By Stela Susic
Fresh off his NDP nomination victory late last month, Ed Broadbent is settling into his campaign office on Bronson Avenue, ready to jumpstart what is shaping up to be one of the toughest battles of the upcoming federal election.
“I am confident we can win,” he says. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think that,” he adds grinning, certain he can eliminate the Liberal stronghold in Ottawa Centre.
Liberal Richard Mahoney, considered the frontrunner nominee for the riding, has a big hurdle to clear in Broadbent if he’s to claim his seat in Parliament, says Jonathan Malloy, a political scientist at Carleton University. “The two are definitely close . . . It’s too difficult to predict an outcome,” he adds.
So far, the NDP has sold about 1,200 memberships against the 1,500 sold by the Liberal party.
Ottawa Centre, which is home to a mixed population of students, senior citizens, public servants and new Canadians, voted Liberal in the last four elections.
The New Democrats were the only party that challenged this tradition back in 1984 with Mike Cassidy at the helm.
The numbers suggesting Liberal domination of the riding are misleading, Malloy says.
“Ottawa Centre has always had a tight battle between the Liberals, Conservatives and the New Democrats. It has students, who are likely to vote NDP, bureaucrats, who sometimes go Conservative, and a lot of other people who just go towards the middle of the road.”
This particular election will come down to the issues, says Malloy, rather than personalities.
The definition of what these issues are, however, depends on who’s talking.
“They (NDP) were wrong to choose Broadbent. He’s 67 and young people don’t even know who he is . . . He’s been away from politics for too long,” says Tom Thompson, an Ottawa Centre Conservative.
Paul Bien, a member of the Youth NDP, disagrees.
“So what? Paul Martin’s 65. Age isn’t an issue. Young people are intelligent enough to vote based on the issues the candidate stands for, not how old he is.”
The tie breaker, he says, will be Mahoney’s close association with Prime Minister Paul Martin.
“Their right-of-centre politics and corporate agenda threaten our environment, our health-care system, and our social policies,” Bien says. “The voters won’t stand for that.”
Mahoney, who wasn’t available for comment, and Broadbent are facing competition from David Chernushenko and Raymond Samuels, the Green and Cosmopolitan party nominees.
Malloy points out that the battle for the riding is just beginning.
“It’ll be interesting to see what happens next. The NDP has been successful in getting attention by criticizing the Liberals and we may see Mahoney try to push his own platform towards the centre to appeal to more voterhip changes will help the NDP gain some momentum,” Malloy said.