David and Goliath: Who runs against the party leaders?
It’s rare, but sometimes the big names can lose their home ridings
They see themselves more as giant killers than as sacrificial lambs placed on the altar for the greater good of their parties. And while some may think they’re crazy, the record shows they shouldn’t be dismissed outright.
They are the candidates running against federal party leaders. The question is: When the dust settles, will one of them manage to knock off a Goliath?
It might seem unlikely, but the 2011 federal election saw not one, but two party leaders lose their seats to relative unknowns.
Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe lost to NDP candidate Hélène Laverdiere as the Orange Wave swept Quebec. And then- Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff’s short political career ended with a surprise knockout by Bernard Trottier as the Conservatives broke into the Greater Toronto Area.
“We saw it coming about three weeks ago,” Trottier told the National Post after that election. “The fact that he was the leader was not really to his advantage, given the direction of the Liberal campaign and also questions about his commitment — or lack thereof — to this riding.”
This is what current Liberal candidate Brendan Miles, and Matt Masters Burgener, who wants to represent the NDP, say they are hearing in Calgary Heritage. The key difference, of course, is that the two are going up against Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.
One has to go back to Kim Campbell in 1993 to find the last time a sitting prime minister lost their seat. In fact, only two other prime ministers lost their seats while in office: William Lyon Mackenzie King and Arthur Meighen, both of whom lost twice.
There wasn’t exactly a long line of people hoping to run against Harper. Miles, a family doctor, was acclaimed for the Liberals in June. The NDP will pick its candidate on Aug. 26, but so far Burgener, a musician, is the only one with his hat in the ring.
Both say that, in knocking on countless doors, they have heard constituents express a desire for change. And after last spring’s provincial election, which saw the NDP end 40 years of Progressive Conservative rule, Miles and Burgener believe there’s reason for hope.
They say constituents have complained that they feel Harper takes them for granted by not returning phone calls or attending local events. “That feeling of nonrepresentation is a constant,” says Burgener, whose stage name is Matt Masters.
Running for office is not an easy decision. To mount a serious campaign takes time, money, and sacrifices, such as taking time from work and family to knock on doors. It also means exposing yourself to news media and voter scrutiny.
Miles says he has cut back from five to two days at his clinic to campaign. Burgener and his wife will have to work with the fact they recently had a second baby.
Still, there’s no denying the challenge. Harper won Calgary Southwest with a gargantuan 75 per cent of the vote in 2011. He has name recognition. And he has real power to do things for constituents.
“Realistically, I think it’s an uphill battle,” Miles says without a trace of irony. “But I really would not be doing this if I did not think there was a chance of winning. If I did not think there was an appetite for change. And if I didn’t believe strongly in what Justin Trudeau and the Liberal party are offering.”
In the Montreal riding of Outremont, meanwhile, Conservative candidate Rodolphe Husny is gearing up for his second run at NDP Leader Tom Mulcair. Most recently an aide to International Trade Minister Ed Fast, Husny ran third to Mulcair and one- time Liberal minister Martin Cauchon in 2011.
Of course, things are different this time around. Jack Layton was NDP leader in 2011, which meant Mulcair was a constant presence in the riding for that election. In this election, Husny doesn’t know if he’ll see Mulcair at all.
“You can leverage the fact that your opponent has name recognition,” says Husny, who grew up in Outremont. “When I say I’m running against Mulcair, people want to know why I’m running against Tom Mulcair.”
Husny says he’d put his own experience, both in the riding as well as in Ottawa, against Mulcair’s. But otherwise he tries not to think about what’s happening outside Outremont, or the fact that he’s running against a national party leader.
“You get your energy out of your conviction and your commitment,” he says. “And honestly, you never know. Who would have believed Duceppe would lose his seat? He was there for 15 years.”
In the neighbouring riding of Papineau, Chris Lloyd is gearing up for a run against Trudeau. An Independent candidate, Lloyd had initially been acclaimed as the Conservative candidate, before news leaked that his candidacy was in fact an art project.
The Conservatives have still not replaced Lloyd, while NDP candidate Beatrice Zako recently resigned following revelations about her past support for Quebec sovereignty. Both parties say they will have candidates, but the Bloc Québécois is currently the only party challenging Trudeau.
Lloyd said he prompted a lot of raised eyebrows when he told other Conservatives where he was running. “I don’t think there was ever an expectation that I would have had a chance,” he said. “But I think there was a bit of admiration. They would always wish me the best of luck.”
In the Vancouver Island riding of Saanich- Gulf Islands, Liberal Tim Kane has already run advertisements on TV to try to even the playing field against his main competitor, Green party Leader Elizabeth May.
Kane says his pitch is that he’s not running against May, but against Harper. “She’s currently a party of two and judging from the polls, that’s not going to change much,” he says. “Voters here need a voice in government, not in the far reaches of the opposition benches.”