NDP nomination news

It looks like the NDP is going to have a strong slate in Edmonton in the next election.  Cardinal is a well conneced and admired public figure, and with a likely weak Liberal candidate, he has an outside chance.

In addition to Cardinal and MP Linda Duncan, former Provincial leader Ray Martin has announced he is taking a second crack at Edmonton East.  He took the NDP from about 18% to about 32% in the last election (sorry, can't remember exact figures) in a seat we've held before.

It exciting to think we are going to have three priority seats in Edmonton.

18.5% to 31.8% ;)

And Goldring is not running again so there will be no incumbant.

Anyhoo, on the subject of this thread, does anybody have an inside scoop on Dauphin-Swan River? That area's Conservative MP, Inky Mark, has announced his intention to not run in the next election. He was also one of the Conservative MPs who disagreed with Harper on the Wheat Board. I don't expect this seat to be competitive for the NDP by any stretch of the imagination (the NDP won this seat once, and that was a year before Manitoba voters gave the provincial PCs one of its worst ever showings) and I certainly don't see the stars lining up in a similar fashion. Still, a bit of organising would never hurt.

V. Jara, I can speak to Gatineau and Hull-Aylmer.  I believe Françoise Boivin has indicated she's running again.  Pierre Ducasse is running in the municipal election as well, in a Hull ward, and so would be out of play for a fall federal election, and who knows maybe after (I believe he and his wife are expecting as well).  Still it should be possible to recruit another strong candidate for his riding if it came to that.

As to Saskatchewan, I read at the Buckdog blog earlier today that apparently a few more of the Meili folks are getting set for federal runs in the Regina area.  And apparently Lingenfelter publicly committed to Jack at the provincial convention that they would "deliver at least two federal seats" in the next federal election.  Provincial office always pays more attention to federal elections when they're not in government provincially, I guess ... ;-)

Are there any names emerging from Saskatoon?

The NDP needs to recruit some noise-makers/mavericks in rural BC and to have a real BC platform this time. Also, Gerry Scott should be put out to pasture (he dropped the ball seriously last time), and the federal party should reassert control over the regional organisers. The organisers should be individuals hired, fired, and managed by the Federal party. I say this because in BC the provincial office appointed organisers use the federal campaign like a half-assed trial for upcoming provincial elections and payroll vacation. They acid test risky messages, are out hunting for provincial candidates/resources/volunteers, and give off the vibe that they don't really care if the Federal candidates win- so long as it is the same volunteers coming out for the provincial campaigns. Also, the NDP has a lot of media assets in BC. They need to coordinate with their allies to make sure Jim Sinclair and some retired star power make noise and take to the air waves with favourable issue messaging during the campaign. Without a provincial election on the doorstep, it should be easier to clean shop. Brad "Darth" Zubyk needs to be hired if only to keep him out of the hands of the LPC. I get the sense that some of these misaligned incentive issues also crop up in Saskatchewan- another province where the NDP has a wealth of potential (air war) issue message allies. The Liberals' face plant in Manitoba last election means that the NDP has a chance to try and leapfrog the party in Winnipeg South and St. Boniface if they can just nominate the right candidate and do so early. It's asking too much, but getting one of the Winnepeg South MLAs to run would instantly make it an NDP-Conservative race.

ETA: I think it would be interesting to see a Ben Isitt/Keith Martin match-up in Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca. According to his wikipedia page, Ben Isitt still lives in the Victoria riding, but not terribly far from Esquimalt. Ben Isitt isn't the best matched politically to represent this riding, but he is the kind of hard-nosed challenger that the NDP could use to get back in the race- not to mention that he now has two tough mayoral races (both lost) under his belt that gave him experience against what had been a relatively comfortable incumbent.

V. Jara wrote:

Along the lines of candidate draft: I'd be interested in seeing Barbara Gallagher recruited to run in Kings-Hants, possibly Joan Massey in Dartmouth-Cole Harbour and Russell MacDonald in Cape Breton-Canso.

I don't know about Barbara Gallagher in Kings-Hants or Russell MacDonald in Cape Breton-Canso, but I would rule out Joan Massey in Dartmouth-Cole Harbour, as I know Trevor Pye wants another crack at Michael Savage (the sons of two former provincial M.L.A.s in a grudge match!) and Joan Massey will probably want another shot at the Dartmouth East seat she lost by 170 votes.

V. Jara wrote:

This is the best slate I've seen the Federal NDP run in Edmonton. The next most assailable seats in the city are Edmonton-Mill Woods-Beaumont and Edmonton-Sherwood Park, in that order. Those ridings are quite distinct but they both have some elements of Red Toryism, maybe even some progressive potential. 

Other than the fact that it was represented by PC-turned-Liberal David Kilgour and it has a significant "multicultural" element, I dunno about EMWB.  And other than the NDP nearly having its second Edmontonian second-place finish there in '06, plus the pipe-dreamish possibility of coming up the middle in a Uppal vs Ford rematch, I dunno about ESP--to make it work, it needs a lot more Edmonton and a lot less Sherwood Park.

Personally, I'd rank Edmonton-St Albert as equal to or ahead of those two.

Edmonton St Albert and Edmonton Sherwood Park is in to core Reform party country, I think both ridings are unwinnable but I expect to see bigger gains in Sherwood Park than St Albert. I actually think the higher income factor sometimes helps the non-Tory vote in ESP because Sherwood Park is a place where upper middle class Liberals like to live. EMWB is a loong shot, Kilgour held it because he was a maverick Red Tory. That said, it is the more moderate riding.

As for the economy, it depends who the voters pin the blame on in Alberta. Generally, a poor economy makes Albertans grumpy but who they direct their grumpiness at is an open question. A "they've blown it" campaign against the Conservatives would work best in Alberta if there's a fall election. "They've blown it" begs the question of what the NDP would have done better, and to that I think the NDP response is nothing. They have had absolutely nothing to say about what they would do differently than the government on the economy (and the public finances) other than they would bring in more generous rules for EI, and that scares me. Total vacuum of leadership. The NDP HQ strikes me as completely clueless.

V. Jara wrote:

Edmonton St Albert and Edmonton Sherwood Park is in to core Reform party country, I think both ridings are unwinnable but I expect to see bigger gains in Sherwood Park than St Albert. I actually think the higher income factor sometimes helps the non-Tory vote in ESP because Sherwood Park is a place where upper middle class Liberals like to live.

If that were the case re ESP, then its federal Elk Island predecessor would have seen much closer races in the 90s.  Instead, Ken Epp won by a more than 2:1 margin over the Liberals in 1993; then it became a more than 3:1 margin in 1997, and over 3.5:1 in 2000.  Indeed, judging from provincial results et al, there's a stronger "upper middle class Liberal" argument for something like Edmonton-Leduc--within (R)Edmontonian environs, I sincerely fail to see how Sherwood Park stands out in that regard...

V. Jara wrote:

The Liberals' face plant in Manitoba last election means that the NDP has a chance to try and leapfrog the party in Winnipeg South and St. Boniface if they can just nominate the right candidate and do so early. It's asking too much, but getting one of the Winnepeg South MLAs to run would instantly make it an NDP-Conservative race.

Saint Boniface could go NDP eventually. Currently, the elected representatives include left-wing city councillor Dan Vandal and NDP Finance Minister Greg Sellinger. Winnipeg South? Under the current boundaries, no way. Large chunks of the riding are more affluent areas that swing Liberal-Tory. Last go around, the Liberals nominated former provincial Conservative John Loewen, and he still couldn't win. The demographics are not there for an NDP win. Kildonan-St Paul could eventually go NDP. Winnipeg South Centre is staunch Liberal territory (area currently held by Manitoba Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard) and isn't going anywhere. Selkirk is winnable outside Winnipeg, and possibly Dauphin, as mentioned above.

V. Jara wrote:

The NDP needs to recruit some noise-makers/mavericks in rural BC and to have a real BC platform this time. Also, Gerry Scott should be put out to pasture (he dropped the ball seriously last time), and the federal party should reassert control over the regional organisers. The organisers should be individuals hired, fired, and managed by the Federal party. I say this because in BC the provincial office appointed organisers use the federal campaign like a half-assed trial for upcoming provincial elections and payroll vacation. They acid test risky messages, are out hunting for provincial candidates/resources/volunteers, and give off the vibe that they don't really care if the Federal candidates win- so long as it is the same volunteers coming out for the provincial campaigns. Also, the NDP has a lot of media assets in BC. They need to coordinate with their allies to make sure Jim Sinclair and some retired star power make noise and take to the air waves with favourable issue messaging during the campaign. Without a provincial election on the doorstep, it should be easier to clean shop. Brad "Darth" Zubyk needs to be hired if only to keep him out of the hands of the LPC. I get the sense that some of these misaligned incentive issues also crop up in Saskatchewan- another province where the NDP has a wealth of potential (air war) issue message allies. The Liberals' face plant in Manitoba last election means that the NDP has a chance to try and leapfrog the party in Winnipeg South and St. Boniface if they can just nominate the right candidate and do so early. It's asking too much, but getting one of the Winnepeg South MLAs to run would instantly make it an NDP-Conservative race.

ETA: I think it would be interesting to see a Ben Isitt/Keith Martin match-up in Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca. According to his wikipedia page, Ben Isitt still lives in the Victoria riding, but not terribly far from Esquimalt. Ben Isitt isn't the best matched politically to represent this riding, but he is the kind of hard-nosed challenger that the NDP could use to get back in the race- not to mention that he now has two tough mayoral races (both lost) under his belt that gave him experience against what had been a relatively comfortable incumbent.

I agree on several points and disagree on others:

- Rural BC - you're bang on and I have always dreamed of Corky Evans running federally - he would be a great voice for rural Canada in the House of Commons along with Charlie Angus, Niki Ashton and many others in our strong and diverse caucus. 

- Gerry Scott - should have retired after the 2005 provincial, and did a poor job in the 2008 federal and 2009 provincial.  The good news is that the federal party is restructuring the ground game in BC along exactly the lines you suggest, with long-time BC organizer Russ Neely heading up a separate federal organizing team reporting directly to Brad Lavigne and federal office.  The new team is just getting up and running but I am optimistic about the exclusive federal focus, for once!

- Zubyk - I and many others will quit if he is ever hired by the NDP in any capacity again.  He is a two-faced sleaze bag who sand-bagged Julian West in the last federal after being an "NDP insider" for years (and a well-paid insider at that) and the LPC can keep him as far as I'm concerned.  I don't think he has ever won a campaign that he played a major role in.  He has no interest in working for the NDP and I'm sure it's totally mutual.

- Isitt - would be a terrible fit for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca.  He may run for Victoria municipal council in the next election and would have a good chance of winning there.  The best candidate to beat Keith Martin is our 2004 and 2006 candidate, Randall Garrison, who was elected to Esquimalt city council last November and has had a high profile since. 

Aside from Churchill, the last time the NDP won a seat outside the Perimeter in Manitoba was 1980, and I think that trend is only going to continue with the federal NDP in its current incarnation. Dauphin and Selkirk are both lost causes - if Ed Schreyer couldn't do better than a distant second against a no-name Tory backbencher, S-I is pretty much out of reach I'd say.

Winnipeg South has been, and always will be, a federal NDP dead zone. There was a window of opportunity in South Centre right after Lloyd retired but it's now passed and the Tories are gunning for that seat. St. B has become a Tory-Liberal marginal while the NDP runs university students. Joy Smith romped home in Kildonan-St.Paul in a straight two-horse race with no Liberal candidate - next time the Liberals will probably push the NDP back into third. The NDP had an embarassingly close finish over the Tories in the stronghold of Elmwood-Transcona.

Bottom line as I see it - the NDP has no real prospects for gains at the federal level in Manitoba, and two seats are potentially vulnerable to a switch next time. People don't want to believe it, but there are a ton of blue-collar and middle-class voters in Manitoba who vote NDP provincially and Tory federally. Might not make a lot of sense, but there it is. It's going to take another 1993-style collapse of the Tories for the game to change.

Didn't Zubyk run Gregor Robertson's successful mayoral campaign. Vision Vancouver won a massive victory.

Also, that economic platform is bull#$%@. What is the NDP's position on the deficit? the stimulus funds and what they're being spent on? And how are they going to pay for all that regionalist and nit-picky crap, including their grand master plan of just providing tax cuts to every concievable industry? Give me an effing break.

And WTF does this mean? "Influence competitive advantage by ensuring that the macro-economic environment is growth-oriented."

Finally, what kind of idiot says in one breath:

Yes, by setting up barriers to prevent nations from trading with us, they will reduce barriers so we can trade with them. Genius. Same with telling them that we are going to bring in an arbitrary, nationalistic policy to discriminate against their country's goods: Buy only Canadian!

I think it is fairly obvious, trade tariffs on countries like China,  and on going subsidies for the redevelopment of industry  and manufacturing like every other country has, except Canada. The reality is Canada has what other countries want, and it is currently been given away, as opposed to being used for Canadians.

macro economic evironment indicates to me, putting Canadians to work, as opposed to shipping off  resources for manufacture elsewhere, and then import them back in as a finished product.

What's the Conservatives take on their larger than ever before manufactured deficit? What is the Liberals position?

West Coast Lefty wrote:

The good news is that the federal party is restructuring the ground game in BC along exactly the lines you suggest, with long-time BC organizer Russ Neely heading up a separate federal organizing team reporting directly to Brad Lavigne and federal office.  The new team is just getting up and running but I am optimistic about the exclusive federal focus, for once!

Thats great to hear- and not just for the sake of the BC campaign.

Ever since Jack became Leader and then Jean Chretien gave us the gift of putting financial seperation between the federal party and the section, many of us have been hoping for some substantively seperate organizing. I think this will be a first where the provincial party is strong.

Hopefully we'll see more, including in Nova Scotia, despite the NSNDP success. Probably need it even more here, with so many campaigners directly or indirectly taken up in the needs of governing.

I'm sorry but this makes absolutely no sense, so fugghedaboutit: ""Influence competitive advantage by ensuring that the macro-economic environment is growth-oriented." The only sense I could make of it is that the NDP used to have a policy of urging the Bank of Canada to lower interest rates (in order to increase "employment" and as a major side consequence, inflation-so much for granting the bank any independence to conduct its job professionally whatsoever)- although even this wouldn't make the above sentence make sense- yet now that interest rates are zero they must be referring to some other kind of psychedelic cactus vision.

As for the NDP's protectionist ideas for bolstering the economy, any arbitrary discriminatory measure against foreign trading partners will be met an eye for an eye. You want to arbitrarily discriminate, you will be matched discrimination by discrimination by every trading country with a brain and the slightest self esteem. It'd be real fun when the Europeans and US slap "don't buy Canadian" policies on us in retaliation for whatever we want to do. Anyone want some liquidation maple syrup? How about when RIM has to relocate to the US because they can't sell into that market out of Canada anymore :( Just about everywhere the Canada government can justify (e.g. to their trading partners) protectionist measures like tariffs, quotas, and taxpayer subsidies- they do so.

Finally, the Conservative position on the deficit is "this is what Canadians and Parliamentarians wanted" and "Canadians are getting good value for their money" and "the funds are flowing as fast as we can shovel them out of the wheelbarrow" and "we just gave you all record tax cuts"

The Liberal position is "this deficit is obscene, it sets up an unwinnable scenario where future governments will have to raise taxes" and "the money needs to flow faster and not just to Conservative ridings" and "you are/have squandered all the good fiscal managment that the Liberals did in the 90s, all the fiscal room and debt reduction that our surpluses generated" and then they are largely silent on what the money gets spent on.

The NDP???? Please don't ask us questions for fear we will embarass ourselves. Buy union!

Come on NDP, there are so many ways to attack on this. Why are there no parties out their questioning if we get any value for our stimulus money? Just copy and paste the weekly NY Times Paul Krugman article for chrissakes! Or compare our useless GST cut to Obama massive investments in forward-looking green infrastructure.

And re:Gerry Scott. The man is a legend. He will be remembered for a long time. He's run some great campaigns and is immensely knowledgeable. That doesn't change the fact that he performed very poorly during the last two campaigns. As was said before, leaving after the 2005 election would have seen him retiring on a high note: bringing the NDP from 2 seats to its second highest ever vote % in provincial history (if I'm not mistaken, either way- it was a great achievement).

V. Jara wrote:

Nanaimo-Alberni has some potential this time around- especially if the Conservative's poll numbers take a hit in BC. I would like to see MLA Leonard Krog courted to run in Nanaimo-Alberni. He was born and raised in the riding and has been elected to represent it twice. In the last provincial election he trounced the city councilor that ran against him in a riding that had been redistributed to include all the North end of Nanaimo that votes hard core BC Liberal. North Nanaimo is what keeps Lunney in office. If Leonard could repeat his provincial results at the federal level (and I don't see why not) then he would win easily. Another option for that seat would be defeated mayoral candidate and long time city councilor Diane Brennan (or her husband who is the school board prez/trustee). Departure Bay resident and city councillor Fred Pattje would also be a progressive option but much less likely to run. In the past, the NDP's weaker results have been due to candidates with no name recognition or weak campaigns. Pattje may want to consider running just because he is likely to get defeated in the next municipal election as he finished last on the 2008 council slate.

Brennan sounds promising, don't know about Pattje.  No way Krog will leave the provincial scene - he fought hard to come to the Leg in 2005 and he has a lock on a major Cabinet post if the NDP wins in 2013.  Alberni is a very different seat than Krog's provincial seat, there is a big Bible belt presence and lots of retirees from out of province who vote Conservative, it is winnable but will be tough to get for the NDP.  The key pick-ups on Vancouver Island are Esquimalt-JDF and Vancouver Island North - and depending on what happens with Elizabeth May, even Saanich Gulf-Islands is possible given the great provincial results for the NDP there.

Anyone know anything whether Nettie Wiebe is definitely going for another go at Saskatoon–Rosetown–Biggar? I hear rumours via punditsguide.ca, but can't find anything concrete. I don't think there was a Dipper in the country who didn't feel for her last time (maybe Jack Harris can send a few coachloads of voters?).

Note: If she were to go again, I think anything other than an uncontested nomination would be a major shock.

edmundoconnor wrote:

Anyone know anything whether Nettie Wiebe is definitely going for another go at Saskatoon–Rosetown–Biggar? I hear rumours via punditsguide.ca, but can't find anything concrete. I don't think there was a Dipper in the country who didn't feel for her last time (maybe Jack Harris can send a few coachloads of voters?).

Note: If she were to go again, I think anything other than an uncontested nomination would be a major shock.

Yes Pundits Guide claims she may run again.  She did come very close last time, although there was the advantage of Carol Skelton retiring and the seat having no incumbent.  Now the Conservatives have an incumbent for the next election and it may be more competitive next time.

As for Drummond, the NDP certainly moved up a bit from 2004 to 2006, but the big move came in 2008 when the Bloc incumbent Pauline Picard (R.I.P. just recently) stepped down.  That seemed to be worth 10 points for the NDP, although it might also have had something to do with a new candidate for us from out of the media ranks.

The NB riding page you linked to does not render properly in IE 6, although it looks very nice in Firefox.  It's a high-powered executive, to be sure.

Taras comes from a long-time NDP family in that area, and was raised right, if you know what I mean (Saskatchewan roots, too!).  After 2 elections he has already bested former candidate, teacher David Tremblay's 2004 performance in vote share.  I'm not sure what would be gained from replacing him now.  The Liberals on the other hand face the choice of either running Susan Whelan again as a 4-time loser former M.P., or replacing her with a new candidate.  This as I'm almost certain Conservative Jeff Watson's vote is about to drop off.  Taras is out and about in the community all the time now.  I hope he gives it another try.

Our 2008 first nations candidate in Kenora, Tania Cameron, apparently wants to run again, so while I love Howie, I don't see the benefit of running him there.  Plus, I think his hometown of Fort Frances is in Thunder Bay--Rainy River.

Your thought on Prue is interesting.  I've seen Marilyn Churley on TV a number of times now, and she has not impressed me.  One time in particular on TVO's The Agenda she was so poorly briefed it was embarrassing.  Maybe there's a record of community activism there that I'm not up to speed on from Ottawa.  On the other hand, Prue's snippiness at our local all-candidates leadership debate was a bit of a turn-off too.  Still I should give him a second chance, as he was very gracious at a later Ottawa event, and everyone has a bad day.

My bad on Howie. Yes, Thunder Bay--Rainy River is the better fit. Also, babblers (or Ontario NDPers) are well aware that Prue is no saint, but he maintains a powerful loyalty among a lot of voters in his riding that don't vote NDP yet vote Prue. He is seen as a local champion and he is loyal NDP. I wonder what babblers think of Paul Ferreira being asked to give York South Weston another kick at the can. While I was disapointed with his provincial results, I'd like to see the NDP consider recruiting and providing some solid advice/maybe support to a campaign for Mohamed Boudjenane in the Toronto area. His credentials are laudable and I think he could make a useful contribution to the NDP caucus and House of Commons. Running against Kirsty Duncan in Etobicoke North might seem like a viable option but she could hard to beat. She shared the Nobel Prize with Al Gore for climate change and is a nice person. You would have to campaign on the issue of her (and maybe the Liberal's) effectiveness as representatives for this long-held riding.

In dream world, it would be great to see Stephen Lewis run in a Toronto riding. Seems like Parkdale-High Park, Toronto Centre, or Davenport could be options. I also wish Roy Romanow could be enticed to run for the NDP, but he seems like he comes from the wrong wing of the party to be comfortable in a Layton caucus. I could see him offering if a more right-of-party NDPer like Gary Doer were running the party. It's too bad the Lorne Calvert flirtations never came to much. Another NDP star I've long wished would reoffer is Mike Harcourt, but I believe his contention that he is burned off politics for good. Finding him a riding might also be interesting. Vancouver Centre would be the obvious choice, but given how unphased local voters can be by the big "star" candidates there, Vancouver Quadra might be worth a poll survey. Vancouver Kingsway would have been a good option but the NDP is fortunate enough to currently hold that seat.

ETA: For the NDP to make gains in the BC Lower Mainland, I think there going to have to try to recruit from the ranks of the NDP MLAs. Surrey North, Newton-North Delta, Fleetwood-Port Kells, and Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows are the (at least on paper) targets. Maybe Corky Evans could run in Kootenay-Columbia. Problem is Corky Evans=Nelson and Nelson is in British Columbia Southern Interior (which is currently held by Alex Atamanenko). The BC NDP did better in the Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon area than they do typically. A lot of this had to do with Harry Lali's candidacy but there was a general rise as well. As such, it might be a smart move to recruit the BC NDP candidate Gwen O'Mahony, that trimmed the gap with Campbell cabinet minister Barry Penner in Chilliwack Hope to run. Certainly can't hurt. I do think that the NDP still has room to grow in Chiliwack-Fraser Canyon, bible-belt notwithstanding. In fact, it was amazing how inefficient the BC NDP support was on election day when you gaze out across the Langley, Abbotsford, and Chilliwack bible belt. Maybe that was where Bill Tieleman's famous "axe the tax" campaign mantra bore fruit- yet flipped no seats. In other words, the BC NDP gained a bunch of votes in lower income, farther flung, conservatives areas where they had no hope of winning, and lost the more eco-minded, politically moderate, and risk averse suburban areas that were the key to victory. I always thought the axe the tax campaign was painfully hypocritical demagoguery.

Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo remains a Gordian knot. Nelson Riis remains the last prickly maverick that was able to hold it.

At first I thought you meant Peter Ferreira (who had run for us this past time in Davenport) and was going to say an enthusiastic yes.  I had hoped we would take that seat last time, but recognize it's at least a two-election commitment.  The Liberal Mario Silva is the one who unseated Charles Caccia for his nomination as part of the Paul Martin goon squad, and while nominally a left, out Liberal, has betrayed the labour movement twice on his anti-scab private member's bill.  I notice he had real trouble raising money for the last election, and was about $30K in the hole before the rebate.  This caused him to underspend relative to Ferreira's campaign, and the Conservatives have evidently given up on the riding, raising less than the Green Party EDA last year.

But, in fact, you meant PAUL Ferreira who briefly won the provincial seat in York South-Weston after running twice federally and a few more times provincially and municipally.  I'm not sure but on the surface it looks like our candidate last time Mike Sullivan did better on his first outing than Paul Ferreira did on either of his two previous federal tries.  Given that Tonks may step down soon, we should really be picking a strong horse and sticking with it here.  Sullivan is a national CEP staff rep doing negotiations with the CBC, and who had a 16-year record of local activism in the riding.

I've also been impressed with Mohamed Boudjenane, but we've also had a good candidate in Ali Naqvi in Etobicoke North.  I find Duncan to be a real self-promoter and a horrible fit for the demographics of that riding, and while she has academic credentials I don't find her terribly sharp when I see her in the House or on TV.  She was part of a big group that won the Nobel prize, and had a questionable role in any of it, if you read Gina Kolata (the NY Times science writer).

I wondered if Peggy Nash's bid for Party President was a prelude to her running again federally, or a segue out of running at all again.  Now I would love to see a Stephen Lewis v. Bob Rae fight in Toronto Centre, oh what a righteous and fascinating thing that would be to watch.  But honestly, hasn't the poor fellow earned the right to slow down a bit!  Of course it would tie Rae down to his riding, and keep him out of the NDP - Conservative races out west where his primary purpose seemed to be to hike the Liberal vote and keep us out.

Perhaps Calvert could be enticed federally, now that his succession has been well taken care of.  Nettie is apparently running again in Rosetown-Biggar, but what about Humboldt?  I think a man of the cloth is the perfect person to take on Brad Trost right about now, and teach him a little bit about christian charity ;-)

Not much to add on Harcourt, but I'm just not sure the weekly travel would do a thing for his back.  It's brutal for BC M.P.s.

Lord Palmerston wrote:

The best riding for Stephen Lewis might be Beaches-East York and I don't know if he'd be a good fit for Davenport.  I really doubt he has any interest in being a politician again though.

I was thinking BEY too for him--not least because it's next door to his old Scarborough political constituency (and wasn't the Lewis-Landsberg household right at the borderline?)

Quote:

I've been hearing Avi might be interested in running one day.  Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein used to live up the street from me, but they moved out a while ago, I believe to High Park.

Well, PHP would seem an home-turf Avi natural, then.  Though the "near-childhood turf" of BEY has a parallel compatibility--and, past "unbeatibility" notwithstanding, Maria Minna ought still to be easier pickings than Gerard Kennedy, under the circumstances.

Indeed, the "Lewis household" magic seems like the perfect formula for the NDP to reclaim the "Rae Democrat" urban left who fled with Rae in '08...