The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
By Jonathon Naylor Will the campaign to succeed Gerard Jennissen as Flin Flon MLA be competitive or merely another lopsided victory by the NDP? Everyone will have their opinion on that, and only Election Day will tell for sure, but it is fair to say the 2011 campaign is shaping up to be the most intriguing in recent memory. The three major candidates Ð New Democrat Clarence Pettersen, Liberal Tom Heine and Progressive Conservative Darcy Linklater Ð come in with their respective strengths and weaknesses. For Mr. Pettersen, the most significant challenge will be distancing himself from the Flin Flon-related failures Ð both real and imagined Ð of the last 12 years his party has been in power. Flin Flonners tend to feel like The Pas and Thompson get the turkey dinner while we settle for table scraps. And not without reason. Even one of the NDP's proudest Flin Flon accomplishments, the revamped UCN and Northern Manitoba Mining Academy, reveals a disparity. At last report, the Flin Flon project will cost about $3.15 million, a roughly even funding split between the province and feds. Compare that to Thompson, where their UCN is undergoing an $82-million expansion, or The Pas, where the upgrades are worth $15 million. It's not that the province has done nothing for Flin Flon; they have made meaningful, well-intended investments here. It's just that they have done so much more for The Pas and Thompson, and we have a right to feel cheated. In terms of strengths, Mr. Pettersen enjoys immense popularity. You might know people who dislike his politics, but you will have a hard time finding someone with something bad to say about him personally. He is a nice, caring man. Mr. Pettersen also speaks from the heart about issues we can all agree on, such as the need for communities to work more closely together and the shameful plight on First Nations communities. Let's move on to Mr. Heine. His tallest hurdle will be convincing people that a Liberal MLA can get things done in a legislature everyone knows will be run by New Democrats or Progressive Conservatives (unless there is a minority government). Manitoba has exactly one Liberal MLA at the moment. If the party were to lose its lone seat, held by Dr. Jon Gerrard, it would enter a political oblivion from which it would probably never resurface. Besides questions of relevance are those of policy. The federal Liberals have not been competitive in Flin Flon for many moons because most voters here reject their ideas. The Manitoba Liberals are not exactly the same thing, but the party's lack of success at the parliamentary level cannot bode well for them. Other issues The Liberals have tried making the election in this riding largely about health care. That is not a bad strategy, but it will be important for them to remember that people are just as concerned about issues like jobs and education. Mr. Heine's best asset may be his tenacity. It takes a certain kind of person to carry another party's banner in what has historically been one of the safest NDP seats in Manitoba. And as much as other issues matter, kudos to Mr. Heine for shining the spotlight on our troubled health-care system. Change rarely happens unless people like him stand up and make their voices heard. Just recently we learned that Darcy Linklater of Nelson House will represent the Progressive Conservatives, who may form government but remain a long shot in this constituency. As of this writing, Mr. Linklater has yet to fully articulate his vision for this vast riding, but it is not difficult to find out where his party stands on the broader issues. Mr. Linklater's biggest strength may well be the populist proposals being put forth by his party. In particular, the PC plan to give $100 per month, per child to parents of kids ages 6 to 12, will resonate simply because money talks. The latest polling suggests a neck-and-neck battle provincially between the PCs and NDP. If the PCs surge ahead, as they have in past polls, Mr. Linklater may be tempted to frame the election as a choice between a government MLA and a couple of also-rans. And a wise game plan that would be. As far as weaknesses go, Mr. Linklater is not nearly as well known in this constituency's largest community as either Mr. Pettersen or Mr. Heine, both of whom live here. And his party happens to be detested by organized labour, a key demographic in the riding. It should also be noted that the trend of Flin Flon being, shall we say, underappreciated by the provincial government dates back to the PCs' time in office. Voters haven't forgotten that little tidbit. It is vital to our democracy and long-term well-being that we have all parties running strong candidates in our riding. Equally crucial is an informed electorate, a goal that has never been so achievable thanks to the Internet. The voters of the Flin Flon Constituency face an important choice on Oct. 4. Good luck to all of the candidates. Local Angle runs Fridays.
