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Clan Fearless
Canada
28 Posts |
 Posted - 05/05/2003 : 12:17:10
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Does anyone really care who is elected at this point? We must cripple the Federal Governments power by reducing whichever party to a minority.
Clan Fearless
BYELECTION STIRS LITTLE PASSION
ONE OBSERVER SAYS THE PERTH-MIDDLESEX RACE IS THE LIBERALS' TO LOSE.
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Call it a byelection without a bombshell issue.
There's no shortage of fiery issues in the May 12 Perth-Middlesex byelection
-- from Ottawa's new gun registry to the Iraq war and the long-term local absence of a voice in Parliament after the rural riding's last MP resigned.
But after four candidates' meetings held over five days in the last week, no one issue is dominating the contest.
Even the billion-dollar gun registry, which many thought would spark passionate response in the riding, drew only a few questions at the public forums attended by the five candidates.
"That's been a bit of a misnomer," New Democrat candidate Sam Dinicol said of expectations of extremely heated debates.
"The gun registry hasn't been controversial (at meetings) up in Listowel or St. Marys."
It's a situation some political observers had predicted. Because byelections don't get the same attention as full-blown general elections, stirring up voters can be tough.
No major shift in voter attitude would be good news for Liberal candidate Brian Innes, whose party has held the traditionally Tory seat for the last decade and is eager to reclaim it after former MP John Richardson resigned six months ago over health concerns.
Innes argued at Monday's candidates' meeting in Listowel with a man angry about the long period between Richardson's resignation and the calling of the byelection last month, but chalked the grievance up to insensitivity.
"When people take sick, people shouldn't jump on them," he said.
With advance polls open this weekend, a non-Tory source familiar with the riding said the Liberals are still in the driver's seat.
The Tories, the source added, are firmly in second with the Canadian Alliance taking third even in its own party tracking.
That ranking of the three major parties fits the general Ontario trend, according to Ottawa-based polling company EKOS Research Associates.
But Alliance candidate Marian Meinen insists she's pulling ahead of Tory candidate Gary Schellenberger in Perth-Middlesex.
EKOS says the Tory second-place hold nationally is "stable" and the company's most recent Ontario numbers indicate the Alliance has dropped from 20-per-cent support among decided voters to about nine, while the Tories have increased to about 20.
One observer says the Perth-Middlesex contest is probably the Liberals' to lose, leaving the race to be runner-up the one to watch.
"If you're looking for a viable alternative, the Progressive Conservative candidate (Schellenberger) is the one who seems to be making the biggest dent," said Paul Nesbitt-Larking, a political scientist at University of Western Ontario.
"If anybody can make an impression and take it away (from the Liberals), it's Schellenberger."
Confidence is prevalent in the Schellenberger camp. If he wins, it would be the party's only seat in 99-seat Ontario.
A notch in the win column would also demonstrate Tory ability to outmuscle the Canadian Alliance, the party's arch-rival on the political right.
The two parties essentially split the right-of-centre vote in the riding in the 2000 election, but Schellenberger was convinced after Thursday's candidates' meeting the byelection is a two-horse race between himself and Innes.
"This is good old-fashioned politics here in Perth-Middlesex -- it's the Tories against the Liberals," he said.
Schellenberger's showing in the last election - his second-place finish was unusually strong for the Tories - and the fact he's a lifelong local resident are certainly factors helping him this time, said Nesbitt-Larking.
"People are saying at the door that they want a change," said Marie Adsett, a Schellenberger spokesperson.
"People know who he is and if they're going to go for a change, they're going to go for somebody they trust."
Besides candidates for the mainline parties, the seat is also being contested by Christian Heritage Party Leader Ron Gray of British Columbia.
ADVANCE POLLS
- Began yesterday. Continue today and Monday, noon to 8 p.m.
- Voters can find out where to vote in advance polls by looking on the back of their voter information card.
- Questions can be directed to the riding's returning office at 1-866-262-4421.
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"A family ready to fight for a free country" |
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Clan Fearless
Canada
28 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2003 : 12:19:13
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Group's like Randy's need to deal with these issues and we need to stay focused on the "Court Of Public Opinion." Legal challenges, etc.
Clan Fearless
The Lanark Landowners Association [LLA] had its first meeting last night. About 65 people showed up to hear what we're all about and to hear the guest speakers. One of the guest speakers was Karen Selick, a lawyer who practices in Bellville, Ontario and specializes in rights law. www.karenselick.com .The meeting was to familiarize any who attended with what we plan to do to fight governmental and bureaucratal stupidity. We realize this covers a lot of territory, but we are going to concentrate on one battle at a time, and use whatever methods available to fight, including, the courts-legal system, protests,civil disobedience, and tax revolt on a municipal level.This will not be a short term fight and all of us on the board of directors realize that we must be in for the long haul. We will also be getting a web site up and running in the near future. A press release will be released shortly on the meeting and I'll post it here for anyone interested. For more info-
President- randyhilier@istar.ca
Board member- Ken Barr- barr3@superaje.com
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"A family ready to fight for a free country" |
Edited by - Clan Fearless on 05/05/2003 12:19:57 |
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ONTARIO BY-ELECTION
