Anders and Bigfoot should come out of hiding, rival says

Rival candidates in the riding of Calgary West are complaining about the low profile of Conservative incumbent Rob Anders so far in the Oct. 14 election campaign.

Anders hasn't made any recent public appearances and he hasn't returned calls from CBC News in the past week and a half.

A spokesman for Anders said the MP had an accident just before the election was called Sept. 7, but offered no other details other than to say Anders had "corrective surgery." One senior official with the Conservative partysaidAnders had an arm injury.

Randall Weeks, who is running for the Green party in Calgary West, said people in the riding are asking about Anders.

"He should come out, yes," said Weeks. "And I think Bigfoot should probably come out of hiding, too. Both of them should show themselves and put an end to this right now."

Weeks said he hopes Anders recovers soon from his injuries.

"But if his feet are working, he can certainly still get out and walk around and see people," he said.

Anders' spokesman said the candidatehas been campaigning and has been appearing in "media reports" throughout the election, and will appear in at least one all-candidates' debate.

The Liberal candidate in the riding, Jennifer Pollock, said no one on her team has seen Anders on the campaign trail, but she wishes he would surface because she has questions for him and so do people in the riding.

"I want to talk about income trusts in this election, not about Rob Anders. And I want to talk about the environment, because I know Calgary West people want to talk about the environment."

Low profile in last election

In the last election, Anders kept a low profile, refusing to attend some all-candidates' forums.

He spent time in British Columbia helping a Tory candidate who had been injured in a car accident, and heran a phone bank, calling voters in other provinces for the party.

Anders was first elected in 1997 and wasre-elected in 2000, 2004 and 2006 by large margins.

Anders' spokesman said the candidate will be staying close to his home riding this election.