(Published in the latest edition of The Local Seeker)I spent time with family at the Fifth Wheel for Sunday Easter Brunch enjoying hot coffee, musing about everything that has happened in the past week in regards to hockey and politics. There were the local debates last week, including the Cornwall debate I attended at the Civic Complex hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. It was Bernadette Clement's night, she won the debate hands down, however winning the election will be much harder. Clement spoke with clarity and eloquence. She answered questions very well, and connected how Liberal policies will benefit the people of this riding. She received huge applause on numerous occasions. The Legal-Aid Lawyer and City Councillor seeks to be the first woman to ever represent this riding on Parliament Hill, and at the debates she built a lot of momentum for herself. On the other hand, Guy Lauzon has been having a rough time at the debates, getting booed, especially in regards to the bridge issue. Despite the unreceptive response, Lauzon has managed to keep his cool. Mario Leclerc stayed very close to the NDP script and had an okay night. Wyatt Walsh provided comedy and entertainment for the evening, with some stinging and relevant criticisms about the current government. The Green candidate however did upset some in the crowd who felt he was acting very unprofessional not focusing enough on platform policies. The Libertarian candidate Darcy Donnelly seemed out of touch and out of place, repeating his mantra that taxes should be voluntary and public schools should be abolished. If taxes are the price we pay for civilization, then that price is just too high for Donnelly.
A platform of voluntary taxes might appeal to some conservative minded people, and if that is the case, Donnelly might take dozens and dozens of votes away from Guy Lauzon. Which brings me to the topic of vote-splitting versus strategic voting. If you are partisan you might vote for the same party every election, however if you are not partisan, strategic voting might make a lot of sense. If your main concerns are lower taxes and being tough on crime, Guy Lauzon of the Conservative Party is probably your best choice in SDSG. If your main concerns are issues like public health care, affordable university, strong pensions, and a green environment, there are three progressive parties to choose from - The Liberals, NDP, and Greens. Amongst the progressive parties here in SDSG, Bernadette Clement of the Liberals has the best chance of challenging the incumbent for his seat. However a strong third place showing by Mario Leclerc could make Guy Lauzon's job of winning this riding much easier.
A lot can change between now and election day, but some of the latest popularity polls suggest The Liberals might make gains in Ontario and BC, and The NDP might make significant gains in Quebec and gains in Atlantic Canada. The Conservatives and Bloc are now projected to lose seats, however the Conservatives would still form a minority government. Some people are frustrated by the cost of running an election, especially now that this is the fourth Federal elections over the past seven years, but this is the price we pay for democracy. The so called inconvenience of casting a ballot is something people in other countries are literally dying to do.
Everyone is thinking about the Federal Election right now, but we just had a municipal election, and in October 2011 we are going to have a provincial election. I would like to congratulate South Glengarry Mayor Jim McDonell who has been chosen to represent the Progressive Conservatives in the next provincial election on October 6th 2011 in the riding of Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry. There were talks about backlash for a Cornwall City Councillor running in this Federal Election. I wonder if there will be any sort of backlash in South Glengarry for Jim McDonell running this early into his Mayoral term? My feeling is any back lash would probably be minimal in both cases. The Provincial Liberals will be picking their candidate soon. Will it be former Executive Director of St. Lawrence College Pat Finucan, former Federal Candidate Denis Sabourin, or former firefighter and City Councillor Mark MacDonald? I haven't heard any news from the provincial NDP or Greens yet.
Earth Day was on Saturday April 23rd. In celebration I had my Geography and Civics students do an outdoor activity. My students learned Cornwall is full of trash. Three different classes cleaned garbage along a radius of about three city blocks. We collected 10 large bags of garbage! Much of it was found in ditches and along the railroad tracks. We sorted through it, and a lot of the stuff we found was recyclable! Littering is very disrespectful. I wish more people had pride in their community! My students learned about civic responsibility and environmental stewardship. It was a very productive lesson. Remember, we celebrate Earth Day once a year, but every day is earth day!
This week Cornwall City Council approved a $30,000 interest free loan for Cornwall Lift-Off. I am a huge fan of Lift-Off, and I appreciate how economically significant the festival is to our community, however I am concerned about the process used to secure this loan. Only Andre Rivette asked the tough questions that needed to be asked around the council table. Rivette did the right thing asking these questions, so kudos to him!
In the NHL playoffs, the defending Stanley Cup champions are not going to go away without a fight. After losing the first three games to Vancouver, Chicago has now won two in a row. Habs fans have to be disappointed about Montreal losing back to back over time games. Had Montreal scored goals in each of those two over time games, they would have won the series four games to one, instead they trail Boston three games to two. I watched the over time game at Winners, a great spot to catch a hockey game! There are only two Canadian based teams in the 2011 playoffs, and I really hope one or both of them make it to the second round!
My name is Jason Setnyk, and these are my coffee grinds!
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