[ryan29]

a federal by-election is taking place on march 17 , 2008 in the federal riding of willowdale ( toronto ) ontario .

if was caused by the retirement of longtime liberal mp Jim Peterson . and to allow for liberal Martha Hall Findlay to try and get a seat .
she is only known politically previously for her failed run against belinda stronach is newmarket aurora , when belinda was still a conservative . she also tried to run for liberal leadership but did not even come close and ended up supporting stephane dion,

its considered to be a competive riding but one that has more or less leaned liberal in recent years , and has grown more urban due to many new condo towers going up in the riding .
even with the ndp's success in some toronto ridings , this one is not an area where they have traditionally done well .




here are the links to the main 3 candidates websites incase anyone wants more information on the by-election

Martha Hall Findlay liberal
http://www.votemartha.ca/

Maureen Harquail conservative
http://www.maureenharquail.ca/

Rini Ghosh ndp
http://www.willowdalendp.ca/

[ryan29]

Willowdale byelection candidates weigh in on federal budget
BY FANNIE SUNSHINE
February 28, 2008 05:25 PM

Candidates vying for the incumbency in the March 17 Willowdale byelection weighed in on the federal budget, which was handed down Tuesday, Feb. 26 by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.
"I thought it was an excellent budget," said Conservative candidate Maureen Harquail, a cousin of Flaherty's. "It provided tangible benefits to the people of Willowdale, the main thing being the tax-free savings account."

Highlights of the budget include contributing up to $5,000 a year to a tax-free savings account starting in 2009, $400 million to recruit 2,500 police officers, $350 million for a new Canada Student Grant program starting next year, and $500 million for cities to support capital investment in public transit.

"Over $400 million will be set aside to recruit new police officers and that's very important here in Willowdale and Toronto," Harquail said.

Despite displeasure by the NDP and Bloc Quebecois, Liberal leader Stephane Dion said he will not vote against the budget, which would trigger a spring election.

"It's clear the Liberal Party determined not to bring the government down on it," said Liberal candidate Martha Hall Findlay. "I don't believe Canadians have an appetite for an election at this point. Obviously I'm not in favour of the current government and I want to see change, but we did the right thing in not bringing Canada into a general election. It would cost at least $300 million for a general election and that would mean we are not being fiscally prudent. We will be watching very carefully where the economy goes."

Hall Findlay said more money is needed in infrastructure for larger cities and instead of allocating the entire $10-billion surplus to paying down the $457-billion debt, $7 billion should have been used toward infrastructure.

"Because the Conservative government has already spent the cupboard bare with their previous budgets and economic update, this budget does not go as far as we would like in some areas, but it does not warrant an election that Canadians don't want, at a time when so much remains to be done in this Parliament," Dion said in a statement.

Green Party candidate Lou Carcasole was disappointed the budget didn't focus on shifting to a greener way of life.

"The big issue in my mind, the elephant in the living room, is the environment," he said.

Carcasole said he was happy with small measures, such as the tax-free savings account, but called it "optics more than anything, but optics are important."

NDP candidate Rini Ghosh was unavailable for comment by The Mirror's deadline.


http://www.insidetoronto.com/News/North ... icle/42711

[ryan29]

Coyne drops out of Liberal race, backs rival

Don Valley West nomination meeting on March 2
BY LISA QUEEN
February 28, 2008 03:43 PM

Don Valley West federal Liberal nomination contender Deborah Coyne has dropped out of this weekend's vote and thrown her support behind rival Rob Oliphant.
"I am not going to be making any comment," Coyne said yesterday when reached by phone.

"I am resigning. I have resigned. My campaign has run its course."

Last March, Coyne won the Liberal nomination for Toronto-Danforth, which would have pitted her against federal NDP leader Jack Layton.

She later abandoned those plans and decided to seek the Liberal nomination in Don Valley West instead.

Last week, Coyne became embroiled in a bitter public fight with her two highest-profile opponents, Oliphant and Sarmite Bulte.

Coyne, a constitutional lawyer, accused Oliphant, a United Church minister, and Bulte, a former MP in Parkdale-High Park, of improperly recruiting new members to vote in the March 2 nomination meeting.

Both Oliphant and Bulte denied the charges and questioned why Coyne had levelled her accusations through the media rather than addressing them through the party.

Coyne has issued a written statement following her resignation.

"Since entering the race for the Liberal nomination in Don Valley West, I have visited hundreds of people in all areas of this great riding. Don Valley West reflects so much of what makes Canada great. Our growing diversity, our huge pool of human talent from all over the globe: surely these are our greatest strengths as a nation and they are best defended by a Liberal MP," she said in her statement.

"It is crucial that Don Valley West return a Liberal to Ottawa in the next federal election. With this in mind, I have decided that my campaign has run its course. I have withdrawn my candidacy and have decided that Rob Oliphant is the right person to win the next election, serve the diverse communities of Don Valley West, and build on the work of (current MP) John Godfrey as a distinguished Member of Parliament."

This is the second contender to bow out of the Don Valley West Liberal race and throw support to Oliphant.

Abdul Ingar, president of Thorncliffe's Masjid Darus Salaam mosque, made the same decision a couple of weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Don Valley West Liberal riding association president Dennis O'Leary has also issued a statement supporting Oliphant.

"Rob Oliphant is a life-long Liberal who exemplifies the kind of candidate that we need to lead us to victory in the coming election. Rob has an exemplary record of community leadership. As a United Church Minister, he has spent the better part of a decade engaged in making North Toronto a better place to live," he said.

"From the Out of the Cold program, to mentoring at-risk youth, to his work on youth employment and senior's housing, Rob delivers tangible results and makes a real difference. I believe it is time for Rob to take that energy and experience to Ottawa as the next MP for Don Valley West."

In addition to Oliphant and Bulte, the nomination race includes Jonathan Mousley, a senior economist with the Ontario government, seniors housing advocate Ian Cameron and local businessman Mohammad Ijaz.

The meeting will be held March 2 at the York Reception Centre at 1100 Millwood Rd.

Speeches begin at 2 p.m. with voting starting at 3 p.m.


http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/north ... =northyork


( know not from willowdale but near by so i figured i'd just post it here )

[ryan29]

Oliphant wins tough federal Liberal race

United Church minister to represent party in Don Valley West
BY LISA QUEEN
March 3, 2008 05:00 PM

Looking to turn the page after winning a tough battle for the federal Liberal nomination in Don Valley West, Rob Oliphant now wants to focus on ousting Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s “mean-spirited” government.

“I will be running very much against Stephen Harper. I think they’re a negative government,” Oliphant said Monday morning following his victory at Sunday night’s nomination meeting.


“I think they’re mean-spirited. I think they’re narrow-minded and I think they are ethically-challenged.”


Oliphant criticized Harper’s government for its disrespectful treatment of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and personal attacks on federal Liberal leader Stephan Dion. He also cited the Conservatives’ failure to address Ontario’s struggling manufacturing sector and employment insurance discrepancies.


Oliphant also said people are “buzzing” about allegations the Conservatives attempted to buy the vote of dying MP Chuck Cadman in May 2005. Cadman voted with the Liberals and kept former prime minister Paul Martin’s government alive. On Monday, Harper warned he will sue the federal Liberals if they don’t apologize for their accusations.


Oliphant could find himself on a federal election campaign trail as early as this spring if the government falls. Barring that, a byelection will have to be called to replace current MP John Godfrey, who retires July 1 to take over as headmaster of the Toronto French School.


Oliphant learned he was crowned the winning candidate Sunday at about 8:30 p.m., some six and a half hours after speeches and voting at the York Reception Centre on Millwood Road began.


Oliphant won on the fourth round of a progressive ballot technique. Voters get one ballot and mark their candidates in order of preference.


The candidate with the lowest number of votes is knocked out of the race and his supporters’ second choice ballots are divvied up among the remaining candidates.

That continues in order of voters’ preferences until a winner is declared.


“They told me I was close to winning on the first ballot but it took four ballots and then I was over the top,” Oliphant said.


He beat out four other candidates - former Parkdale-High Park MP Sarmite Bulte, senior Ontario government economist Jonathan Mousley, seniors housing advocate Ian Cameron and local businessman Mohammad Ijaz.


In a strange twist, contender Deborah Coyne, a constitutional lawyer, dropped out of the race and threw her support behind Oliphant just days before the vote. That decision came a week after she criticized Oliphant and Bulte of improperly recruiting new members.


Another former candidate, Abdul Ingar, president of Thorncliffe’s Masjid Darus Salaam mosque, dropped out a couple of weeks ago and also supported Oliphant.
Don Valley West Liberal riding president Dennis O’Leary also backed Oliphant.


All the candidates and riding association members are now committed to working together to get him elected, Oliphant said.


He is a United Church minister who married his partner in 2005 shortly after gay marriage became legal in Canada. Oliphant doesn’t believe his sexual orientation will be an issue to voters in Don Valley West, one of the most culturally and financially diverse ridings in Canada.


“This riding is an open, tolerant and generous riding. I’ve never hidden this (my sexual orientation). It’s not something that’s a secret. I’m openly gay. My congregation not only accepts it, they embrace me,” he said.


“The Muslims and Tamils I worked with understand the Charter (of Rights and Freedoms). They understand the Charter protects them and it protects me.”


http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/north ... =northyork

[ryan29]

how does this liberal candidate try to call the government mean spirted ?

and does he somehow think the liberals are more friendly ?
and does he not think the liberals are ethically challenged ? only a liberal from toronto would actually think the federal liberal party and provincial one for that matter are clean and 100% honest . those 2 liberal parties combined have had more scandals then i could count of my hands in last decade . he is dreaming if he does not think the federal liberals are ethically challenged .

[Winnipegger]

I have a question. Belinda Stronach has dropped out of politics, so why isn't there a by-election there? Let Martha Hall Findlay have her own riding back, and let Jim Peterson stay in his seat?

[ryan29]

Winnipegger Winnipegger:

I have a question. Belinda Stronach has dropped out of politics, so why isn't there a by-election there? Let Martha Hall Findlay have her own riding back, and let Jim Peterson stay in his seat?

thing is belinda stronach is technically still an mp and hasn't given up her seat , jim peterson has allready left politics and was ready to retire .

also think martha was looking for an easy safe seat , newmarket aurora is considered a swing riding and has been close in recent elections , its also the most northern riding liberals hold in the GTA , others like barrie , simcoe county seats have conservative mp's . and in last provincial vote newmarket aurora elected a pc mpp even when ontario liberals were high in the polls . simply put in next election newmarket aurora could go either way depending on the local campaign.


so my guess is martha is looking for a safe seat , not a tight race .

[ryan29]

Willowdale MP candidates face off at all-candidates meeting

Health care, infrastructure debated at Monday's meeting
BY FANNIE SUNSHINE
March 11, 2008 04:29 PM

The four candidates vying to be Willowdale's next MP fielded questions ranging from income and health-care resources for seniors to environmental concerns during an all-candidates meeting Monday, March 10.
The city's infrastructure was also on the mind of constituents and NDP candidate Rini Ghosh said her party would upload 50 per cent of the operating budget to the province if elected.

"We need to meet half way down the road," she told about 100 constituents who attended the meeting at Willowdale Pentecostal Church on Cummer Avenue, west of Bayview Avenue.

Lou Carcasole of the Green Party said one cent from the GST would go to municipal governments for green city initiatives.

Maureen Harquail, who is running for the Conservatives, said her party's Building Canada plan will allocate $33 billion to roads, bridges and sewage facilities to deal with lack of infrastructure. She also said the gas tax fund would be made permanent.

Liberal Martha Hall Findlay noted the permanent implementation of the gas tax fund was a Liberal motion and instead of the Conservative government using $10 billion to pay down the debt, $7 billion should have been set aside to improve infrastructure.

"Half the people in York Region drive down and find parking in Willowdale," Hall Findlay said in reference to Finch station. "We need to invest far far more in infrastructure."

Not surprisingly, health care was another hot topic, as Willowdale is heavily populated with seniors.

The NDP said it would create an additional 50,000 spaces for long-term care over five years and extend Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance benefits to the elderly, Ghosh said.

A tax-free savings fund up to $5,000 introduced by the Conservatives would assist seniors, Harquail said, but Hall Findlay was quick to note it only applies if someone has the money to put away.

"It doesn't help poor seniors," she said. "Health care is funded by the province but the federal government pays for a lot of it. We need the politicians in Ottawa to work together to we can address the issues."

On the issue of the environment and green house emissions, Harquail said the Liberals had 13 years to get the job done and failed.

She said the Conservatives would regulate the auto sector to meet specific limits by 2011 and ban new coal plants.

Harquail, well aware of the Willowdale riding's history as a Liberal stronghold, told constituents the fight is not over.

"I don't believe the final outcome has been determined," she said. "I think there is a real choice and I hope I can earn your vote."

The byelection is March 17.


http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/north ... =northyork

[ryan29]

i like the last quote , the conservative candidate is not giving up till the bitter end.
but guess the reality is there will be a general election soon anyways so this will be a very temporary stint as mp for whoever wins , as they will have to run a re-election campaign possibly only a few weeks or months down the road.

[ryan29]

Hall Findlay confident of Willowdale win
Updated Wed. Mar. 12 2008 8:01 PM ET

toronto.ctv.ca

Liberal candidate Martha Hall Findlay is feeling confident, she says, with Willowdale's federal election just days away.

A star candidate for her party after running for the leadership in 2006, Hall Findlay's lawn signs blanket the snowy north Toronto riding known for being a Liberal safe haven.

"If signs were to say anything, we're very confident," she told CTV's Mike Duffy on Wednesday. "We're very confident as it is. But I have to say, it's a lot of snow to deal with whether it's putting signs in snowdrifts or trudging through snow banks to get to houses."

Monday's byelection is being held to replace former cabinet minister Jim Peterson, who has since retired. His final election campaign resulted in the Liberal Party earning double the vote of second most popular candidate in the riding at the time, the Conservatives' Jovan Boseovski. A prominent lawyer and businesswoman, Hall Findlay also spoke about what she won't be bringing to the House of Commons.

"The one thing I can promise is that if I do become MP that I won't bring more testosterone to Ottawa," she said. "It seems there's plenty of that."

Hall Findlay is up against the Conservative Party's Maureen Harquail, NDP candidate Rini Ghosh and Lou Carcasole of the Green Party of Canada.

According to Ghosh, who also appeared on Mike Duffy Live, there hasn't been much chance to face off with their Conservative opponent, who has failed to show up at numerous all-candidates meetings.

"She's missed some debates and she's also missed an interview with CPAC," said Ghosh. "I would have loved to have Maureen Harquail here today. Unfortunately, Martha and I don't have that chance."

Harquail had been invited to appear alongside Hall Findlay and Ghosh on Wednesday's show, but declined the invitation.

The candidates are finishing a six-month stint campaigning for Monday's byelection, and Hall Findlay did not want to think about the possibility of an upcoming federal vote.

"Our concentration right now is on next Monday," she said. "With Willowdale voters being willing, I'm more than happy to become and MP and see what happens after that."

Monday will see four federal byelections in ridings across the country: Willowdale, Vancouver Quadra and Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River and Toronto Centre, which features another Liberal star candidate: former Ontario premier Bob Rae.

With a report from CTV Newsnet's Mike Duffy Live


http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/s ... e=&no_ads=

[ryan29]

as usual the ndp resorts to pathetic critism , but realistically the ndp has no chance in willowdale anyways .
think federally its proved to be a tough area for the conservatives , this riding had actually been an ontario pc riding up till 2003 but seems that party is more popular in toronto than the federal one for whatever reasons this has been the case over the years.
so the liberals more or less win these seats by default as no party is strong enough in toronto to challenge them .