Toronto always has some carefully watched ridings in every federal election. It comes from being a major centre of liberal thinking in Canada and the ongoing schism of the city with its suburbs. There is always a good fight going on somewhere. In the current campaign, people seem to have selected Eglinton-Lawrence and Spadina-Fort York. What happens in those riding will be followed across the country.
Eglinton-Lawrence might have been a black eye for Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau but he can handle it. When Liberal Marco Mendicino defeated former Conservative MP Eve Adams for the Liberal Party nomination it said that the Liberal Party Leader has to stop telling ridings who to choose. Interfering in riding selections says all the wrong things about Trudeau’s ability to keep his word. He got a pass in this case.
Mendicino will be taking on Conservative Finance Minister Joe Oliver. Oliver reminds people of that advertising campaign where an older tailor working on some clothing tells you about his product and ends the commercial saying: Have I ever lied to you before?
In Joe Oliver’s case, the question would be: Have I ever told you the truth before?
Oliver seems to have no understanding of Canadians’ concerns about their jobs, their pensions, the economy and seems determined to tell them as little as possible. The point here is that if a decent hard-working candidate such as Marco Mendicino cannot defeat a loser like Oliver, it could be bad news across the country.
At the same time, the campaign in Spadina-Fort York is purely a Toronto downtown spat. If you can figure out a difference between candidates New Democrat Olivia Chow and Liberal Adam Vaughan—other than the obvious generational difference—please tell us. They are two downtown retail politicians who might have been allies on many downtown issues.
Chow has been brought back from retirement by the New Democrats because of their sorry lack of big name candidates in Toronto. She has nothing to offer the new riding’s high percentage of condominium dwellers. Adam Vaughan might have an easier time identifying with the condominium crowd if he can understand their concerns. Too many of these people are living on the edge and they have every reason to worry about the job market, the economy and whether their home can hold its purchase price in a glutted condo market.
Welcome to Toronto!
-30-
Copyright 2015 © Peter Lowry
Complaints, comments, criticisms and compliments can be sent to [email protected]