Interview with Matthew Rowlinson, NDP candidate for London West

Hurley: We noticed that your party was recently recognized by Fair Vote Canada for including proportional representation as official party policy in your platform.

Rowlinson: Yes, Fair Vote Canada has been very supportive of our plan for electoral reform, and properly so. I've worked with Fair Vote Canada, some of the local activists in Fair Vote Canada are supporters of mine, they're great people, and they're right on this issue.

Canada is living in a 21st century world with a 19th century electoral system. And we have to change it. And all it takes is the will.

Hurley: Ed Holder, the Conservative MP who you are running against, has been criticized for skipping several all-candidates debates and events in this election. Similarly, Stephen Harper recently cancelled a high-profile interview with The West Block, and refused to participate in the broadcast consortium debates.

We have also seen reports of other Conservative candidates skipping local debates and events.

Why do you think the Harper Conservatives are avoiding the media and important campaign events in this election?

Rowlinson: Two reasons, but before I say why, let me just say, that a government that won't face the electorate, is a bad government, and we need to replace it.

We joke about it, and I have a supporter who calls Mr. Holder "the place holder," because he's always represented by a (campaign) sign, but it's a bad situation when the government won't face the electorate.

The reasons I believe are two-fold. The one is that the Conservative record is really hard to defend. I wouldn't want to face the voters either if I had that record of job loss, of failure in foreign policy, of fueling unnecessary cultural divisions at home. It's a bad record and I wouldn't want to defend it.

And the other reason is the kind of politics that Stephen Harper has practiced, which is that he's never been about speaking to all Canadians. He's always been about dividing the electorate, targeting his message to a small number of highly motivated voters, turning those voters out, and forming a government with a minority of votes.

Hurley: Which our electoral system allows for.

Rowlinson: Yes, our electoral system enables the Conservatives to do that. And to that extent, Stephen Harper's politics are a product of our electoral system. And they're also part of his personality, which is a very defensive one, he's not open to listening to people, and you have to pass a screening process in order to get into his rallies.

He doesn't to talk to anybody who hasn't already been vetted. And that's the kind of government he's formed – he's surrounded himself with people who repeat the party line, instead of showing any kind of independent personality or thought.

Hurley: So I assume your party's rallies are open to the public? In other words, there's no screening process? 

Rowlinson: Absolutely. We want big crowds at these events, and we welcome everyone to attend.

Hurley: Mr. Rowlinson, I want to thank you for taking the time to speak to me today, and I wish you luck on the campaign trail.

Rowlinson: It's been a pleasure.