Northern York Region Conservative MPs staying mum on possible federal election call

Yorkregion.com
July 31, 2015
By Chris Simon and Chris Traber

Prime Minister Stephen Harper may be on the verge of an election call, but York Region MPs are staying coy on the matter.

“It’s up to the prime minister when he makes the decision to go see the Governor General; that is his decision and I am not party to that information,” Newmarket-Aurora Conservative MP Lois Brown said Thursday. “I have no idea. I’m continuing my work as member of Parliament, helping constituents resolve issues the to best of my ability. We’re just continuing our duties because that’s what I do.”

York-Simcoe Conservative MP Peter Van Loan couldn’t confirm if an election would be called this weekend.

“There’s only one guy who will decide that when the time comes,” he said. “What we do know is that there will be an election Oct. 19.”

When the campaign begins in earnest, the electorate will have the opportunity to make important decisions, Van Loan said.

“The campaign signals a start to having discussions and choices between a government that calls for lower taxes and an opposition that wants higher taxes, an opposition that wants to roll back initiatives to tackle crime and terrorism,” he said.

The CBC, Toronto Star and other news agencies are reporting the prime minister could visit Governor General David Johnston to ask for the dissolution of Parliament this weekend, a move that would officially kick off the federal election campaign.

An election is scheduled for Oct. 19 and could be the longest federal campaign in more than a century, according to The Star.

If the writ drops Sunday, the campaign would last nearly 80 days, more than twice the minimum 36 set in the Elections Act.

“All indications are there’s a very good chance (of an election call),” Newmarket-Aurora NDP candidate Yvonne Kelly, said. “It’s quite likely. You don’t want to waste a lot of time thinking about that. You just do the best you can to get ready for whenever it is called. This won’t change our game plan much. We’ve been out there since April, so we’re just going to keep going.”

She said the Conservatives are trying to drain the financial resources of other political parties, including the Liberals and NDP.

“If it’s a longer campaign, the voters will be impacted because people will start thinking seriously about the election over the summer,” Kelly said. “It will have more of the feeling of an American campaign. As far as name recognition, branding and having that extra time, it could be an advantage. (Harper) wouldn’t do anything that wasn’t to his advantage, so I’m certain it’s because they have lots of money to spend and will start using it early, but money isn’t everything; people are so ready for change.”

Whenever the writ drops, Brown is ready.

“I have a fabulous campaign team; they are working hard,” she said. “They are ready to go at any time.

“Everybody has the same opportunities; there’s no disadvantage to anyone. We’ve known for four years when the next election was taking place.”

Brown plans to door knock in the riding many evenings throughout the summer, regardless of the election call, in an effort to communicate with residents.

Liberal Kyle Peterson, who lost to Brown in 2011, hopes to make gains in the riding.

“We’re ready; We’ve been preparing ... We’ve got dozens of volunteers and have been knocking on doors,” he said. “We take every opponent very seriously. There’s going to be five or six competent people running in Newmarket-Aurora, so we’re going to run the best campaign we can. After a decade of Harper, people are starting to realize it’s time for new leadership and a new plan.

“The main reason he’s calling it early is to silence the many Canadian organizations that are opposed to him. The early writ will limit third-party advertising. He’s worried about the types of commercials you’re already starting to see that are calling into question his competence as prime minister.”

Van Loan said he and colleagues have been preparing for the autumn vote. A lengthy campaign isn’t worrisome, he said.

York-Simcoe Liberal candidate Shaun Tanaka did not respond by press time.