Federal New Democrats encouraged to help out provincial campaign
New Democratic Party MP Peter Julian, chairman of the national caucus, said he and other B. C. MPs will enthusiastically campaign with provincial New Democrat candidates during the next month.
Julian said he’ll go doorknocking and do anything else to help the provincial party and said Parliament Hill staffers are encouraged to take vacation leave or unpaid leaves of absence to help out as well.
He said MPs from the rest of Canada won’t travel to B. C. on the taxpayers’ dime just to campaign. But they could campaign if they are already planning to be in B. C. for a meeting or event relating to their role as a federal parliamentarian.
Toronto NDP MP Olivia Chow was in Vancouver this week on parliamentary business and said she was coincidentally staying at the same hotel where premier hopeful Adrian Dix on Tuesday held the NDP campaign kickoff.
She said she attended the rally and to her knowledge was the only MP at the event, held at the Hotel Vancouver.
“It was a complete coincidence. I happened to be staying in the same hotel and when I heard what was happening I decided to drop by,” Chow said. “He ( Adrian Dix) didn’t even know I was there.”
Asked why she would be in Vancouver when the house is still sitting, Chow said she arrived Sunday night and had meetings planned with Raymond Louie, vice- president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, to discuss a national transit strategy. She said she was also here to meet with a Vancouver seniors group regarding their lobbying efforts to get a seniors centre, as well as Burnaby and Coquitlam city councillors about troubles they are having with the sewage infrastructure system.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has generally discouraged his MPs from participating in a high- profile way in provincial campaigns, due to fear the party could alienate people who support the Tory party federally but have different provincial loyalties.
Neither Harper’s office nor Heritage Minister James Moore, B. C.’ s senior minister in the federal cabinet, would comment on Chow’s campaigning on the West Coast on Wednesday.