If there had not been so much ice in the harbour last week, they could have got some great shots of the New Democrats’ Tommy Mulcair arriving in Toronto. He could have been dressed in buckskins, cradling a musket and standing in the prow of a Voyageur canoe. He could have invoked the memories of the arrival in Toronto of Samuel de Champlain. The only difference was that de Champlain brought real trade goods and Mulcair brought his typically hollow political promises.
There will be much of the same foolishness by all parties over the coming months leading up to the federal election. When you have three major political parties, you know you will get many promises—and little reality.
As the least likely politician to win the coming election, Tommy Mulcair can make the easiest of promises. He can make them sound good. He can wrap them in the finest BS with lots of sugar to make them easier to swallow.
Mulcair can force himself to unbend enough to talk the talk and walk the walk as though he might even give a damn. He can stand beside his failed cohorts from Toronto ridings and offer them victory under his banner but with the sure knowledge of many defeats.
His is a campaign of hope. He is hoping to salvage some of the Orange Wave in Quebec from 2011 that Jack Layton left him. He knows how difficult that will be. He also knows that Toronto’s New Democrats are on a losing streak. Nothing says that more poignantly than a picture of Tom Mulcair with Layton’s widow Olivia Chow.
But all he can do is hope. He must have spent a great deal of time in front of a mirror practising his smile for this trip. His handlers knew he would need it.
Tommy Mulcair does not know Toronto. Nevertheless, his speech to the party faithful on Sunday was sprinkled with dialogue about Toronto neighbourhoods. The speech actually reported to have included the statement that “Only when Toronto is strong is Canada strong. He was also well briefed for a meeting with Toronto’s new Conservative mayor.
We already know that the Conservatives and Liberals have no choice in this election but to offer Toronto new guarantees of partnership in funding infrastructure, transit, housing and jobs. How memorable will be their promises and how credible have yet to be seen. All parties have to fight over Toronto votes.
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Copyright 2015 © Peter Lowry
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