Mississauga mayoral candidate declines to do any more debates

Mississauga mayoral candidate Carolyn Parrish will not participate in any more debates as the city edges closer to election day, her campaign team says.

"We are respectfully declining all debates," her campaign team said in a statement sent in a text to CBC News on Monday.

"Our campaign will continue to focus on a positive, productive approach, engaging directly with Mississauga residents. Carolyn is eager to continue meeting with individuals and groups in the short time that remains until election day. We regret any convenience."

Parrish attended one debate in the Mississauga neighbourhood of Port Credit last week. Parrish told CBC she could not attend two other debates earlier this month because she was holding fundraising events at those times.

There are 20 candidates in the race. Voters in Mississauga go to the polls to elect the city's next mayor on June 10.

According to Kelly Singh, acting executive of More Homes Mississauga, which hosted a debate on housing on Monday night, Parrish indicated earlier in the day that she was not going to take part. Singh said she was told that the decision had nothing to do with the organization.

"This is obviously quite a shock and very disappointing given that we know that housing is absolutely a valid issue in this election," Singh told CBC Radio's Here and Now on Monday.

Dipika Damerla and Alvin Tedjo, the only other candidates invited to the event, did show up. Stephen Dasko, another candidate, was not invited. All three are Parrish's former Mississauga council colleagues.

Singh added that the campaign team for Parrish told her there were allegedly "horrible things" coming out of a campaign by one of her rivals but she was given no examples.

"Clearly some of the attacks being launched by the other campaigns have rattled them," Singh said.

Mississauga mayoral candidates Dipika Damerla, left, and Alvin Tedjo, right, are pictured here at a debate on housing on Monday. (Clara Pasieka/CBC)

Christine Simundson, a political strategist with Rubicon Strategy, said on Monday that she is not surprised but she thinks it's a strategy that may not pay off, adding that engagement matters.

Simundson said Parrish's strategy from the start of the race has seemed to be "the less she speaks, the better she'll do." She added that Parrish was controversial when she was a school board trustee, a Liberal MP, and more recently, a Mississauga city councillor.

"Her voice on numerous occasions has got her into a lot of trouble," Simundson said.

She added that Parrish "butted heads" with the late Hazel McCallion, who was Mississauga mayor from 1978 to 2014 before McCallion was replaced by former Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie, who is now leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.

"I believe that no one wins a campaign by doing a debate, but can easily lose a campaign doing a debate. And I think it will work in her benefit to not lose her existing support by not attending, but will ultimately hurt her by not gaining any new support," Simundson said.

Simundson said at least three candidates — Tedjo, Damerla and Dasko — are knocking on doors and trying to expand their name recognition by posting extensively on social media.

"I do think it could hurt her in the end," she said.

Carolyn Parrish's campaign team sent this statement to CBC News in a text. (Submitted by the Carolyn Parrish Campaign)

Decision 'beyond disappointing,' candidate says

Some of the other candidates are questioning Parrish's decision not to debate.

Tedjo said the strategy is "beyond disappointing" not only because debates are an important part of the democratic process but also because the polls indicate that Parrish is a leading candidate.

"I think it's cowardly not to be there in person and address the public and the media at community-run and media-led events that are meant to promote the ideas to better the city as well as their own platforms and to inform voters," Tedjo said.

In a statement on Monday, Tedjo's communication team added: "Carolyn has demonstrated today that she is not up to the job of being the Mayor of Ontario's third largest city.

"Someone who is afraid to face residents and the press cannot fulfill her duties as a candidate and therefore is not fit to represent our great city."

A view of downtown Mississauga. Voters in this city go to the polls on June 10 to elect a new mayor. (John Badcock/CBC)

Damerla said in a statement: "I believe Mississauga residents deserve to hear from us and I plan on being at every debate."

Dasko, for his part, called it a "regrettable" decision.

There is evidence, however, that the race has taken an unpleasant turn.

On X, formerly Twitter, an account called Carolyn Parrish for Mayor of Mississauga said the candidate's lawn signs are being torn down.

"Well folks. Unscrupulous and frankly nasty players are taking my signs down as fast as we put them up," a post on the account said Monday.

Here's the full list of candidates:

• Zulfiqar Ali

• Diya Atassi

• Brian Crombie

• Dipika Damerla

• Stephen Dasko

• Jamie Dookie

• Frank Fang

• Xiaohua Gong

• Winston Harding

• Sara Iqbal

• Syed Jaffery

• Mohsin Khan

• Mitchell MacEachern

• Sinisa Mandrapa

• Mike Matulewicz

• Carolyn Parrish

• David Shaw

• George Tavares

• Alvin Tedjo

• Nathalie Xian Yi Yan