Tracey Weiler Retraction
In my entry All Candidates Debates Considered Harmful I criticized Tracey Weiler for not attending the environmental issues all-candidates meeting for Kitchener-Waterloo, and wondered whether this was part of a larger campaign of Conservative (and Progressive Conservative) candidates skipping all-candidates meetings. She had originally been scheduled to attend, but cancelled at 11pm the night before.
I am still not happy that she skipped the all-candidates meeting, but I am more inclined to believe that her reason was legitimate and that she had sincerely intended to attend the meeting. I have changed my opinion based on the fact that she has apparently attended at least one all-candidates meeting organized by the Social Planning Council on youth voting. I do not know whether she attended other Social Planning Council-organized all-candidates meetings.
Having said that, I still feel that candidates are strategic about the all-candidates meetings they attend, and many of the other sentiments I feel about all-candidates meetings continue to hold.
I know that releasing this retraction one day before the election does little good, but I did not feel comfortable letting my criticism stand. I doubt it makes any difference one way or another since so few people read this blog.