It is unfortunate that your letter writer alleged I was "dodging" a meeting while we have been trying to reach him to schedule the meeting.
I try to be available to constituents at times they find convenient, but, as most people will appreciate, my calendar gets very full. When Mr. Farthing first asked for a meeting, we tried to find a time that worked. Unfortunately, he did not provide a telephone number for us to reach him and schedule a meeting. Worst luck, the email address we used for him was missing a middle initial so when we thought we were emailing him, he was not receiving the emails suggesting times I could be available.
We never "reneged." The time elapsed between his first request and his complaint to your paper was less than three weeks, not an unreasonable amount of time to schedule a meeting with a working parliamentarian and party leader. We regret the error in his email address and have offered him a meeting soon.
But I did want to correct his suggestion that I was "listening" from another room. On July 12, I was in a meeting in the office board room. I heard raised voices and was concerned that someone in the office lobby was speaking in loud angry tones to one of our senior volunteer receptionists. I came out to ensure our volunteer was not being threatened. As it turned out, our volunteer had been a friend of Mr. Farthing's father and as a result, she was entirely indulgent with him, although she did not enjoy being yelled at.
We work hard at non-partisan and conscientious service but do encourage any constituent to please leave contact information, preferably a phone number and a working email so that we can be in touch promptly.
Elizabeth May
Saanich-Gulf Islands MP
