Mulcair: tired of the “same old menu”

BY ELYSE AMEND

elyse.amend@transcontinental.ca

West Islanders are looking for a change. That’s what Outremont MP for the New Democratic Party (NDP) and long-time Beaconsfield resident Thomas Mulcair told The Chronicle’s editorial board last week.

“We’re getting tired of the same old menu with the same old food,” he said, referring to the Federal Liberals’ long-time hold on the West Island.

A former Liberal serving as the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks from 2003 until 2006, Mulcair won the Sept. 17 byelection in Outremont for Jack Layton’s NDP, beating Liberal candidate Jocelyn Coulon with 48 per cent of the vote. Outremont had been a Liberal stronghold since 1935.

Mulcair, 52, and his wife Catherine have lived in Beaconsfield for the past 25 years. Their two sons, who are both in their 20s, went to elementary and high school in the community, attended Cegep at John Abbott College in Ste. Anne de Bellevue, and grew up playing hockey on the “quiet” West Island streets.

“It’s a well kept secret, the West Island. It’s a great place to raise kids,” he said, adding he enjoys taking runs along Lakeshore. “I love where I am.”

According to Mulcair, strong local candidates and attention to the issues people care about will help the NDP gain some ground in the West Island in the next federal election, whenever it may be. The Liberals’ dip in the polls won’t hurt either, he said referring to a recent Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey that showed the Liberals and Conservatives were virtually tied in national support, with 32 and 29 per cent respectively. The NDP had 17 per cent support, while the Green Party was at 14 per cent and the Bloc Quebecois at five per cent. In Quebec, the NDP, the Tories, and the Greens have all made gains at the expense of the Liberals and the Bloc: while the Bloc Québecois had dipped to 22 per cent, the Conservatives had 26 per cent of the national support. The Green Party rose to 15 per cent, and the NDP tied with the Liberals at 16 per cent.

“When you’re at 17 or 18 per cent, you’re starting to create a four-way race,” Mulcair said. “And at 20 per cent, it’s anyone’s game.”

According to Mulcair, the NDP is currently in search of candidates to run in their empty ridings. Daniel Quinn has already been named in Lac St. Louis riding, and Mulcair said it will take a mix of local candidates and “names” to break into other areas like the West Island.

“(Daniel) is a very community oriented guy. He’s a real up-and-comer. He’s very determined,” Mulcair said. “One of the things Jack (Layton) asked me to do is recruit the Dan Quinns — the local candidates — and at least 12 names. And many of them might be household names.”

From speaking with citizens during his campaign for the Outremont by-election, Mulcair said the number one concern raised was the environment.

“People actually do care about it,” he said. “We have a very weak government in Ottawa right now, when it comes to the environment.” However, Mulcair added that the other top concern raised by voters caught him off guard: Canada’s role in Afghanistan.

Since Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan began shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, 71 Canadian soldiers have been killed in battle. According to Mulcair, the NDP, like the majority of Canadians, wants our soldiers to go back to a peacekeeping role.

“Operation Enduring Freedom (the U.S. military response to Sept. 11) was a reaction,” he said, adding it is not Canada’s place to be involved. “It’s too sad. It’s blood being shed for no reason.”

As for when the next federal election will be held, it remains to be seen what happens following Oct. 16, when the House of Commons resumes with a throne speech, opening a new session of Parliament. But,

in case Stephen Harper’s Conservative government does fall, Mulcair said he might just be hanging on to his Outremont

byelection signs.

“The signs can’t be recycled. So, we were talking to schools about recycling them, because they’re great for arts and crafts,” he said. “But, I said, let’s hold on to them for a few weeks.”?