Lawrence Cannon?

Posted by: maz2 at January 17, 2006 09:46 AM

I was at the rally too and wrote a report on my blog. Smith hasn't a chance here. He's got no team and no supporters. There'a a Liberal campaign office right across the street from the Conservative one in Buckingham, and no one has ever seen anyone in it. Seriously -- it's always locked, and if you look through the windows you see absolutely no signs of life. I got a chance to see Smith at the one all-candidate's meeting he was dragged to, and he was pathetic. He tried to get out of one question by handing it to the Green candidate (which she accepted -- it's good to speak in a public forum!) but then was called on his wimpiness by someone in the audience.

The Bloc is the real opponent here, but I don't think they have anywhere the support they need.

Posted by: Bruce Gottfred at January 17, 2006 11:06 AM

...and the beat goes onnnn....

Posted by: Proud K-W Conservative at January 17, 2006 11:18 AM

Angry, I would think you would take particular satisfaction should Cannon win.

You derserve to.

Horny Toad

Posted by: Horny Toad at January 17, 2006 12:06 PM

Ironically, the Liberal slide in Quebec is so severe that it may turn out that the Abotech affair would not have made a difference if it had been ignored.

Of course, one could argue that the Abotech affair contributed to the slide, at least locally, which then helped reinforce the slide across the province.

We'll probably never really know.

Posted by: Angry in T.O. at January 17, 2006 12:14 PM

I live in the Pontiac, and Harper's comment that he needed Lawrence Cannon for his cabinet gave his campaign a real shot in the arm, since for too long this riding has been held by a back bencher. If there is one thing that both English and French Quebecois understand, it is that it is better to be represented by a powerful member of the party in power. I predict that strategic voting based on that calculation will raise the Conservatives at the expense of the Bloc. A great day is coming. Thanks again for your work in exposing David Smith's sweetheart deal. His weak campaign newspaper denial that he was cleared by the ethics commissioner has no credibility right now.

Posted by: reido at January 17, 2006 12:36 PM

Bruce and Steve,

I was at the rally on Sunday and took the opportunity to visit local businesses on behalf of The Post (we're always looking for news from Buckingham).

Cannon's office was open, and yes, Smith's office was closed--lights out, no one there.

I thought perhaps that it was because a Sunday and Harper was just an hour away from visiting. But now that you mention it, Bruce, it seems to me that the weekend before the election, there should be some life going on in a campaign office.

Smith was in Chelsea last weekend and in the course of a conversation with a journalist who works for my editor (Pontiac Journal, I believe), he mentioned taking legal action against The West Quebec Post.

He was absolutely furious with my editor because the Post was the only local paper that didn't take Smith and the ethics commissioner at their word. Fred actually read the report and pointed out the limited scope and how it really doesn't exonerate Smith at all.

Back to the rally--I swear, it was like a rock concert. The crowd was completely on fire; a couple dozen people waited outside for a half an hour in minus thirteen temperatures to get a good seat. I met one self-described "Harper groupie" who said, "It's about time we had a prime minister who is hot!"

Cannon's French is flawless, absolutely perfect. And the crowd cheered when Harper said, "Quebec needs Lawrence Cannon. I need Lawrence Cannon. He will be a member of my cabinet. That's why Pontiac should vote for him."

Harper's stressing that a non-national party can never adequately represent the needs of Quebec is a winning message to the separatists here, IMO.

Posted by: JulieM at January 17, 2006 06:46 PM