PCs hope to elect teen, take Liberal seat
The Progressive Conservatives hope to make history Thursday in two byelections with a teenage candidate in the Hamilton area and a former ombudsman turning up the heat on the Liberals in an Ottawa stronghold.
The Tories are expected to hold Niagara West-Glanbrook, even with upstart 19-year-old Sam Oosterhoff of Smithville stirring up controversy by taking social conservative stances that run contrary to PC leader Patrick Brown’s attempts at modernizing the
party.
But the Tories are also taking a hard run at Ottawa-Vanier, which has elected only Liberals since 1971. Brown suggested it’s unlikely the Tories will win, but if they come within 10 points of the Liberals with candidate Andre Marin it will be “historic.”
“If this is competitive it shows that the Liberals are in disarray across the province and they don’t have the confidence of the public,” he said.
Brown has been accused of muzzling Oosterhoff over his social conservative views. The seat is open because of the departure of former PC leader Tim Hudak.
Oosterhoff — who would be the youngest person elected to the legislature — describes himself as “100 per cent pro life,” refused to say where he stood on same-sex marriage and campaigned against the Liberals’ sex-ed curriculum. After a flip-flop, Brown now supports the curriculum and said Wednesday he supports a woman’s right to choose and marriage equality.
Oosterhoff, who beat out PC party president and former MP Rick Dykstra, plus Grimsby councillor Tony Quirk and newsman Mike Williscraft, to win the nomination, believes he can vote against his party’s positions in the legislature. Brown has visited the riding and campaigned with Oosterhoff a couple of times, including Monday in Grimsby.
“I’m very proud of the PC party having a long-standing tradition of allowing open votes on matters of deeply held conscience,” said Oosterhoff, a Brock University political science student who was home-schooled.
Brown described the party discipline differently.
“I have, here at Queen’s Park, encouraged more free votes,” he said. “Having said that, I’ve asked my caucus to support the direction I’m taking as a party.”
Oosterhoff said it’s not social issues, but rising electricity bills and anger over the installation of giant wind turbines in the riding that residents bring up with him.
“People are upset and are worried about the direction the Liberals are taking Ontario,” he said. “People want a voice of change and I’m excited to be that voice.”
The Liberal candidate Vicki Ringuette was booed and jeered at a recent all candidates meeting when she talked about the rebate.
“It is not the kind of reaction I’m getting at the doors,” said Ringuette, a Binbrook resident who is a lawyer in Hamilton. “They want to talk about the issues that are important to this community — health care, schools — the fact that we’re getting increased daycare spaces.”
The New Democrat is former Hamilton police officer and police association president Mike Thomas, who signed a five-year membership in the Ontario PC party in September. Others are Green Donna Cridland, Libertarian Stefanos Karatopis, Independent Martin Poos, Arthur Smitherman of the Canadian Constituents’ Party, Greg Vezina from None of the Above and Queenie Yu of Stop the New Sex-Ed Agenda.
Elections Ontario said as of Monday, preliminary figures show 4,569 people cast their vote at advance polls in Niagara West-Glanbrook. There are an estimated 101,767 eligible voters.
In Ottawa-Vanier, Marin is trying to capitalize on anger over rising electricity rates and the declining popularity of Premier Kathleen Wynne.
When he mentions Wynne’s name while campaigning, people “bristle,” Marin said. “They have a physical reaction.”
The Liberal candidate, civil liberties lawyer Nathalie Des Rosiers, acknowledged that hydro prices are a hurdle for her in the campaign.
But Marin comes with baggage of his own. He was seen in his roles as ombudsman and director of the Special Investigations Unit as critical of police. The Police Association of Ontario expressed “profound disappointment” at Marin’s nomination and Brown sought to undo any damage when he spoke to their conference Tuesday.
“I called (Marin) and I said, ‘You are going to support my positions on policing because I am an unequivocal supporter of the police — are you OK with that?” Brown said. “I had his unequivocal commitment that any previous criticisms would no longer carry water and that he would never speak against police again.”
Brown said Wednesday he was addressing “one of the elephants in the room” but denied that what he told Marin amounted to muzzling him. When reached by phone, Marin said he was “not in a position” to answer questions about it.
“You’re saying that he said I was never allowed to criticize the police again? I’ll have to get back to you on that,” Marin said. He did not call back.
The NDP candidate is Claude Bisson.
If this is competitive it shows that the Liberals are in disarray across the province PC LEADER PATRICK BROWN