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Inside this week: The 152nd Metcalfe Fair went this weekend. See Page 9 for a full photo spread.
OttawaSouthWeekender Our weekend papers reach over 169,057 homes in the National Capital Region 6th Year, No. 41, October 10, 2008
Serving Rideau Ward, Osgoode Ward and Riverside South
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Almost all candidates Q&A success WEEKENDER STAFF Nearly 50 people crammed into St. James United Church, in Osgoode, last Wednesday evening to hear what their federal candidates had to say about their policies and platform. Or at least the people who attended thought they would hear from all of their candidates: The buzz before the meeting — and mentioned multiple times throughout — was Liberal candidate Ed Mahfouz’s failure to show up for the scheduled event and his reported failures to attend similar events scheduled by Rogers and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Moderator Jay Williams said before the evening began that Mahfouz had “declined our invitation to be here tonight.” However, a call to Mahfouz’s office and a conversation with his communications chair, Alan Toulin, quickly explained Mahfouz’s absences from all three events. For the pre-taping of a debate for Rogers television and the debate in Osgoode, Mahfouz had religious obligations as the first day of October happened to be Eid ul-Fitr — commonly shortened to simply Eid. This is perhaps the most holy day for Muslims as it marks the end of Ramadan. Toulin compared it to Christmas day for Christians in terms of religious importance. “It’s a religious observation day for spending time with family and friends,” he explained. Since the Islamic calendar is based on lunar cycles,
rather than set dates like the Gregorian calendar we’re all so familiar with, the dates of their major days can shift as much as 12 days. It all depends on when the new crescent moon is sighted, signaling the beginning of the month of Shawwal (equivalent to October). Last year, for example, Eid fell on Oct. 13. Toulin’s explanation for Mahfouz’s absence from the CBC taping was that it was a “two hour commitment … and we were told it wouldn’t be aired on television unless it was judged newsworthy,” he said. “We just thought given Ed’s desire to campaign and canvass as much as possible that it would be better for him (to spend the time going door-to-door).” New moderator Williams replaced Joe Banks as moderator of the evening after Conservative incumbent Pierre Poilievre’s office called for Banks' removal, citing his wife’s former employment with Liberal David Pratt. The former Grit Defence Minister is contesting a neighbouring riding against incumbent Conservative John Baird. The debate The evening followed a format that’s becoming increasingly popular — a question-and-answer ssession that differs from the more traditional talking points and rebuttals of an actual debate. Candidates’ names were drawn from a hat prior to every question to determine their order of response to either a written question or one from the floor. Green Party candidate Lori Gadzala and Brown
N. JAHN / WEEKENDER STAFF
ARE WE ALL PAYING ATTENTION? The candidates, NDP Phil Brown, Conservative Pierre Poilievre and Green Lori Gadzala, listen and take notes while a member of the audience asks a question. Liberal candidate Ed Mahfouz missed the session to mark one of the holiest days in his religion. didn’t hesitate to take shots at Poilievre and the Conservative government, but at the same time they avoided making it personal; tending to focus more on policy. The key topics of the evening focused on taxes, increasing voter turnout, health and safety, infrastructure, proportional representation and the economy. Opening remarks Brown started the evening off by saying that “we’ve
been witnessing the decline of the family farm” and called Conservative and Liberal plans “ineffective.” He also accused the Conservatives of “leaving the cupboard bare”, saying the NDP would begin new food safety and agricultural initiatives by banning termination seeds and creating more ecofriendly farming practices, as well as creating a safewater fund. Poilievre said the NepeanCarleton riding is a rapidly
growing community that needs energetic, youthful leadership to take it into the future. He also touched on his accomplishments while in office; noting funding for the forthcoming Strandherd bridge project, $1 a year lease for the QueenswayCarleton Hospital and the fact that parents can claim up to $500 in sporting tax credits from their children’s sporting activities. He also touched on the
economic issues that have been all over front pages for weeks, saying “we are faced with uncertain economic times … and now is not the time to take risks.” Gadzala thinks NepeanCarleton “deserves a better share of our pie” and pointed out that she has lived in the riding — in Manotick — for 13 years.
>>> Tough Questions See Page 3
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