The people in Ottawa understand Martin
The Ottawa economy was really badly hit by the Nortel and JDS meltdown - over 10,000 high tech jobs were lost over the past 4 years in this area - a huge number. The public service hiring spree was generally accepted as the reason the unemployment figures didn't jump and real estate prices kept rising.
It is reasonable to expect, and many Liberal radio ads highlight, if the Conservatives win this election the public sector job growth will slow down greatly and effect raises, promotions, etc. Many, many people have benefitted in this region from the Liberal record of government growth.
Despite this, it is expected that the Ottawa area is going to elect more Conservative members than Liberals. Ottawa-Orleans, Nepean-Carleton, and Ottawa West are all leaning Blue. Only Ottawa-Vanier, Hull-Alymer, and Gatineau are looking like Liberal wins. Ottawa-Centre will be an NDP win but might have gone Tory if Broadbent wasn't the NDP candidate.
Outside the urban area, the bordering regions might not elect a single Liberal. Renfrew, Lanark, Leeds, Stormont, and Glengarry in Ontario will all put in Conservative members. Even the Pontiac riding in Quebec appears to be an even race between the three parties with local Chelsea politician Judith Grant of the Conservatives doing very well.
Why are all these ridings refusing to put in Liberal members despite the obvious advantages to their economic situation?
The answer isn't entirely one dimensional but I think the biggest reason is that living in the Ottawa area you are exposed to far more political news every day. You get to know a little more of the Conservative plans and see the misrepesentation by the Liberals in the their ads and speeches. You see more of the contradictions on the Liberal positions over the past year. You get to see, by living on the border, the huge difference in the Liberal tactics in Quebec versus the rest of Canada.
We hear political columnists regularly so it is no surprise when we read articles like this on slimy Liberal moves:
Martin on CBC last night was at his best. His explanation on nominating candidates was pretty much an outright lie - especially the part on nominating women. Paul Wells has covered that quite extensively on his blog - here, here, and here for example.
If this campaign was any longer I think the Liberals would fall further than they have already. Canadians would realize that Martin is talking out both sides of his mouth and is being dishonest in his campaign. People in Ottawa realize it.
It is reasonable to expect, and many Liberal radio ads highlight, if the Conservatives win this election the public sector job growth will slow down greatly and effect raises, promotions, etc. Many, many people have benefitted in this region from the Liberal record of government growth.
Despite this, it is expected that the Ottawa area is going to elect more Conservative members than Liberals. Ottawa-Orleans, Nepean-Carleton, and Ottawa West are all leaning Blue. Only Ottawa-Vanier, Hull-Alymer, and Gatineau are looking like Liberal wins. Ottawa-Centre will be an NDP win but might have gone Tory if Broadbent wasn't the NDP candidate.
Outside the urban area, the bordering regions might not elect a single Liberal. Renfrew, Lanark, Leeds, Stormont, and Glengarry in Ontario will all put in Conservative members. Even the Pontiac riding in Quebec appears to be an even race between the three parties with local Chelsea politician Judith Grant of the Conservatives doing very well.
Why are all these ridings refusing to put in Liberal members despite the obvious advantages to their economic situation?
The answer isn't entirely one dimensional but I think the biggest reason is that living in the Ottawa area you are exposed to far more political news every day. You get to know a little more of the Conservative plans and see the misrepesentation by the Liberals in the their ads and speeches. You see more of the contradictions on the Liberal positions over the past year. You get to see, by living on the border, the huge difference in the Liberal tactics in Quebec versus the rest of Canada.
We hear political columnists regularly so it is no surprise when we read articles like this on slimy Liberal moves:
The dirty tricks team at Paul Martin's Ontario campaign office was busy Tuesday afternoon rounding up volunteers in Toronto ridings to go to the SkyDome that evening to watch the Blue Jays take on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
But this was much more than a friendly invitation: Ontario campaign chair Karl Littler, through his surrogates, was calling campaign offices to offer up Liberal volunteers to attend the game to boo Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, who was to throw out the first pitch that night.
Martin on CBC last night was at his best. His explanation on nominating candidates was pretty much an outright lie - especially the part on nominating women. Paul Wells has covered that quite extensively on his blog - here, here, and here for example.
If this campaign was any longer I think the Liberals would fall further than they have already. Canadians would realize that Martin is talking out both sides of his mouth and is being dishonest in his campaign. People in Ottawa realize it.
