Joanne Boissonneault, NDP candidate for Banff-Airdrie, said she is fully committed to her campaign and is “readily available” to speak with constituents and media.
As first reported in the Rocky View Weekly on Sept. 8, a phone or in-person interview with Boissonneault could not be secured despite multiple calls and email requests dating back to Aug. 11.
However, Boissonneault said responsibilities as a teacher, her involvement in multiple committees and a changing campaign staff limited her availability to participate in interviews.
“I was full time teaching up until Sept. 19 and I had to get my students ready for the rest of the year and for my subs. And during the day I could not leave my students. I teach high school and I needed to be there for them,” she said.
“I’m still on political engagement for the ATA (Alberta Teachers’ Association), I’m still on professional development and on diversity, equity and human rights committees so I had those meetings at night. I couldn’t be available on certain dates (for reporters) but I gave other options.”
In addition to a busy schedule, Boissonneault said her campaign team “was dismantled” mid-August and campaign manager Caleb Cummings was “let go.”
Though she did not confirm why Cummings was “let go” she did say he was involved in “inappropriate” behavior and would not comment further.
“That created some issues where I had to revamp my team because they moved onto other opportunities,” she said. “Everything crashed and then I needed to build it up again.”
Requests to Cummings for an interview were not returned by press time.
Boissonneault said the change up of her campaign team has also impacted her campaign signs, which have now been ordered and will be put up once they arrive. Currently, the only NDP signs in the riding are for NDP leader Tom Mulcair.
She said her new staff has been made aware of the importance of responding to media and constituents. Campaign managers Sheldon Kerr and Nigel Logan monitor Boissonneault’s Twitter and Facebook page and respond within 12 hours, according to Boissonneault.
In response to the Sept. 22 Rocky View Weekly article in which Cochrane resident David Veitch and Airdrie resident Becky Kostka said their social media questions to Boissonneault had not been responded to, Logan said, “As far as I know, yes (Veitch’s Tweets had been responded to). I don’t have access to the direct Twitter account but I will say (Kerr) is responding to a lot of people.”
Boissonneault said Veitch “trolls the Twitter account regularly” and added Kostka had received a response since the article came out.
Veitch said as of Sept. 22 he had not received a response for Boissonneault or her team.
“I consider Twitter to be a social media mechanism for dialogue,” he said. “What she considers trolling I consider asking legitimate and hard questions that were being asked with increasing levels of exasperation.”
Boissonneault said she feels she has been treated unfairly by the Rocky View Weekly articles and is fully committed to the campaign as she has now taken a leave from her teaching position with the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD).
“I will be there full time as a Member of Parliament unlike some of our counterparts or colleagues or other candidates that are working half time as a Member of Parliament and in real estate as well,” she said, referring to Conservative MP Blake Richards.
Boissonneault, an Airdrie resident, has been a teacher for more than 25 years and has taught with Rocky View Schools and the CCSD. She has been district representative for the Alberta Teacher’s Association for Calgary City, is involved in multiple educational committees and is founder and president of The Key to Successful Learning Inc.
She said she wanted to get involved to promote democracy and “fairness and equality for all.”
“Bringing back democracy, bringing back the voice of the people. I think it’s time,” she said. “I think we’ve been shut down, our voices haven’t been heard and it’s time for us to fight back, to get involved.”
She said with a riding as big as Banff-Airdrie, it is all about meeting face-to-face with constituents and hearing directly from them regarding issues in the area. In Canmore, she said the big issue is tourism, in Banff it’s the environment and protecting the provincial park, and in Airdrie it is infrastructure and the need for a hospital.
“I believe the personal touch is huge,” she said. “I believe building relationships is huge.”
