Regressive Conservatives: a joke slate?

‘Is Colbert a joke show? Of course it’s a joke slate’— Singer

Chelse McKee, staff

During this week’s UMSU election campaign, one slate’s posters have incurred suspicions that the party is, in fact, a joke slate.

A joke slate at most universities is a slate filed in jest, such as last year’s fire hydrant UBC presidential candidate. As defined by UMSU bylaws, a joke slate is “any slate who chooses not to use the legal name or legal names of one or both candidates forming the slate, or a reasonable derivative of their legal names.”

The Regressive Conservative party, with Pierce Cairns campaigning for the presidential position, has posters promising to remove all services that UMSU provides and the guarantee that if you vote for Cairns you’ll “never be lonely again.”

The campaign’s humourous approach has led to suspicions about the legitimacy of the party, suggesting the possibility of the group being a joke slate.

“Is Colbert a joke show?” Ben Singer, candidate for vice-president (external), observed. “Of course it’s a joke slate.”

Larry Baille, a candidate for students with disabilities representative, disagreed, saying that, although the Regressive Conservatives were extremely comedic in their campaign, “Sadly, I think they’re serious.”

Cairns vehemently opposed the idea that the Regressive Conservatives are a joke slate.

“I’m actually a little offended that that would come up,” he said.

Cairns continued on to explain that just because his party was taking an unconventional approach, away from the “cookie cutter candidates” for campaigning and self-promotion, that didn’t undermine the integrity of the party.

“There is a difference between a joke slate, which I believe is actually outlawed by our bylaws, and a campaign with jokes in it. I like to use humour in my presentation of basically anything. I’ve been using it since Day 1 in school.”

Stephanie Fera, chief returning officer for the UMSU election and the one responsible for the electoral slates, says that it’s difficult to prove whether or not a specific candidacy is a joke slate.

“There’s nothing that outlines how you would go about determining what a joke slate, how to find out if someone’s a joke slate, right? Besides what is a definition of a joke slate in the bylaws,” she said. “Their choice of campaign materials can’t be used against them in this way, you know . . . I don’t think [the Regressive Conservatives] can be considered a joke slate, at least now.”

While other slates can be found campaigning in areas like University Centre, the Regressive Conservatives have been largely absent from the action, despite Fera’s confirmations that the party did participate in the table lottery and were scheduled to have a table in the area by the university bookstore and Tim Hortons.

Cairns explained that the lack of physical campaigning, aside from the postering, has been lack of manpower in his campaign.

After speaking with the Manitoban about the possibility of his party being a joke slate, Cairns sent an e-mail to the paper claiming that the questions of the paper were what justified his decision to cut funding to the Manitoban.

“It is actions like this that validate my promise to grant the Manitoban full autonomy from UMSU, both financially and journalistically.”

The Manitoban has been autonomous from UMSU since 2001.

Voting in the UMU elections occurs on March 5, 6 and 7.