had a prior commitment that he agreed to attend prior to receiving the invitation to the SBOT debate that he could not reschedule.”
The statement said McCallum had already attended many election debates and forums.
Locke admits she’s also missed a mayoral debate during the campaign, but argues the Surrey Board of Trade event was crucial.
The election is just over a week away.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.