Confirmed on last week's edition of CBC's The House, and today's Edmonton Journal, one of the worst kept secrets in Alberta politics is out of the bag - former MP Rahim Jaffer is gearing up for a third re-match with NDP MP Linda Duncan in Edmonton-Strathcona. After spending 12 years in Ottawa, Jaffer was the only Conservative candidate in Alberta to face defeat in the October 15, 2008 federal election. In a master plan drawn up by the authors of the now-defunct "Canadian Rebels" blog, it now appears that Jaffer's triumphant return to political-life has been in the works since early this year.
The Journal also reports that former Edmonton-Parkallen PC MLA Doug Main will be supporting Ryan Hastman for the Conservative nod in Edmonton-Strathcona. Hastman currently works for Prime Minister Stephen Harper as a Senior Special Assistant in Ottawa.
Since the October 2008 election, both the Conservatives and NDP have paid a lot of attention to Edmonton-Strathcona. The Conservative Party of Canada has used tax-payer funds to pummel Edmonton-Strathcona voters with pro-Conservative mail pamphlets, and a legion of NDP MPs have paid visits (including Jack Layton, Judy Wasylycia-Leis, and Dennis Bevington).
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I heard a rumor that Wendy Andrews was also interested in seeking the Conservative nomination.
ReplyDeleteAny truth to this??
I'm torn. I voted for NDP Linda Duncan for the first time in the last election because I was unhappy with Rahim Jaffer's record in Ottawa. I haven't been impressed with Duncan, Jack Layton, or Stephen Harper since. I am unsure if I will vote NDP again and won't vote Conservative if Jaffer is on the ballot card.
ReplyDeleteWhat are my options? Liberal? Green?
The Conservative nomination in Edmonton-Strathcona is going to be an interesting one for sure. Linda Duncan has arguably been more or less unimpressive in the House. Whoever wins the Conservative nomination will have a very good shot at taking this seat back.
ReplyDeleteDiane R, this may be an old-fashioned response to your question, but you should not commit your vote until the last minute. In the meantime, you should actively contact each of your condidates and demand that they respond to whatever issues are on your mind. Let them know that they will have to impress you to earn your vote. I think that too often in Alberta we give candidates an easy ride by committing too early.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean Linda Duncan hasn't been impressive?
ReplyDeleteNational Hockey Day people!
Lol. Oh wells, Ray Martin will be a far better NDP MP when he wins Edmonton East. And Linda will lose to whoever the CPC runs. And the world will make sense again.
One Alberta Voter: Thank you. You are correct that I should hold my decision until the election. I wish that the Conservatives would choose a candidate that wasn't just a party insider. Since when did community leaders stop running for federal office?
ReplyDelete"Pummel" Dave? The Liberals have hit my residence in Edmonton-centre twice in the past two weeks, I don't think it is fair to imply that the Conservatives are wasting away huge amounts of precious taxpayer dollars with a few black and white info pieces.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I know you were given some grief over your endorsement of Ms. Duncan in the last election, how would you assess her performance thus far?
What's acceptable SD? Sending out taxpayer junk ads once a week or once a month?
ReplyDeleteI wish these morons would quit wasting my hard earned dollars and their personal agendas.
Jaffers return has been in the works since he got defeated, this was talked about at certain wedding social held during the Conservative convention in Winnipeg.
ReplyDeleteI would vote for Wendy Andrews!
ReplyDeleteI would not vote for Wendy Andrews.
ReplyDeleteWith Ignatieff raising the profile of the Liberals, there's a good chance that a strong Liberal candidate in the riding could once again pull votes from the NDP, helping whoever the Conservative candidate is.
ReplyDeleteI can equivocally state that Wendy Andrews has no plans to run for a federal seat in Edmonton Strathcona. I asked her about it directly on Monday, and she said no...she has her eyes firmly fixed on a provincial riding.
ReplyDeleteDuncan's had more of an impact than Jaffer, I would argue... and is much more visible locally...
ReplyDeleteAlso, Iggy still has Ukrainians riled over quotes like: "Ukrainian independence conjures up images of embroidered peasant shirts, the nasal whine of ethnic instruments …"
It's reminiscent of Harper's long repeated quotes about 'lazy' Atlantic Canadians, and will be used to much affect here - the story written by a well-respected member is re-posted on nearly every Ukrainian website and blog in Canada.
Think Ukrainian voters don't matter? Stelmach didn't win on lack of charisma alone. :)
Iggy will eventually outlast the remarks (as Harper has) but it'll take an election or two. Never underestimate a pissed off Uke.
http://www.ukrcdn.com/2009/03/13/ignatieff-alienates-many-ukrainian-canadians/
You should see how much crap I get in Edmonton-Centre...
ReplyDeletevoting anywhere is not a vote for the person who is running it is a vote for capitalism. Each candidate is a capitalist, dealing with money and victim to the limited scope of allowance that capitalism impunes. Once a person walks into a voting booth they say yes to the system of capitalism. Capitalist or that system will never give anything away or build a park (parks cost money) Capitalism will never make the poor rich but it will make the rich rich. There is no ceiling on capital in north america and therefore capitalsm creates poverty as its byproduct, poverty creates crime as its byproduct and crime creates more police.. its a never ending circle and it sucks. So i dont vote and i notice the majority of ppl do not vote and once everybody stops voting then maybe something constructive can be done.
ReplyDelete