Conservative Devinder Shory a 'no-show' at Calgary Skyview debate

Some residents in the new riding ofCalgarySkyview were upset with the absence of Conservative incumbentDevinder Shory at Tuesdaynight's all candidates debate at theCastleridgeFalconridge community associationin the city's northeast.

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Organizers were not told why hewas not there, but people who attended, such as Rahim Virani, were hoping to hear Shory'sposition on the refugee crisis, and bills C-51 and C-24.

"I was hoping maybe he could clarify some of that stuff for us,because it'sreally hard to get an idea of what's going on," he said.

Seven candidates are vying to become the MP for Skyview, which resembles the former CalgaryNortheast riding before the boundaries were redrawn.

The Liberalshad their strongest support in the area in 2011 andsee possibilities for a breakthroughin Skyview, with their candidateDarshan Kang, who had represented part of the area provincially as an MLA.

CBC News poll analyst Eric Greniersays it isone of several Alberta ridings where the Liberals and NDP are hoping to make gains.

It adds up toa more interesting race, according to Virani.

"I think that's what makes this riding exciting for us, like, I don't think we've ever had this much emphasis living in this riding before," he said.

But the forum did not help some people, like Beverly Lang,narrow down herchoice. She's critical of the Liberal Party's plan to run a deficit budget.

"I don't understand that in a country that's in recession, why do we want to go into more debt? I would like him to define what modest is," she said.

The othersrunning areNDP candidate Sahajvir Singh, the Green Party's Edward Reddy,Democratic Advancement Party of Canada candidate Stephen Garveyandthe Communist League's Joseph Young.

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