It’s not every constituency that can boast at least three potential cabinet ministers among its candidates. But that’s the happy situation that Ottawa Centre candidates find themselves in as judgment day approaches.
Ottawa Centre has six names on the ballot, actually unusually low compared with other elections, and all six to a great or lesser degree are qualified to represent the riding in Parliament. The question of the day, of course, is this: who should get the nod from electors? The choice won’t be easy.
Incumbent Paul Dewar and his main challengers, Liberal Penny Collenette and Conservative Brian McGarry, would certainly end up on the Treasury benches were their parties to form the next government. They are joined by the Greens’ Jen Hunter and, what are usually – and contemptuously – referred to as fringe candidates: Marijuana Pary candidate, John Akpata and Marxist-Leninist Pierre Soubliere.
Dewar has been an extraordinarily energetic, passionate and vocal MP, a far cry from the usual run of inconsequential nonentities that populate the backbenches of Parliament just long enough to be able to collect their gilt-edged pensions. Since his election, he’s campaigned to keep the National Portrait Gallery in Ottawa, made Ottawa River pollution a priority, campaigned to make Gatineau Park a national park, proposed a various number of private members’ bills, and was his party’s foreign affairs critic. An enviable record by any political standard.
Collenette is also a mover and a shaker in her own right and also has a national profile. She’s dedicated nearly her entire life to Liberal party activism and has ambitious plans for the riding she’s called home for nearly 30 years. In addition to wanting to invest in green spaces, Collenette says she’d increase financial support for Ottawa’s schools and up arts funding for the Canadian Council of the Arts if elected.
McGarry, a business icon, also has a formidable history of involvement in local government, having served as a school trustee and a regional councillor. His record more than speaks for itself.
Not as well known as her three main opponents, Jen Hunter is not to be dismissed lightly, given the rise of the Green Party. And the Green Party has traditionally done very well in Ottawa Centre. Hunter has made appealing to the young voter a priority, something that should hold her in good stead if the youth vote turns out on election day.
While they have no hope of winning, the other two candidates – Akpata and Soubliere – deserve to be heard. There is no such thing as a fringe candidate. Every candidate runs for a reason and has a message, however farfeteched it may be. After all, today’s so-called fringe candidate is tomorrow’s mainstreamer.
Although he doesn't own the riding as did Mac Harb, now a Liberal senator, Dewar probably deserves to be re-elected by every political standard. However, other candidates also should be considered given their background.
We're not going to tell you how to vote. It's arrogant for the media to assume we know better than other citizens. We are going to encourage you, however, to consider your vote carefully. Given the formidable rich talent available, the choice may be difficult. But it has to be made.
The important thing is to exercise your franchise.