As candidate no-shows grow this election, do in-person debates still matter?

When Graham Henderson took over as CEO of London's Chamber of Commerce in 2021, he was keen to have the chamber host all-candidates meetings during federal and provincial elections. 

To Henderson, the meetings had the potential for immense upside. Members could enjoy an evening out and ask questions of the candidates seeking their votes. To candidates, the meetings offered a room full of engaged voters and coverage by local media. 

The meetings were free to attend and held at various locations in London. A moderator keeps the debate lively but civil. 

"It was a very important component of the democratic exercise," said Henderson. "It goes to accountability, it goes to transparency. We had very good attendance. [Voters] got to ask questions, and they got to see very clear policy differences [between the candidates]." 

While the early meetings were a success, they also faced challenges that have grown to the point where Henderson has switched the format for this year's event. 

One problem is that some candidates are now choosing to skip the debates, which means voters aren't getting the full spectrum of political views. In the 2021 federal election, Conservative candidates stayed away from all the debates, but other parties also skipped some.

Henderson said in the latest provincial election, the list of no-shows widened to other parties, which affected attendance. 

"There was a very disappointing turnout," he said. 

Now, with a federal election underway, Henderson is trying something different. 

In this election, they will shift away from a traditional debate format. On Wednesday, April 16, the chamber, along with the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors, will host what's being billed as a meet-and-greet for candidates from each of London's three central ridings. Instead of sitting side-by-side on stage and debating, candidates will stand at separate tables, trade-show style. Attendees will be able to approach candidates and ask them questions. 

While Henderson is excited to be trying the new format, candidate no-shows are still a problem.

"This time, we have had difficulty with all of the candidates, not just the Conservatives," said Henderson.

You can see the list of confirmed candidates for the chamber event here. Of the Conservative candiates running in London's three core ridings, only Stephen Gallant (London Centre) has confirmed he will attend. But as of Thursday, Liberal Najam Naqvi (London-Fanshawe) has also not confirmed he will take part. 

TV debates missing candidates

At the Rogers TV station in London, getting all candidates to participate in their televised debates has also become an increasing challenge. For each election, the station recorded television debates for each riding, which Rogers airs multiple times on its station and posts on its website and YouTube channel. Attendance for the candidates used to be automatic. That's no longer the case. 

"You've certainly seen it in the last two elections," said Jeremy Parking, Rogers regional manager of Ontario. "It used to be that we put on a debate, you send out the invite, and it's guaranteed everyone will be there, and you'd have five, six or seven candidates." 

This week, Rogers TV London taped four debates, each featuring candidates running in a London-area riding. The Conservative candidates did not attend any of the four debates, but there were other no-shows. Green Party London West candidate Jeff Vanderzwet, for example, wasn't at Wednesday's taping.  

Parking said of the candidate teams he's spoken with, there's no single stated reason for choosing not to show up. 

"They've just said they're choosing to spend their time in a different way, knocking on doors or being at other events," he said. "That's where they're focusing their attention." 

Candidates pressed for time

Laura Blondeau is the communications chair for David Goodwin, the Liberal candidate in Elgin–St. Thomas–London South.

She said all-candidates meetings remain important but also said campaign teams in tight races have to make smart choices about where they focus the candidate's time. 

"Sometimes you get inundated with a lot of requests, and you kind of have to triage," said Blondeau, who's been running campaigns since the 1990s. "You have to say, 'Which event gives me the most exposure to get my message out?' You often can't do every single one." 

She said sometimes candidates running in safe ridings prefer to lay low and avoid debates if they don't see a benefit in attending.

Still, she believes all-candidates meetings remain valuable and said candidates should be obliged to attend as many as possible. She said skipping them all as a matter of policy is a disservice to voters.

"Especially now that we're in a disinformation age," she said. "It's an excellent opportunity for candidates to have direct contact with voters."

Esther Makide is a Western University student studying political science. She agrees that all-candidate meetings are useful in sorting through each candidate's position on the issues. 

"It's important to see all of them on one stage," she said. 

However, she also said it's unlikely that young voters will sit through a 60-minute video of candidates reading out well-worn talking points. 

Makide said it's a better bet voters her age would attend an all-candidate event that's geared to them, such as a meet and green on campus. 

So, is the all-candidates meeting dead? 

Cameron Anderson, a political science professor at Western University, doesn't think so. He said today's campaigns are more sophisticated and data-driven. In deciding whether or not to attend, a candidate and their team have to weigh a complicated risk-versus-reward equation.

Do they risk being criticized for missing the debate? Or do they attend and face another gamble, such as a stumble that could give their opponents ammunition or turn into a damaging social media meme?

"I can't say it's the end of all-candidates meetings, but it certainly seems that there's a healthy questioning of their political and electoral value for candidates," said Anderson.