Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a surprise visit to Vancouver on Tuesday, announcing more money that while belonging to the public, is being branded by the Conservative Party of Canada. The campaign style stop was only finalized over the weekend as soon as it became known within the PMO that Michael Ignatieff was poised to deliver a speech to the Vancouver Board of Trade.
Stephen Harper announces funding for the Vancouver South Shore Trade Area this past Tuesday.
So what was lone NPA City Councillor Suzanne Anton doing with Harper after the announcement?
She was lining up for campaign style photos with the Prime Minister. Now, before someone comes back to me and references this shot with Mayor Gregor Robertson to try and downplay Anton’s presence there, let me assure readers that as has been described to me, Anton’s multiple shots taken by the PMO’s official photographer seemed pre-arranged and suitably posed for a brochure or some other kind of promotional piece.
Suzanne Anton draws the majority of her municipal support from the neighbourhoods that Vancouver Quadra is comprised of.
Joyce Murray currently holds Vancouver Quadra for the Liberals, achieving a comfortable win in the last election after a close call with her first by-election victory.
As Anton’s hopes for a Mayoral nomination dwindle with Peter Ladner loyalists firmly in Ian Robertson’s camp (the same group that was able to successfully stage a coup against sitting Mayor at-the-time Sam Sullivan), the Conservative nomination in Vancouver Quadra seems like a perfect landing for an individual that has clearly outlived her usefulness at the municipal level.
Joyce Murray had a very close call during the by election in March, 2008, just barely getting elected by less than one percent (a result that was largely aided by Stephen Harper’s final week decision to bypass the riding in a visit to Vancouver). She took this close-call and subsequently turned it into an easy win in 2008 by just under 5,000 votes.
That being said, Anton would be a formidable competitor for Murray due to her strong voting bloc of support on the west side of Vancouver combined with the momentum that the Tories are currently enjoying.
With a poison pill Bill on the HST possibly coming down the pike within weeks, could we see Anton make a quick and seamless jump into a federal election campaign and a future cabinet post?
Wouldn’t Murray’s nomination be secure, as per federal Liberal procedure?
I would assume so. This article doesn’t suggest, however, that her nomination would be contested.
Anton’s a federal liberal.