Concerns About Parachute Candidates

The April 19th provincial election's getting closer, and candidates are on the campaign trail.

This election sees about half the candidates not living in the constituencies where they're running.

Brandon University Associate Political Science Professor Kelly Saunders describes it as not a good sign.

"It says to voters that represenation doesn't mean as much as it should, or perhaps as much as it has in the past. The idea of representative democracy means that we vote from those among us, who we want to repesent us. And so when you've got people that are being parachuted in, that don't know that local sensibility, then you're only creating more and more disconnect between voters and their elected representative."

Saunders thinks part of the reason is local party members are reluctant to come forward because the parties are leader-dominated.

"And that's why party membership in this country stands at about 2%. But when you do things like this, as a party head organization, you're sending the message, by parachuting in candidates, that we don't think our own grassroots members in our communities are good enough, or we don't need to respect their voice. That only causes further problems, further splits within a party organization, and I think, really, further disillusions grassroots members."