Canadian federal election - 2015

[Hatman 🍁]

I wouldn't consider Danforth a "downtown" riding.  That's like saying Astoria, Queens is part of "downtown New York."

Unfortunately, many people are starting to equate all of Old Toronto as Downtown. I guess I've joined in on that

[Hatman 🍁]

Coalition is too much of a dirty word, but it might be possible if the seat count is close, just because people are so tired of Harper that they would be willing to tolerate a coalition.

[Hatman 🍁]

Coalition is too much of a dirty word, but it might be possible if the seat count is close, just because people are so tired of Harper that they would be willing to tolerate a coalition.

Coalition is a dirty word to core Conservative voters, the other 70% of Canadians are quite OK with it...esp. As long as it it doesn't involve the BQ

70% of Canadians don't even know what a coalition is, let alone support it. I recall back when the NDP and Liberals were trying to form a coalition that polls showed most Canadians opposing it. (Granted it would have involved the BQ).

If the Tories lose the popular vote, or the seat count is close, then I can see Canadians backing a coalition between the Liberals and NDP at this point. The Conservatives would bitch and scream to no end though.

Problem with a coalition for the Liberals though is that half their supporter would rather form a coalition with the Tories than those "evil socialists". 

[Hatman 🍁]

Nomination meetings tonight:

- Incumbent Romeo Saganash to be acclaimed in Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik, QC for the NDP.
- Liberal nomination in Berthier—Maskinongé, QC. Not sure of the candidates. "Vegas" (incumbent Ruth Ellen Brosseau) has already been nominated for the NDP.
- NDP nomination in Newmarket-Aurora, ON. Yvonne Kelly will be acclaimed. She joins the Tory incumbent Lois Brown and the 2011 Liberal candidate Kyle Peterson, who is running again.
- Edmonton City Councillor Amarjeet Sohi will be acclaimed as the Liberal candidate in Edmonton Mill Woods, AB. Despite this riding containing none of his current riding, MP Tim Uppal (Edmonton-Sherwood Park) will be running here. Perhaps he's expecting this riding will be less racist than the redistributed successor riding to his.
- Speaking of Uppal's successor riding, the NDP will be acclaiming semi-retired researcher Annie McKitrick in Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan, AB. All of the other parties have already nominated their candidates. The Tories chose Garnett Genuis, who ran in Sherwood Park for the Wildrose Party in 2011. (His name is familiar, apparently he went to Carleton at the same time I did, and is my age.. and we have 14 mutual friends on Facebook...) Lawyer Rod Frank will be the Liberal candidate and the Greens are running activist Brandie Harrop.

[Hatman 🍁]

Maybe, but in 2011 just as many would-be Liberal voters switched to the Tories than jumped ship to the NDP. I suppose this time a lot of Liberal voters will have had voted NDP in 2011 though.

[Hatman 🍁]

Maybe, but in 2011 just as many would-be Liberal voters switched to the Tories than jumped ship to the NDP. I suppose this time a lot of Liberal voters will have had voted NDP in 2011 though.

That's true but I don't buy the idea that they "strategically" voted Tory because they were terrified of the NDP under Layton. I think that Harper's campaign in 2011  simply appealed to a lot of "Paul Martin Liberal" swing voters and Ignatieff turned them off.

You think there are a lot of people who had no problems with Dion, but didn't want to vote for Ignatieff. Both were very weak leaders, and there wasn't anything about Ignatieff that put him to the left of Dion.  The big difference between both elections was the rise of the NDP, and I think that was enough to scare some blue Liberals.

[Hatman 🍁]

So why is there an aversion to coalitions in Canadian politics?

There isn't - its just a Conservative party talking point.

More like there is an aversion because of how effective the Tories were with said talking point

[Hatman 🍁]

Goodbye Dan Harris!

He was already a goner. Got elected by a fluke in 2011.

[Hatman 🍁]

The Liberals selected Pierre Destrempes (former vice president of a property management company) as their candidate in Berthier-Maskinonge.

Tonight is the NDP nomination in Mississauga-Erin Mills, ON. They will be acclaiming Michelle Bilek who ran in the riding's predecessor of Mississauga-Erindale in 2011 and in Oakville in 2008. The Liberals nominated lawyer Iqra Khalid back in December, and incumbent Robert Dechert is the Tory candidate.

[Hatman 🍁]

The fact that the NDP is tanking in the GTA is not exactly news right now.

[Hatman 🍁]

Even the most liberal newspapers (*cough* Toronto Star *cough*) in Canada have no journalist standards. Disappointing, but who really reads newspapers anymore?

[Hatman 🍁]

Nomination updates:

Yesterday:

- Former Dauphin MP Laverne Lewycky acclaimed as the NDP candidate in Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa, MB. Two other MPs are in the race, the Tory incumbent Bob Sopuck and former Tory MP Inky Mark who is running as an independent. The Liberals are running former RCMP officer Ray Piché and the Greens are running perennial candidate Kate Storey.

- The Liberals acclaimed Tim Kaine in Saanich-Gulf Islands, BC. He'll be running against Green Party leader Elizabeth May.

[Hatman 🍁]

Today:

The NDP nomination meeting in Kings-Hants was postponed to Feb 22 due to a snow storm. Surprisingly, it is a contested nomination!

Looks like former MP Denis Paradis has won the Liberal nomination in Brome-Missisquoi, QC.

Labour unionist Tracey Ramsey will be the NDP candidate in Essex, ON. She'll be running against Conservative incumbent Jeff Watson and lawyer Audrey Festeryga for the Liberals.

Photographer Frances Litman won the Green nomination in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, BC. She'll be running against NDP incumbent Randall Garrison.

[Hatman 🍁]

Eglinton-Lawrence is very winnable for the Liberals. I don't buy that internal polling was suggesting they didn't have a chance.

[Hatman 🍁]

October. Rumours are it might happen in the Spring though.

[Hatman 🍁]

Liberals will be acclaiming former Shelburne mayor Ed Crewson in Dufferin-Caledon today. He'll be running against Tory incumbent David Tilson and New Democrat Rehya Yazbek who ran for the NDP in the 2014 provincial election.

Today is also the NDP nomination in the new riding of Markham-Stouffville. Gregory Hines will be the candidate, I assume. This is the riding that MP Paul Calandra (the PM's attack dog, and overall horrible person) has decided to run in, as he lives in Stouffville. Family doctor Jane Philpott will be the Liberal candidate.



 

[Hatman 🍁]

Today is the Liberal nomination in Kitchener-Conestoga, ON. It's Tim Louis vs. Daniel Tojeira. Winner will take on Harold Albrecht, the Conservative incumbent.

[Hatman 🍁]

There was actually three candidates in Kitchener-Conestoga. Jazz singer Tim Louis will be the Liberal candidate in the general.

Nomination meetings today:

There is a contested NDP nomination in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, ON. Three candidates are running, David McLaren, Trish Meekins and MaryAnn Wilhelm. The winner will have to face the Conservative incumbent Larry Miller and the Liberals' Kimberly Love who was their candidate in 2011.

The NDP will be acclaiming their 2011 candidate in Richmond Hill, ON, Adam Devita. The riding's incumbent (Cons. Costas Menegakis) is fleeing to a safer neighbouring riding.  Businessman Michael Parssa will be the Conservative candidate and engineer Majid Jowhari will be the Liberal candidate. Both Parsa and Jowhari are Iranian-Canadians, which I thought was interesting. Turns out the riding has a large Iranian population (over 10%).

[Hatman 🍁]

Pretty interesting that Bruce-Grey has a contested nomination while in University-Rosedale the NDP candidate was acclaimed. 

No one was going to beat Jennifer Hollett.

[Hatman 🍁]

Writer/activist David McLaren wins the NDP nomination in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound.

Today is the NDP nomination in Hamilton Centre. Incumbent MP David Christopherson will be acclaimed. He joins the 2011 Liberal candidate, Anne Tennier.

[Hatman 🍁]

Hamilton East-Stoney Creek

[Hatman 🍁]

Nominations this past weekend:

* NDP nominates Andrew Gordon Graham in New Brunswick Southwest, their candidate there in 2006, 2008 & 2011. He joins Liberal candidate professor Karen Ludwig and the Tory incumbent John Williamson.
* Marc Serre wins the Liberal nomination in Nickel Belt, ON. He is the son of a former MP. He joins the NDP incumbent Claude Gravelle.
* NDP acclaims incumbent Peggy Nash in Parkdale-High Park, ON. She joins Liberal candidate lawyer Arif Virani
* Conservatives choose engineer Marilyn Gladu in Sarnia-Lambton, ON. The Conservative incumbent will be retiring. The NDP candidate is Jason McMichael.
* Robert-Falcoln Ouellette was acclaimed as the Liberal candidate in Winnipeg Centre, MB. He made a name for himself by doing quite well in the Winnipeg mayoral election last year. He'll be challenging longtime NDP incumbent Pat Martin and the Conservative candidate, Bev Pitura (who also ran in 2011)
* Burnaby North-Seymour (see Adam T's post)
* Morgan Wheeldon, president of the Kings South NDP won the delayed NDP nomination in Kings-Hants, NS. He'll be running against Liberal incumbent Scott Brison.
* NDP riding president Nicolas Tabah was acclaimed as the NDP candidate in Bécancour—Nicolet—Saurel, QC. He's joined by Liberal candidate and retired police officer Claude Carpentier.
* Consultant Jean Cote will be the Liberal candidate in Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC. He will be running against NDP incumbent Anne-Marie Day.
* Former ADQ MNA Linda Lapointe will be the Liberal candidate in Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC. She'll be running against NDP incumbent Laurin Liu and former Conservative candidate in this riding (2006 & 2008) Erick Gauthier.
* Derek Spence will be the NDP candidate in Durham, ON. He did very well when he ran here in the provincial election last year in a 3-way race. He'll be running against Conservative incumbent Erin O'Toole.
* Liberals chose community organizer Bardish Chagger in Waterloo, ON. She will be running against Conservative incumbent Peter Braid.

[Hatman 🍁]

Lawyer Rosannie Filato won the NDP nomination in Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC yesterday. Kind of surprising it was a contested race in a safe Liberal riding.  Maybe something to do with the rape allegations against the Liberal incumbent, Massimo Pacetti? The Tories already have their candidate in the riding, Jean-Philippe Fournier who was the provincial Conservative candidate in last year's provincial election in Blainville.

Today is the Liberal race in Vaudreuil-Soulanges, QC. There are 5 candidates running. NDP incumbent Jamie Nicholls is also running, as is the Tory candidate Marc Boudreau, who ran in this riding in 2008 and 2011.

[Hatman 🍁]

"Sustainable community development expert"  Peter Schiefke wins the Liberal nod in Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

[Hatman 🍁]

May should be there. After all, the consortium kept telling her she needed seats to be in. Well, now she does. It wouldn't be fair to take them away. Agree to keep the two Quebec parties out for the French debate.