Liberal MP and former cabinet minister Scott Brison was in Guelph this afternoon where he kicked off the campaign for candidate Frank Valeriote.
Here's the blurb from the Liberal campaign:
Mr. Valeriote and Mr. Brison took specific aim at Conservative Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, who earlier this year told a business audience that Ontario is “the last place” to invest.
“The manufacturing sector has been especially hard hit by a high Canadian dollar, soaring energy prices, and a downturn in the US,” said Mr. Brison. “Even though the Canadian economy shrank in the first quarter of the year, the Conservatives ignore the problems and refuse to take action.”
“ We need immediate action on the manufacturing front and a help with a move towards diversifying the Guelph Economy” stated Mr. Valeriote. Mr. Valeriote also praised the Liberal Green Shift plan, which cuts income taxes and provides other tax credits while putting a price on carbon emissions that contribute to climate change.
“The new global economy will be driven by innovation in renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies – a green and diverse economy,” said Mr. Valeriote. “The University of Guelph and industries throughout WellingtonCounty have always been innovators in green technologies. The Green Shift will be good for the economy and for the environment.”
Voters in the Ontario riding of Guelph, along with those in the Quebec ridings of Westmount-Ville Marie and Saint-Lambert, will go to the polls in 40 days to replace the retiring Brenda Chamberlain (Lib.), Lucienne Robillard (Lib.) and Maka Kotto (BQ) respectively.
All three are shaping up as interesting races. Though a cautious gambler would bet on the incumbent parties to hold each seat, there's a reasonable chance of an upset in all three.
Valeriote, whose dad Mico was a long-time city council member and enjoys some cachet from his family's political longevity in Guelph — will face a tough fight.
He's up against NDP candidate Tom King — he of CBC's Dead Dog Café fame — as well as city councillor and Conservative candidate Gloria Kovach and the Green Party's environment critic Mike Nagy. Nagy is unlikely to win but he could draw off enough support from disaffected mainstream voters that his candidacy could significantly affect the final outcome and may even unseat the Liberals.
Kovach has been winning municipal elections for a long time in Guelph but the Conservatives put themselves behind the eight-ball when the national party stepped in earlier this year to fire the locally-chosen candidate Brett Barr. Barr carried the Conservative can in the 2006 general election but, for some reason, was not liked by the national folks. Many local Conservatives were and still are upset with the party for this and, as a result, Kovach has to do some healing within her own ranks while fending off other parties.
King has some name recognition and should easily connect with people he meets on the campaign trail. His problem in Guelph is that Guelph, a fairly affluent, urban riding with a lefty-university, has never come close to electing a New Democrat. It's been Liberal for 15 years; had a Progressive Conservative during Mulroney's premiership, was mostly Liberal during Trudeau's time and was represented by PC MP Alf Hales in the late 60s and early 70s. Hales, incidentally, is pitching in to help Kovach.
UPDATE: Guelph Mercury reporter Magda Konieczna blogs a good point: Until the 2006 election when Liberal Brenda Chamberlain was elected to sit on the opposition benches, the MP from Guelph has sat on the government side since 1972. Prior to Chamberlain, the last Guelph to sit in opposition? Why, that would be the aforementioned Mr. Hales.