P.E.I. federal election candidates kick off campaigns with COVID-19 precautions
'If you're going to represent the people, you have to make sure that you're not going to infect them'
Prince Edward Island's candidates for the upcoming federal election have already begun knocking on doors — and each of them have different approaches to campaigning during a pandemic.
Margaret Andrade, the NDP candidate for Charlottetown, said she's keeping her mask on when meeting with voters and not shaking anyone's hand. Andrade also said she's requiring everyone on her campaign team to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
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"If you're going to represent the people, you have to make sure that you're not going to infect them," she said.
Candidates for other parties are also taking health precautions as they campaign. Jody Sanderson, the Conservative Party candidate for Malpeque, said he's asking every resident whose door he knocks on if they're comfortable with him being there.
"We need to be sensitive to the fact that some people will simply think it's not right to be at a door right now," he said.
"We weren't expecting the election quite this soon but we're putting signs up and we're ready to go."
Meeting with voters
While they're all taking different COVID-19 safety precautions, P.E.I.'s federal election candidates agree that meeting with voters is critical.
Anna Keenan, Green candidate for Malpeque, said her team is just getting started with signs, but what's more important is going door to door to speak with voters.
"You can't rely on them coming to you or following you on social media. You have to go to them and listen to their concerns. I want to try and reach those parts of the riding I wasn't able to get to last time."
According to Keenan, the Green vote tripled in her riding in the last federal election.
Heath MacDonald, the Liberal candidate for Malpeque, said even though the pandemic isn't over, the Islanders he's spoken to seem willing to meet in person. He said he's gone inside voters' homes if they welcome him in.
The next six weeks will be a busy time for his campaign team, MacDonald said.
"We're just getting organized for signage, phone calls, making sure that there's volunteers on staff as far as answering phones and getting the messages to me," he said.
Candidates mentioned the concerns they've heard so far from Islanders include health-care reform, boosting the economy and climate change.
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With files from Laura Meader