Denice Bardua has been noticeably absent from forums

By Tommy Osborne

Ghost Candidates

Ghost candidate causing concerns for election process

Oct 18, 2024 | 4:19 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The provincial election is only one day away, which means most voters have had the chance to learn more about the candidates and respective parties they run for to inform their votes. However, for voters in the Prince George-North Cariboo riding, NDP candidate Denice Bardua has been largely absent, leading to some concerns.

“Everyone who puts their name on a ballot has to consider what it means if you are selected to win, and you have to take it very seriously. It’s a 24-7 job if you’re going to do it well. You sacrifice a lot of time with your family, with your friends, to do this job. When you are putting your name forward to run you have to take that into consideration. It is a big trust that people put in you,” said Prince George-North Cariboo Independent Candidate Coralee Oakes.

“It would be very undemocratic if somebody got elected that is refusing to participate in the election, not answering phone calls to TV stations and radio stations, not showing up to anything. People don’t even know who she is,” added College of New Caledonia Political Science Instructor Chris Beach.

Bardua has not replied to any CKPG News requests for interviews during this election cycle, and when CKPG News attended several election forums she was not present. However, she has participated in candidate profiles through providing quotes and statements, and provided this statement when CKPG News reached out about her absence.

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“No debates, no forums – but I have been to a CUPE union meeting for my local, as well as a meet-and-greet in Prince George with Clay Pountney and Shar McCrory and constituents, and the rest has been out-and-about in the community and door-knocking while working full time!” Bardua said in a statement provided by NDP communications.

However, Oakes remains largely unimpressed by Bardua’s effort, or apparent lack thereof, as Oakes says being engaged during the campaign process is key not only to your own success as a candidate, but a thriving democracy.

“It provides you that baseline of what the community is thinking, what folks are experiencing, what they’re concerned about, what they’re excited about. And that’s why campaigns really matter. Making sure that you’re getting out and talking to people is critical to the foundation of you being able to actually do the job as MLA,” Oakes said.

As the incumbent MLA, Oakes added there are times her job could literally change lives, so she stressed the importance of being in touch with your community and giving a full effort into the campaign and election process.

“The number of people that our team, my staff and I have tried to help in the health care crisis, a lot of times it’s life or death,” she said.

“Understanding the significant role that an MLA can play in making sure that you get access to services that often don’t exist in the North or are limited, or even just how to navigate a very complicated bureaucracy in Victoria,” she continued.

The idea of ghost candidates isn’t unheard of, and there are several ridings across the province that may have candidates of smaller parties be on the ballot but not actively engage with the community. However, Beach says to have a ghost candidate for a party as big as the NDP is rare, especially considering that it’s the incumbent party.

“It isn’t a fringe party, it’s the NDP. They’ve had MLAs in this riding before, not too long ago. They get 30-35% of the vote on a pretty consistent basis. It’s the governing party,” Beach said.

“Really, shame on them. They should have vetted the individual better. They should make sure that somebody is at least willing to talk. They don’t have to be the best speaker, but they have to be willing to speak to people, to constituents, to the press, to represent their party and the views of that party,” he continued.

Polls will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Saturday.

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