Halton's Xeroxed Endorsements of Lisa Raitt

Nobody was surprised when the Milton Champion, the Oakville Beaver and the Burlington Post all gave blanket endorsements to the Conservative candidates in their ridings, including Lisa Raitt whose riding straddles all three towns.

What is surprising is that Lisa Raitt seems to think she has just received endorsements from three different newspaper editors.

Perhaps she, like me, had been under the mistaken impression that these three newspapers, although part of the same Metroland chain, were actually independent entities. But although each has its own managing editor, all three are in fact run by the same production staff and the same Editor-in-chief, who is apparently the one writing the endorsements.

From the Champion:

At the local level, we feel Raitt brings invaluable experience as CEO and president of the Toronto Port Authority to a job that will see her focusing on Halton’s woefully underfunded infrastructure needs.

...While Turner is the riding’s most politically-experienced candidate, we believe the outspoken, rebellious, party-be-damned approach he has taken in the last two-and-a-half years will be counter-productive to the team-building environment we think Canadians want from their next government.

The Beaver:

Frankly, it sounds like Turner will say anything to get himself elected. While this may ingratiate him to many of his constituents, and even his followers across Canada, we fear his rebellious, party-be-damned approach will be counter-productive to the team-building environment we think Canadians want and need from their next government.

... Newcomer Lisa Raitt brings invaluable experience as CEO and president of the Toronto Port Authority to a job that will see her focusing on Halton Region’s woefully underfunded infrastructure needs.

And the Post:

At the local level, we feel newcomer Raitt brings invaluable experience as CEO and president of the Toronto Port Authority to a job that will see her focusing on Halton Region’s woefully underfunded infrastructure needs.

While Turner is the riding’s most politically-experienced candidate, we believe the outspoken, rebellious, party-be-damned approach he has taken in the last two-and-a-half years will be counter-productive to the team-building environment we think Canadians want from their next government.

To their credit, the Milton Champion ran the following letter two days after their endorsement which takes issue with their choice. And the guy even wrote it himself.

DEAR EDITOR:

When my son asked Lisa Raitt about being a drop-in candidate, she told him, “There was no choice; the election came up suddenly.”

That was, of course, blatantly false, as anyone involved knows that the local Conservatives have been begging to be allowed to nominate a candidate for more than two years.

If she’s elected, she won’t be the MP for Halton; she will be Stephen Harper’s MP, beholden to him. Many card-carrying Conservatives are upset about this.

This isn’t about affirmative action either; it’s not about more women candidates. It’s about Harper’s distrust of the local riding and its ability to select a candidate malleable enough to keep quiet and do her master’s bidding.

If Raitt is elected she will carry no weight for Halton in the House of Commons. She will simply be Harper’s messenger, bringing nothing but empty rhetoric to the riding.

When the Progressive Conservatives merged with the Alliance Party, there were many Progressive Conservatives who felt that this might be a new beginning to a right of centre progressive party. Sadly, Progressive has been dropped and the new party is far more draconian, ideological and downright mean.

Turner and other PCs were shocked at the direction the party took — the fact that there was no room for debate, or that expediency trumped accountability and ethics made it difficult for a real PC to last in the new party. Frankly, you will find that a lot of Progressive Conservatives have had to find a new home in the Liberal Party.

Turner is loud, but he’s certainly accessible. Constituents know where to find him. He has had many town hall meetings where people could express their opinions in an open forum and expect them to be taken to Ottawa. He has been a presence in Ottawa and a valuable Member of Parliament. I believe that the House of Commons needs more people like Turner, willing to speak truth to power. We certainly don’t need more ciphers whose only role is to raise a hand when Harper wants them to vote.

It saddens me that you would support someone like Raitt, who really brings little to the table. As far as her being the CEO of the Toronto Port Authority, did you do any research on how effective that organization is, and what the people of Toronto think of it? I don’t expect you did.

EDWARD BROOKS, MILTON