What about those NDP candidates? Questions & Answers (sort of) with Jack Layton
Posted by Joanna Smith, Ottawa Bureau
New Democrat Leader Jack Layton was under fire again on Thursday after it was reported that Ruth Ellen Brosseau, the candidate for the Quebec riding of Berthier—Maskinongé, does not speak French very well even though she is running to represent a French-speaking community. Brosseau was already in the news for having chosen to work at a student bar at Carleton University in Ottawa – and then head to Las Vegas on vacation – instead of knocking on doors in the riding. Another Quebec candidate is reportedly off on a trip to France.
Layton responded to questions about the controversy by saying – repeatedly – that he is proud of his team of candidates and that some people had family plans they could not break. You might read these remarks in the newspaper or hear them on radio or the television, but I would like to give you a better sense of what it was like to be there when Layton was speaking them in Yellowknife, N.W.T. on Thursday.
The next time you read a line in a news story about a politician deflecting, or outright refusing, to answer a question, you might have a better idea of what that means.
After running through the latest stories about missing candidates, the first reporter wanted his reaction to the new story about Brosseau. The reporter also wanted to know whether Layton was concerned that what happened to Mario Dumont, the former leader of the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ), when his party unexpectedly grew their caucus from five to 41 seats – becoming the official opposition – in the 2007 provincial election, only to collapse when Quebecers returned to the polls the following year.
MEDIA: “In Quebec you’ve got a couple of candidates that have some interesting stories. You heard of course about the woman who took her vacation in Vegas now it turns out she doesn’t speak French and she’s running in a riding which is primarily unilingually French. I would like your reaction to that…. Looking at all of these things together, I wonder if you worry at all that once you form your government or your opposition or whatever you get, that people are going to look at the candidates that you brought with you and do what they did to Mario Dumont and get rid of them all later on?”
JACK LAYTON: “I’m very proud of our team. We have the best and strongest team that we have ever presented in a national election and of course the MPs that we elect as our past record shows, tend to be the hardest working, best performing, members of parliament in the house of commons and we expect that is going to continue and the election is going to be about whether people want to choose change or not and it’s going to be up to Canadians, Quebecers, to make that decision. They can vote for change or they can slip back to the old parties that they voted for before, in which case Ottawa won’t get fixed.”
That answer had some reporters yelling that he had not answered the harder question.
MEDIA: “The change you’re offering is someone who is running in a Quebec riding who doesn’t even speak French. Can you explain how that is a positive choice for people in Quebec?”
Layton said he was told the accusation was not true. Then Layton gave a similar response when asked about the missing candidates by a French-speaking reporter.
LAYTON (translation): “I am very proud of our team. It is the best team that we have ever presented. The question for citizens is to determine will they vote, will they choose change or will they return to the old choices that have left Ottawa spinning its wheels? It is time to clean things up . . . I have said since the beginning that when we don’t have fixed-date elections, it’s very difficult for people who have made plans for their families, but we have a team that is ready to change things in Ottawa. The question for the voters is do they want change, yes or no?”
That was not good enough for another reporter, who expressed the frustration many of us were feeling.
MEDIA: “I’m sorry. Mr. Layton? No. I need you to answer that question in a real way. This is a woman who is applying for a job. That is what she is doing here in this election campaign and she has made a decision – as have a number of other candidates – not to show up for parts of the job interview. You made an allegation to Mr. Ignatieff, during the debate, about being absent from work and now you’re putting up candidates who are absent for a job interview. How is that acceptable to you and to Canadians?”
LAYTON: “I’m extremely proud of our team. This is a hard-working group of people from all backgrounds. Some of them had family plans that couldn’t be changed and I think a lot of Canadians are going to understand that can happen.”
MEDIA: “So then missing a job interview—
LAYTON: “I’ll let you interrupt me as often as you want, but I’ll try to answer as best I can.”
MEDIA: “But you’re not answering the question. That’s why I’m interrupting you.”
LAYTON: “I’m going to try.”
MEDIA: “That’s why I’m interrupting you.”
LAYTON: “Okay fine. So my view is that people are doing their best to represent the views that we have and are putting forward to Canadians and Canadians have a choice when they go into vote on that ballot, it’s a question of whether they want to vote for change or they want to vote for the same old thing that they’ve had in the past.”
MEDIA: “Or for someone who doesn’t show up for their job interview.”
Layton: “Here’s a person who had some family plans that couldn’t be changed. That happens in life. I’m very proud of our team. It’s a hard-working team that is ready to serve.”
Another reporter tried again.
MEDIA: “Mr. Layton, my entire family is on a beach right now while I am here covering the election. At least one of the candidates could do the same thing. I am skipping my vacation to be here with you and cover this important national event. Why can’t your candidates do the same thing?”
LAYTON: “Most of them are here. Some had family plans that couldn’t change. I am very proud of this group. This is a hard-working group of people that represents all backgrounds. They are the type of people that you want to have in the House of Commons because they represent the great diversity of our country and if you want to have change, they are the candidates that you are going to want to vote for.”
Nowhere do you mention that the Liberal and Conservatives have missing candidates of their own. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the Liberals have a WHITE SUPREMACIST on the Ticket that was a candidate for like 2 YEARS?
Oh Toronto Star... How about you start reporting equally on all political candidates?
Posted by: Kasey | 04/28/2011 at 09:46 PM
Looks like another Harper in the making. Layton the question dodger.
NDP candidates are MIA all over Canada. At least when Ignatieff was away from the House he was meeting with Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast, answering their questions, and listening to their concerns.
Posted by: Leo Gordon | 04/28/2011 at 10:05 PM
What's the big deal? We have conservative candidates who are shipped out of the province and almost put in a cupboard to get them away from the media so they won't say anything stupid. Happens all the time. Why get on the Layton bashing team because he does it? At least bash all the parties who engage in weird stuff.
Posted by: Susan Quinn | 04/28/2011 at 10:09 PM
It would seem that the initial queries were addressed, although they needed to be re-phrased more pointedly and pursued further. Layton was not as direct as he could have been, but the interaction was not nearly the prime example of avoidance and deflection that the opening of the story suggests.
Finally... MEDIA: “Mr. Layton, my entire family is on a beach right now while I am here covering the election..."
Did the reporter in question have non-refundable tickets for a vacation that was cancelled without being reimbursed by any third party? There's a hard question that deserves an honest answer, don't you think? Or was the reporter making a clever, although disingenuous, analogy?
Personally, where I such a candidate, I would have cancelled the trip and then hoped that the party would reimburse the cancellation costs. Maybe Layton should have said that he would, in the future, offer to reimburse such costs to facilitate candidates making "more ideal" decisions.
Posted by: David Marshall | 04/28/2011 at 10:37 PM
The blogger makes it out to be a Jack Layton issue, instead of focusing everyone's attention on the REAL problem, which is that ALL the parties do the same thing. The blogger misses the point of what the serious issue really is.
Lame entry.
Posted by: Joseph Kerr | 04/29/2011 at 11:58 AM
Our electoral system has its own checks and balances. If a candidate is not present or campaigning in a riding. They have almost no chance of election. If Ruth Ellen Brosseau wants to spend this time in Las Vegas, then it's highly unlikely she will be elected the Member from Berthier—Maskinongé. In the remote chance that she is elected. Well, the voice of the people has been heard. In order for democracy to work. Each legally registered voter has the right to cast a ballot for the candidate of their choice. Our democracy assumes that the voters of Berthier—Maskinongé know who they want to represent them in the House. Ruth Ellen Brosseau's qualifications are out there. The media did its job. Now let the voters choose.
Posted by: Industrial Guy | 04/29/2011 at 01:02 PM
Well it's about bloody time the media started giving Layton at least a fraction of the scrutiny they've given other parties. Too bad it's too little, too late.
Now that Layton could actually end up in charge of this country, it is absolutely critical that the media get on this guy, and the flakes running in his party who could actually end up with $160,000 a year "jobs" courtesy of Canadian taxpayers.
The media has given Layton a free ride for far too long, and even in this short exchange, Layton is already dodging every real question.
Come on msm, for the sake of this country, you need to out this guy and this cabal who could be in charge of the public purse. Canadians are counting on you.
Posted by: F Lloyd | 04/29/2011 at 01:43 PM