Newmarket Aurora riding has a full roster of candidates
Green- Glenn Hubbers
Liberal- Tim Jones
Conservative -Lois Brown,
who are all active in this campaign as well as candidates from the Progressive Canadians - Dorian Baxter who has a great deal of presence (and signs that still say Progressive Conservative, ???), and Christian Heritage - Ray Luff
SO WHERE THE HELL ARE THE NDP?
Mike Seaward who also ran for the NDP and came 4th in the last Ontario election was nominated about a week into the campaign, has no web site, no signage, and no apparent presence to date in this election. While they might have a campaign office I can find no address for it and no one I know claims to have seen it in their travels. The only proactive thing I could find for Seaward is a Facebook page.
So my questions are:
Is the NDP running a dummy campaign in Newmarket Aurora on purpose?
Is this a subbtle but unofficial way of throwing leftish support to the Liberals to stop Lois Brown?
Or are they simply in disarray after the 4th place showing in the provincials and their failure to break the 10% mark last Federal election in Newmarket Aurora, leaving the local coffers more depleted than usual?
Have they simply surrendered in a no win riding?
And finally, why should loyal NDP supporters (in this riding specifically) use their votes to support a candidate or organization not making an effort?
I agree with voting your ideals and achieve nothing(I've done it many times), but I balk at giving my vote to someone who is not even trying to earn it.
This is not an attempt at slagging the NDP in general, but simply questioning an unusual anomaly I’ve not seen in nearly 20 years in this riding. The NDP has always campaigned reasonably hard despite the no win secenerio, but this time round the NDP are running what can only be considered a sham campaign.Recommend this Post
Friday, September 26, 2008
NDP campaign a sham in Newmarket Aurora
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11 comments:
Even though we live in a country with four or five well known parties, in most ridings only the top two party candidates have any chance at winning. Common in all parties, they run "dummy" candidates just to have their name on the ballot. No party is going to commit resources to a riding where it has no chance of winning. In Toronto, many NDP supporters who live in north of St. Clair Avenue will head south of Bloor to help candidates who have a reasonable chance at winning. The problem is not the NDP; the problem is Canada's antiquated voting system which discourages citizens' full participation in politics.
I've seen this before, parties often believe some ridings are wasted effort and do as little as possible unless they have a strong riding association who don't let it happen.
You have to wonder if pulling candidates like Dion and May did, is "bad for democracy" as some claim, how are bogus campaigns any better?
In both cases you are cheated of a viable option, one openly one in a cynical ploy.
In either case you'll pick some of the NDP support so why flag it?
Every party does this, its a fact of life in Canadian politics. I'll echo Amir that unless there is a strong riding association in some places you will most likely end up with a paper candidate (much like the Greens here in Sask, and in some cases Liberals and NDP).
Is it wrong? No it isn't. They are giving people in those ridings the ability to cast their vote for the party they support. Approximately 15% of a candidates vote (unless they are the incumbent) is due to them, the other 85% is due to factors out of the control of the local candidate.
So I don't begrudge any party that runs a paper candidate. Its up to the voters to decide who to support.
Skinny D, that this happens in so surprise and I understand why,
but for the NDP to pull back this much since last election, especially when they are claiming they are the real opposition is contradictory, Plus for my riding at least this is a new development.
I guess the other issue is the NDP 9% could swing and defeat the Conservatives in this riding if they were honest enought to say we don't care about this race, vote ABC
or rather ABC/N
I am so wickedly naive. I assumed that everyone cared enough to try. At least a little.
Well, yeah us then.
I think amir mohammed has hit on something with this:
"I've seen this before, parties often believe some ridings are wasted effort and do as little as possible unless they have a strong riding association who don't let it happen."
The riding association is key in many cases. In Kitchener-Waterloo and Kitchener Centre, for instance, the NDP has always had respectable campaigns despite the uphill odds, and I think part of the reason is that they have maintained strong riding associations. Perhaps an NDPer in Newmarket-Aurora could say whether there are issues at the riding level this time round. In any case, it is likely true that all parties run "dummy campaigns" to some extent. I'd venture to guess that most non-Tory campaigns in most of Alberta are dummy campaigns. Seriously, would you go door to door for the NDP, Greens, or Liberals in rural Alberta? Maybe if I had a bulletproof vest...
I'm happy to see somebody commented on this. I live in an NDP held riding in Toronto but my parents live in Newmarket and that's where I voted in my first election. I was dismayed at the lack of NDP presence when I visited.
The Consesrvatives stand no chance in my riding (they get about as much of the vote here that the NDP do in N-A) but they put up at least a token effort.
I saw signs for the NDP in the ridings north, east and south of Newmarket-Aurora but only one in either town. The "Progressive Conservative", Chrisitian Heritage and Green Party have no chance but at least they have a few signs at major intersections (in Baxter's case a whole lot of signs).This Seaward guy ought to feel embarrased to be out campaigned by a guy who got all of 729 votes last election (Baxter).
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Cool article, I was doing a research on sometime else and ended up in your site, too bad that just know read about this.
Their campaign office is located at davis and leslie (in the price chopper plaza)!
the first number i found to call was actually a home number floating around on the internet, but the office number is: 905 895 2317.
Give them a call! it seems like they need the help considering newmarket is reaaaally conservative.
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