Shameless

Well, that was quick. It seems just a month ago that Todd Smith represented us at Queen’s Park. Indeed, it was 36 days ago (as of my writing these words). Then he quit. Five days later, the writ was issued, and we were thrust into an election. Twenty-nine days after that, voting day came and went.

By now you will know that the Ontario PCs retained the seat with Tyler Allsopp as our new man in Toronto. But maybe it was all a bit too quick. A bit too calculated.

Good luck to Mr. Allsopp. It’s a hard job. Breakfast with the Lions in Frankford. Responding to letters and prepping for speeches while on the 401 to the city. Lunch with 20-something handlers who dispense guidance that feels like orders. Sitting in the legislature all afternoon, listening, playing Sudoku and never being called upon. Back on the 401. Dinner consisting of diet coke and cheezies. Meeting in Picton. Home by 10:30. Get up and do it all over again tomorrow. Weekends spent opening pizza shops, cutting ribbons and shaking hands at Pumpkinfest.

It can be a grind at the best of times. More so with a young family. We sincerely wish Tyler Allsopp the best.

A warm thank you, too, to all the candidates, namely Sean Kelly (Liberal), Amanda Robertson (NDP), Lori Borthwick (Green), Margaret Schuler (New Blue), John Turmel (Independent) and Mark Snow (Libertarian). Everyone who raises their hand to participate in the political arena—to promote a set of beliefs, values and principles in our collective conversation deserves our thanks and respect. Our democracy is nourished when diverse ideas and platforms are put on the table, debated and challenged.

But let us say this much out loud however: the Bay of Quinte by-election timeline was just wrong. If we accept it without pushback, without challenge, we can expect others to do the same.

Seven candidates. All but one were new to most voters. Two don’t live in the riding. Mark Snow carried the flag of the Libertarian Party and conducted his campaign from Kemptville, while John Turmel, a serial candidate (the Guiness folks, of World Record noteriety, contend that Turmel is the losingest candidate in their records, having run in 112 campaigns and lost 111) lives in Brantford.

Residents of the Bay of Quinte riding had little opportunity to get to know any of them. The truncated campaign foreclosed the opportunity for a proper conversation to understand their values and priorities.

The regional Chambers of Commerce (Belleville, Quinte West and Prince Edward County) hosted an online debate via Zoom with Allsopp, Borthwick, Kelly and Robertson. According to YouTube, it attracted 1,500 views. There are 109,000 eligible voters in the Bay of Quinte. That works out to about 1.3 per cent of eligible voters who managed to see it. Cogeco hosted another debate on September 12 with candidates Borthwick, Kelly and Robertson. Allsopp cancelled on the morning of the event. It’s unclear how many folks watched. But in the end, his nonappearance seems to have made little difference.

The foul aroma of this too-short campaign will linger. Political parties are about winning and making the most of the rules to gain a tactical advantage. But surely there will be a cost for attempting to slip an election by voters— hoping they weren’t paying attention.

It seems certain that Doug Ford’s team spun this by-election around in the shortest timeframe possible with the express purpose of ensuring the seat stayed blue and that we wouldn’t notice.

We live in an era where accepted norms— of conduct and decency—are ebbing away. Our worst instincts were once blunted by the prospect of shame. Today, some leaders lean into bad behaviour. Some seem unencumbered by the informal rules that have shaped our civic engagement—our public conversation.

The end goal is all that matters. It is a dangerous place. And likely shortsighted.

The Ontario PCs ought to be wary of the results of Bay of Quinte last week. There should be no champagne corks popped or backslapping. The PC candidate finished with almost 39 per cent of the votes cast on Thursday, fully 10 per cent lower than Todd Smith’s 49 per cent win in 2022. The Liberals were up almost 15 per cent.

There are rumblings that Ford is considering going to the polls two years early—perhaps as soon as the spring—looking to take advantage of his current popularity. (And perhaps to pre-empt more bad news potentially emanating from the Greenbelt scandal.)

David Peterson once attempted something similar. After ending Bill Davis’s reign in 1985, Peterson was considered among the most popular politicians in the country.

But calculations. Meech Lake Accord. Looming recession. Mike Harris had just arrived as a fresh face for the Conservatives.

Seeking to get ahead of the troubles, Peterson called a snap election in September 1990. Peterson’s Liberals had their butts handed to them in that election— losing 59 seats. The NDP won a majority government with 74 seats. In that election, Paul Johnson was elected to represent Prince Edward-Lennox for the NDP, sending Liberal Keith MacDonald back to municipal politics.

Doug Ford’s strategists may want to revisit Peterson’s decision. Voters will put up with a lot, until they don’t.

rick@wellingtontimes.ca