Dear editor,Along with hundreds of other Comox Valley residents, I attended the "all-candidates" forum April 13 at North Island College.As a newcomer to this community, I saw the forum as an opportunity to observe and assess the calibre and policies of our Member of Parliament Mr. Duncan, and his challengers. Surprise, disappointment and a healthy degree of disgust were the reactions of the overflow crowd when the meeting commenced without Mr. Duncan in attendance. Apparently he had advised the organizers that he was "too busy" to attend.Certainly this is a busy time for politicians but I left the forum wondering — did Mr. Duncan stiff the forum organizers at the last minute by not showing up — or did they advertise an "all-candidates" meeting without his acceptance and approval?My next step will be to attend the April 18 "all-candidates" meeting in Cumberland with the hope that Mr. Duncan's schedule will allow him to attend along with the other worthy candidates.Dave Wilson,Comox Valley