Blair wins nomination

By Hedy Korbee

Former Toronto police chief Bill Blair will represent the Liberal Party in Scarborough Southwest in the federal election expected to be held in October.

Blair won the party’s nomination at a meeting held Saturday at R.H. King Academy, winning an undisclosed number of votes from registered members of the Liberal riding association.

Blair’s high profile proved an insurmountable hurdle for journalist Muhammad Bukhari and social sciences professor Marlène Thélusma-Rémy who both campaigned for the nomination for about a year.

Blair said he entered the race knowing he was starting late and had to catch up.

“It’s pretty gratifying,” said Blair. “I entered into this contest about two months ago.  We worked very hard with an extraordinary group of volunteers. People of the community stepped up to help.  I’ve been really, really pleased with the very warm reception I’ve received from the people of Scarborough Southwest.”

Nomination no surprise

One didn’t need to see the dozens of people wearing red shirts with the slogan “Vote Bill Blair” or the professional signage to know that the outcome of the meeting was a foregone conclusion.

Half the field of candidates withdrew in the weeks following Blair’s announcement that he planned to run, including the two candidates who stood the best chance of beating him, criminology professor Michael Kempa and former broadcaster Tim Weber who endorsed Blair and joined his campaign team.

Former riding association president, Ray Chan, said he welcomes a candidate with name recognition because it brings credibility and visibility to the riding.

“I think it definitely gives us more of an advantage having someone like Bill Blair who is a very well-known figure in Toronto,” said Chan. “I think Scarborough has long been neglected in the past and this certainly sheds a bit of positive light by bringing a little bit more attention to our riding.”

Several high-profile Liberals were on hand to support Blair’s candidacy including former Toronto mayor and Senator Art Eggleton, Scarborough Southwest MPP Lorenzo Berardinetti, former Ontario Cabinet Minister George Smitherman and Trinity-Spadina MP Adam Vaughan

“He’s just the new kind of voice we need in Ottawa,” said Vaughan, who worked with Blair for many years in municipal politics. “He’s somebody with a lot of experience on files like public safety but experience that also talks about the need for social justice to be the basis or foundation of public safety. It’s not just a question of how many people you have to arrest but how many people you stop having to arrest.  Bill has always been at the forefront of that kind of proactive thinking.”

Blair’s legacy as police chief will factor into the campaign in Scarborough Southwest, but it won’t all be positive.

When he first announced his candidacy critics were quick to jump on the mass arrests at the G20 summit in 2010 and his stance on carding.

If carding is so universally effective, why do people like Bill Blair only defend its use in “priority” neighbourhoods? #PoliceWeekONT

— Desmond Cole (@DesmondCole) May 12, 2015

Liberals recruit Bill Blair, who presided over the largest ever mass rights violation at G20. No longer the party of the Charter. #cdnpoli — Camille Labchuk (@CamilleLabchuk) April 26, 2015

Facing the NDP incumbent

Blair will be squaring off against New Democrat Dan Harris, who has represented the riding in Ottawa since 2011.  The Conservative Party has yet to nominate a candidate.

Scarborough Southwest MP Dan Harris

The election is still months away but it’s likely the race will be close.  Harris won in 2011 with 35% of the vote, compared to 32% for Conservative Gavan Paranchothy and 29% for Liberal Michelle Simson.

Last time around, Harris rode the orange wave with NDP leader Jack Layton and the latest federal polls, if accurate, show the party surging under the leadership of Tom Mulcair.

At the same time, polls indicate that support appears to be waning for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals.

Harris said he’s confident he can beat Bill Blair by taking square aim at the government of Stephen Harper.

” It’s mostly not the fact that we can beat Bill Blair.  We’re trying to defeat the Conservatives and that’s been our game all along, replacing Stephen Harper with a progressive government that will get things done for areas like Scarborough Southwest.  You just have to look at our policies like affordable child care, a $15 an hour minimum wage and our commitment to cities.  I think it’s a winning combo irrespective of who the opponents in the race are.”

Liberals think it’s winnable

Even though the Liberals  placed third in the last election, the party thinks Scarborough Southwest is winnable because they held the riding for almost 25 years, from 1988 – 2011.

Furthermore, a poll conducted by Forum Research back in February had Blair with a ten point lead over Harris, with 39% of respondents saying they would vote for Blair if an election were held in February compared to 29% for Harris.  27% said they would vote for a Conservative candidate.  The poll surveyed 557 voters.

Blair, however, said he’s not interested or worried about the polls in June and is focussing instead on the hard work that lies ahead.

“The people of Scarborough Southwest and the people of Canada have had a lot to consider over the past four years,” said Blair. “They’ve got new choices in a Liberal candidate and they have a new choice in the leader of the Liberal party and the team that he’s assembling.  We’re going to do our best to present those choices to the people of Scarborough Southwest. I’m hoping that I can be a strong voice for them and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to earn their trust and their confidence to represent them and serve them.”