Should Be No Surprise, but.....

I am officially annoucning my full endorsement of all three South Island Conservative candidates- Gary Lunn (Saanich-Gulf Islands), Robin Baird (Victoria), and Troy DeSouza (Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca) in the upcoming federal election. I have looked voer the websites and platforms of all three candidates, and I must say I am overly impressed by the credentials and beliefs of all three of them.

First off, the lone incumbent of the three, current MP and Public Works Critic Gary Lunn. Lunn has served his riding since being elected as a Reform candidate in 1997. As Public Works Critic, he may have the easiest job in hammering away at the Liberals over scandal day in, day out; however, he has done a good job at what he does. He has also been the lone Conservative voice for the South Island in Parliament for this session. His job has been to hold the Liberals accountable, which has to be done. As far as candidates go, he is the best one for his riding. His biggest contender is Liberal Sheila Orr; however, Lunn has credentials of being a strong MP and Critic who is revered by his constituents. Orr, on the other hand, wasn't an integral part of the BC Liberal government, and was turfed in an NDP landslide on election day. The fact is unless Lunn did something really bad to his constituents, he can't lose. This riding belongs to him for as long as he wants it. I am impressed by his performance and Parliament and general eloquence.

Now, the man I will be casting my ballot for on election day, Victoria's Conservative candidate Robin Baird. First off, I have to say that the credentials of this man absolutely impress me. He was educated at Queen's, LSE and Universite of Tours. He is a BC Crown prosecutor, a man with a degree in international law, and one of few BC politicians who is fluent in French. What he also stands for impresses me; he believes in fiscal responsibility, stronger military, more government accountability to name a few. He clearly outlines why he is running and what he stands for, and informs people to contact him if they want to know more about his platform. Having run a rather weak candidate here last time, I must say the Victoria Conservative EDA outdid themselves this time. And yes, I am aware that the Conservative chances are not great here, but never say never. I lived in Toronto Centre for a long time, so anyhting seems winnable in comparison. Baird winning is a possibility if the left-wing vote is split enough, and enough Liberals can be persuaded to go Conservative rather than NDP. In fact, they led the polls the week before the election.

The third candidate is Troy DeSouza. A moderate, rational man, DeSouza is a far cry from the rabid dog the Conservatives nominated in EJDF last time. Being in the military, he calls for increased spending in the Canadian Forces, a good call considering the fact that CFB Esquimalt is in this riding. Furthermore, the incumbent, Keith Martin is an opportunist who jumped to the Liberals for a cabinet post (if this is not true, then explain how his views, apart from social views, are more right-wing than the rest of the Liberal caucus), and only 3000 votes separated all three candidates. That can be made up, especially since it is feasible for DeSouza to win back all the voters who went Liberal because of distaste for the tempermental Conservative candidate. The NDP will play a factor, but could siphon enough votes from the Liberals to create a split in which DeSouza could come up the middle and win.

So those are my main reasons for backing these three candidates, as well as how I think they will fare next election. I wish Lunn, Baird and DeSouza the best of luck in the next federal election, and hopefully a solid slate of candidates can help turn South Island completely blue.