Departing Etobicoke-Lakeshore Liberal MP Jean Augustine won more than 50 per cent of the vote in her riding in the 2004 federal election, so one would think her experience be invaluable to rookie candidate Michael Ignatieff on Election Day.
Alas, Augustine was spotted aboard an Air Canada flight to Calgary on Sunday - along with Liberal Senator Art Eggleton - jetting west for Monday's vote. (They did not sit together and, unlike their days as MPs, travelled in coach instead of business class.)
The popular retired MP, who also won in 1993, 1997, and 2000, will join Eggleton live from Calgary for Citytv's election night special.
Meanwhile, confident Conservatives are saying their internal data shows Tory candidate John Capobianco might eke out a win over Ignatieff.
That has some wondering if the Harvard University professor and superstar parachute candidate will live up to the nickname "Michael Jimcouttsieff."
Jim Coutts, of course, was former prime minister Pierre Trudeau's principal secretary, who ran unsuccessfully for the Liberals in the old Toronto riding of Spadina, losing a 1981 byelection to NDP candidate Dan Heap.
Since then, Coutts has been synonymous with central parties foisting star candidates upon a local riding association.
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