Can anyone fill me in on Craig Scott, the winner of the NDP Toronto Danforth riding nomination process?
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NDP Toronto Danforth Candidate
Mon, 2012-01-09 22:40
#1
NDP Toronto Danforth Candidate
Mon, 2012-01-09 22:46
#2
They have this new thing on the Internet called Google.
Mon, 2012-01-09 23:27
#3
Law professor, human rights activist. Recieved praise from Alex Neve of Amnesty International. Sounds like a fantastic candidate to me
Mon, 2012-01-09 23:33
#4
RE:
In the last few years, Craig has been focused on such issues as accountability for human rights violations and environmental harms committed by Canadian companies in other countries.
I think that I half remember during QP the NDP talking about charging Canadian companies for breaking laws even if the crime did not take place in Canada. For example, breaking environmental law or hiring someone to murder a union leader.
Tue, 2012-01-10 02:41
#5
I'm not much of a Twitter fan, but if you follow the #TorDan hashtag, you'll get updates on how things are going.
Including two comments from Chris Tindal, Green Party stalwart (but less partisan than before?):
In case you don't know, I'm not an #NDP partisan, but Chow is burning this barn. #TorDan
So, @CraigScottNDP wins the nomination on the first ballot. The best choice, I think. #TorDan #NDP
By the way, how many members voted? I see a photo that looks like a packed hall.
Tue, 2012-01-10 06:28
#6
By chance, he wouldn't happen to be related to Reid Scott, former NDP M.P. for Danforth 1962-1968, would he?
Tue, 2012-01-10 07:17
#7
Thanks for posting - great to see pictures of nomination mtg and Olivia rocking the house!
Tue, 2012-01-10 07:21
#8
Chris Tindal has never been very partisan.
On top of which, there is little going on the ground in the GPC.
Tue, 2012-01-10 07:31
#9
I'm not sure about that, Wilf. I noticed Tindal taking a few gentle jabs here and there during his coverage. But it was amusing, not mean-spirited, and actually, I thought his coverage was pretty good overall. I also liked that he gave credit where credit was due.
"By any standard of NDP drinking games, I'd have alcohol poisoning by now. #TorDan"
Heh. :)
Tue, 2012-01-10 08:03
#10
ottawaobserver wrote
"They have this new thing on the Internet called Google" in response to my question "Can anyone fill me in on Craig Scott, the winner of the NDP Toronto Danforth riding nomination process?"
Perhaps I could have framed the question better by asking if anyone knew more about the candidate on a personal level that one is not likely to find on the internet in order to get a better understanding of Scott than is typically found in the "objective" media.
However, after 40 years of teaching, I have learned there is only one kind of question that is stupid - the one designed to show off one's knowledge or make the other person look stupid. Many times I have found the person who asked the most questions in my classes, initially to my surprise, got the highest marks, even sometimes when other people in the class were groaning because they thought the question was stupid. I also quickly learned that even if only one person was asking questions, there were in most cases many others who had the same question, but were afraid to ask it because of the reaction they might get. On the other hand, those who told me on the first day that they already had a great understanding of the subject rarely did well.
So I asked myself why this occurred repeatedly. The best answer I could come up with was that once people think that they fully understand something they do not try to understand more about it. So here is another "dumb" question: why the sarcasm?
Tue, 2012-01-10 08:37
#11
Thanks to all of you who provided information on Craig Scott.
Tue, 2012-01-10 08:40
#12
Arthur Cramer
When I was a trainer during my 20 plus years in the service, I always told my students "the only dumb question is the one you don't ask". Nuff said? Good.
@jerrym: I didn't write that, but I apologize for the comment aimed at you.
Tue, 2012-01-10 08:41
#13
why the sarcasm?
It didn't read sarcastic to me. It read funny; and she answered your question with a link. If you had asked "does anyone know more about the candidate on a personal level that is not in his bio" she might have answered that too.
Tue, 2012-01-10 10:58
#14
Only moderators get to be sarcastic. Part of the job description. Everyone else must be consistently sweet and positive.
Tue, 2012-01-10 12:29
#15
Chris Tindal has never been very partisan.
On top of which, there is little going on the ground in the GPC.
I remember him from the Ward 27 contest. Struck me as a decent guy. for a Green (he was nice to my guy, who was running for TDSB at the time).
Tue, 2012-01-10 12:29
#16
Only moderators get to be sarcastic. Part of the job description. Everyone else must be consistently sweet and positive.
I'm in trouble, then.
Tue, 2012-01-10 23:39
#17
ignore old goat because he only pretends to be a gruff old goat! 
Wed, 2012-01-11 05:45
#18
By chance, he wouldn't happen to be related to Reid Scott, former NDP M.P. for Danforth 1962-1968, would he?
So, no one knows if there is a relationship between the two Scotts?
Wed, 2012-01-11 17:05
#19
OnTheLeft
Q&A with Craig Scott - Jack Layton's successor in Toronto-Danforth
Can you describe what you were feeling Monday night?
I think the most exciting part was the energy in the room. There were somewhere around 800 people and there was a kind of "go-forward" energy and atmosphere that was bigger than the nomination itself.
Did you know Jack?
No, I didn't have the privilege of knowing Jack. I was in rooms with him and inspired by him, but I didn't have that privilege.
How does it feel to be taking over the nomination in his old riding?
It's daunting and it's an honour as well. People ask what it's like to aspire to replace him and the first thing I say is that nobody can replace him - absolutely not. I think of it as following in his footsteps, not walking in his shoes. This riding has come to expect exceptional representation so expectations have to be high, but nobody can reach his level; he had become a very special Canadian.
Are you endorsing anyone for the party leadership?
No. I'm still undecided myself. I made my final decision to seek the nomination only after watching the first debate to see what kind of chemistry and intellectual energy there was amongst the leadership candidates. I came away extremely impressed with well over half the field, all of whom I could see becoming leader.
What do you think the party should be looking for in its next leader?
It's obvious, but Quebec has to be taken extraordinarily seriously as the new stronghold that it has become. Quebec has to become central to how the NDP grows and the rest of Canada has to understand the social-democratic tradition in Quebec and see that connection in their own values. I think when that happens the NDP will actually have strength there and in the rest of Canada in a way that kind of bypasses a lot of the old, sterile debates around the relationship between Quebec and the rest of the country.
It also has to be somebody who has absolutely solid credentials on two things: One is a commitment to a rapid transformation to the green economy and somebody who is absolutely trustworthy when it comes to the core NDP foci in the past half-century - combatting serious disadvantage and marginalization in our society.
If you are elected MP, what will be your priorities?
I want to make sure I bring to Parliament the perspectives of the variety of communities and people of Toronto-Danforth. It's diverse culturally and it also has serious income disparities and very different life experiences. It's kind of a microcosm of what a national party needs to take seriously. So I'm hoping to create those kinds of national riding linkages.
What are you doing tomorrow?
I'm meeting with folks to figure out next steps on campaigning. But I also have to finish my last little bit of marking for my first-term course. [Laughing] My students are probably saying, "What? Those marks were supposed to be in two days ago."
Wed, 2012-01-11 18:09
#20
Law professor, human rights activist. Recieved praise from Alex Neve of Amnesty International. Sounds like a fantastic candidate to me
Seems like a bit of an elitist intellectual. 
Wed, 2012-01-11 22:22
#21
Thanks OnTheLeft for the article on Craig Scott. It was very informative.
Wed, 2012-01-11 22:25
#22
Debater, it is interesting to see you using the same smear that the Conservatives used on Iggy. Maybe you would feel more at home in that party.
Wed, 2012-01-11 23:40
#23
Second that thanks.
btw jerrym - I think that Debator was trying to pay Scott a comment.
Scott seems to be interested in crimes that Canadian companies commit outside of Canada. The NDP have been talking, in Question Period, about a law to charge Canadian companies for crimes even if the crime they committed was not committed on Canadian soil.
Still trying to figure out how to pronounce Scott's husband's name.
Thu, 2012-01-12 11:51
#24
Craig Scott is hitting it out of the park this morning on the story about the government's about-face on recognizing same-sex marriages performed in Canada on citizens of other countries. Here he is on Twitter:
CraigScottNDP 1/3 Govt argues foreign same-sex marriage null. Harper ducks: "lawyers" and"law" responsible.Shameful. tinyurl.com/8xrn7ob #cdnpoli #ndpldr (link)
CraigScottNDP 2/3 Who decided agst #lgbt? Rare that Dept of Justice does anything w/out complete political vetting. tinyurl.com/8xrn7ob #ndpldr #cdnpoli (link)
CraigScottNDP 3/3 After this tinyurl.com/8xrn7ob will Vic Toews, John Baird et al dare appear on TV to tell LGBT youth "It gets better"? #ndpldr #cdnpoli (link)
Thu, 2012-01-12 16:39
#25
If elected, how many out MPs would the NDP have? Five?
Thu, 2012-01-12 19:45
#26
Law professor, human rights activist. Recieved praise from Alex Neve of Amnesty International. Sounds like a fantastic candidate to me
Seems like a bit of an elitist intellectual.
Then the Liberals should adore him!
Wed, 2012-01-25 15:34
#27
The Liberals contending for their party's nomination in T-D sound distinctly UN-formidable - not that I would ever want to get over-confident.
http://www.ipolitics.ca/2012/01/25/liberal-nominees-vie-to-take-on-ndp-i...
Wed, 2012-01-25 15:43
#28
No word on when the Liberal nomination is though, so maybe there is a star just waiting in the wings? (trying not to laugh)... so your right, we can not take any riding for granted and having for years been a TDer i know our ground game is good and there is a committed bunch of members in TD. We just have to work as hard to get Scott elected and i'm sure just as we are going to throw everything we have into the riding the liberals will try to to. It was an obvious huge boost for Scott to be included at the caucus meeting, he spoke well in the Star articule and thats bound to help give him some media coverage ahead of any liberal.
Wed, 2012-01-25 15:48
#29
If elected, how many out MPs would the NDP have? Five?
from my count yes... Morin (Danny, not Marie-Claude or Isabelle)), Garrisson, Davies (Libby, not Don), Toone and Scott. Nicely distributed as well, 2BC, 2PQ and 1ON (if Scott wins)
Wed, 2012-01-25 22:34
#30
Some one is assuming that there are not-yet-out sitting MPs?
Yes, Scot spoke well.
Thu, 2012-01-26 08:46
#31
Some one is assuming that there are not-yet-out sitting MPs?
Yes, Scot spoke well.
true, but were the NDP so really no need to be in the closet :P (but who am i to rush anyone, or to gossip about it) ... its not like were the Liberals or the tories here now (right Baird)
Sun, 2012-02-05 18:55
#32
Can someone update me on the Danforth byelection situation now that it has been called?
Sun, 2012-02-05 19:55
#33
Looks like Stephen Harper is setting the byelection date for March 12, and Conservatives and some of the press are calling it for the Liberals.
Historically it has been a Liberal district, before Layton.
Sun, 2012-02-05 20:34
#34
I don't ee any of the press "calling it for the Liberals" on the contrary the press have been tweeting that they thing its about 95% chance of staying NDP. The only one "calling it" for the Liberals is a clearly mischievous Tory press release that is obviously just trying to play mind games with the Liberals (and to some extent with the NDP). One thing the Tories know for sure is that they have so little support in TD that they will have a hard time keping ahead of the Green Party - so why not stir things up with absurd spin.
Sun, 2012-02-05 21:07
#35
Historically it has been a Liberal district, before Layton.
I'm not sure where you get that idea from. Toronto-Danforth in its various incarnations was a Tory stronghold from Confederation to 1963, then it went Liberal in '63, then it went NDP in 1965, 1968, 1972 and 1974, then it stayed NDP in a byelection with Rae in 1978 then it went NDP in 1978 and 1980, then it stayed NDP in a 1982 byelection and in the 1984 general election. Then Dennis Mills won it in 1988 and 1993 and 1997 and 2000 - then Jack Layton won it for the NDP in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011. Provincially the Danforth riding has been consistently NDP for the past 40-odd years!
Sun, 2012-02-05 21:35
#36
I think that the important point is that Toronto-Danforth will be decided two weeks before the Leadership.
If the NDP win, then they go into the Leadership on a high.
However, if the NDP lose Toronto-Danforth, then all the momentum would be gone and there won't be time to get it back before the leadership race.
This puts even more pressure on the NDP to win this seat.
And the Tories could care less whether it is a Tory or a Liberal who wins if they want to deflate the NDP.
Who is running against Craig Scott anyway?
Sun, 2012-02-05 21:49
#37
Historically it has been a Liberal district, before Layton.
I'm not sure where you get that idea from. Toronto-Danforth in its various incarnations was a Tory stronghold from Confederation to 1963, then it went Liberal in '63, then it went NDP in 1965, 1968, 1972 and 1974, then it stayed NDP in a byelection with Rae in 1978 then it went NDP in 1978 and 1980, then it stayed NDP in a 1982 byelection and in the 1984 general election. Then Dennis Mills won it in 1988 and 1993 and 1997 and 2000 - then Jack Layton won it for the NDP in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011. Provincially the Danforth riding has been consistently NDP for the past 40-odd years!
Yes, it's had a varied history, although it's basically an NDP-Liberal riding now. The fact that it was Conservative in its early days over half a century ago is no longer relevant since many ridings in Toronto were right-wing then. The entire demographics and composition of Toronto was very different until a couple of decades ago when the city become more left-wing. There was a time when Toronto was considered a Conservative stronghold! Those days are over.
Sun, 2012-02-05 22:10
#38
Maybe Dennis "More Catholic Than The Pope" Mills will try to make a comeback.
Sun, 2012-02-05 22:36
#39
Toronto-Danforth in its various incarnations was a Tory stronghold from Confederation to 1963 . . .
Except provincially, where it went CCF in 1943 and 1948, as did next-door Woodbine, which Ken Bryden won back in 1959, no small feat; a man who should not be forgotten (and died only ten years ago):
Sun, 2012-02-05 22:44
#40
Toronto Danforth has basically been NDP for as long as i have been alive - except for an interregnum in the 90s which was a highly unusual period when the federal NDP was in single digits nationally and the Liberals were winning virtually every single seat in Ontario.
Mon, 2012-02-06 02:53
#41
As I predicted on the other thread, I'm expecting it to go NDP.
The reason the Conservatives are predicting it will go Liberal is old Machiavellian Harper up to his old tricks again. He wants to portray it as a Liberal riding so that when the Liberals likely don't win it he can then portray it as evidence of Liberal problems etc.
Mon, 2012-02-06 03:12
#42
Last year I think Jack carried every poll:
[img]http://www.the506.com/elxnmaps/can2011/35094.html[/img]
Mon, 2012-02-06 03:58
#43
Toronto-Danforth in its various incarnations was a Tory stronghold from Confederation to 1963 . . .Except provincially, where it went CCF in 1943 and 1948, as did next-door Woodbine, which Ken Bryden won back in 1959, no small feat; a man who should not be forgotten (and died only ten years ago):
Thank you for that, Wilf. Someone came into the officelast Spring talking about having campaigned for Marion Bryden. To my great embarrassment, I had to admit my ignorance
Mon, 2012-02-06 14:34
#44
Apparently due to some bureaucratic foul-up in the PMO, the byelection will be one week later on march 19 instead of March 12...probably doesn't really matter in the overall scheme of things...assuming that the NDP wins easily (which i expect), it will be a good way to start the week of the leadership convention!
Mon, 2012-02-06 16:26
#45
They have this new thing on the Internet called Google.
Darn those arrogant (would be) moderators. This thread: better dead than read.
Mon, 2012-02-06 20:13
#46
Best of luck Craig Scott - Make Jack proud!
Tue, 2012-02-07 13:01
#47
Steve_Shutt
Indeed Craig, best of luck to you and your team.
Tue, 2012-02-07 14:54
#48
The NDP will probably win.
The interesting part will be to see how the popular vote shakes down. If the Liberals go up in the popular vote from last year, it may indicate a recovery in the GTA. Will also be interesting to see whether the Conservatives are able to improve on their popular vote, or whether they have declined since last year.
Might also be interesting to see whether the Green Party is still alive and whether it can get a few percentage points.
Wed, 2012-02-08 00:56
#49
Is there any chance the Cons will tell their voters to vote Liberal in order to try to embarrass the NDP by defeating them since they are now the larger opposition party?
Wed, 2012-02-08 01:47
#50
Is there any chance the Cons will tell their voters to vote Liberal in order to try to embarrass the NDP by defeating them since they are now the larger opposition party?
I doubt it. The Liberal Party raised more money than the NDP in the fourth quarter of last year, so they're still a force to be reckoned with.
Wed, 2012-02-08 06:17
#51
Interested Observer
Is there any chance the Cons will tell their voters to vote Liberal in order to try to embarrass the NDP by defeating them since they are now the larger opposition party?
I doubt it. The Liberal Party raised more money than the NDP in the fourth quarter of last year, so they're still a force to be reckoned with.
Winning a by-election is symbolic though, and could affect the ndp momentum. I could totally picture that happening as they love dirty tricks, just look at the history of SGI.