While the party leaders garner all the attention, local candidates are discussing their platforms as well as answering questions from the public, right here in Winnipeg.
Four of the five candidates running in the riding of Winnipeg Centre were at Rossbrook House on April 12; Conservative candidate Bev Pitura did not attend. This was an all-candidates forum on a theme that is of extreme importance to this riding, one of the poorest in the country: poverty.
Liberal Party candidate Allan Wise came to the debate armed with statistics, personal stories and ideas. Green candidate Jaqueline Romanow was composed and well-spoken. NDP incumbent Pat Martin preferred to grandstand about how a Conservative-led Senate blocked a bill to provide generic HIV/Aids drugs to Africa’s poorest nations. While indeed a worthy issue, it surely had nothing to do with the subject of this town hall. Poverty right here, in the heart of Winnipeg.
As the debate went on, it became clear that the long-time NDP incumbent has lost touch with who he is supposed to have been representing in Parliament. One constituent after another stepped up to the microphone to complain at the complete lack of service they have received from the incumbent, both at his constituency office in Winnipeg and from his Ottawa office. About the emails and letters gone unacknowledged, requests for service unanswered, and calls for help ignored.
Rather than defend his record, Pat Martin turned on his own constituents he supposedly represents. Like a petulant child, he accused one speaker of not liking him, and answered another woman by offensively asking her how many restraining orders were currently enforced against her. He even charged Liberal candidate Allan Wise of bringing in dissenters just to get under his skin.
The responses Pat Martin gave to residents’ questions were enough to provoke his constituents into complaining. From making irrelevant comparisons between Winnipeg and Australia (which he claimed had no poverty!) to accusing the Communist Party candidate Darrell Rankin of lying about the NDP’s stance on Afghanistan, constituents were given reason to call into question Pat Martin’s behaviour and answers.
The NDP incumbent never once gave a clear and direct answer to the questions asked of him. In his 14 years as a Member of Parliament, Pat Martin is clearly unwilling to face his own record on alleviating poverty and providing hope for the constituents of the second-poorest riding in Canada.
There are two more chances to see your candidates sound off and challenge your NDP incumbent on his record. Allan Wise will be attending both. The dates and locations are:
*April 26 from 7-9PM at Gordon Bell High School
*April 28 from 7-9PM at a community forum on safety and security, hosted by Daniel McIntyre/St Matthews Community Association at Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre, 430 Langside
Pat Martin is the current elected Member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre, NOT its Lord and this is not his fiefdom. He needs to be reminded who elected him and who can toss him out.
During last weekend’s phone canvass, I spoke to a few constituents who claimed voting was worthless because “Pat Martin will win anyway”. Not sure if they were his supporters or people who simply gave up.