JACK PULLS OUT OF THE LOCAL DEBATE LAST MINUTE — an open letter from a constituent.
Dear Jack Layton,
My name is Gabe. I’ve lived in Toronto-Danforth for 21 years. I haven’t been a voter very long. But every time I’ve voted in a federal election, I’ve voted for you.
But this time, you’ve lost my support. You take my vote for granted. You insult me and my neighbours by asking for our votes, and then lie to us when we ask if you’re going to be here in Toronto-Danforth to debate the local issues.
On October 5th, I called your campaign office. I asked your staff if you were going to be at the debate. I asked your staff if I was finally going to get the chance to hear you speak to me about the issues that you purport to fight for. Well, they lied to me. They told me you were going to debate. They told me you cared about the local issues, and that you cared about local voters.
So why are you in BC? You didn’t think I’d find this, did you? It’s an article from the Comox (BC) Valley Record. It says, in plain language, that while you’re supposed to be in Toronto-Danforth at a debate that was scheduled at a time that you said was convenient for you, you’re going to be speaking to a crowd of Vancouver Island residents. The article says it’s your second time in that riding since August. How many times have you been in Toronto-Danforth since August?? Well, your campaign office says ONCE. Once. It’s shameful – but then again, they could be lying to me about that too.
I can’t believe the arrogance. I can’t believe the disrespect. You tried to pull a fast one on your constituents, Jack, and we’ve had enough. Between now and October 14th, Mr. Layton, you’ve got one hell of a lot of explaining to do.
Respectfully,
Gabe.
October 7, 2008 at 10:51 am
Hi. I’m just writing because it seems like you guys are unaware. Jack Layton is the leader of a major political party (he was elected years ago, I’m sorry you have not heard by now) and your answer to “where” he is, is that he is out campaigning to be Prime Minister across the country from coast to coast.
Hope this helps.
October 7, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Hi Nick,
I am very well aware of the fact that “Jack” is the leader of the NDP, however you seem to be quite unaware of that Jack, has neglected his own riding for quite some time. No local representation, and his own office admitted that Jack has not visited this riding since August for the “photo or camera” opportunity that involved a “municipal concern” on Leslie street.
I would have expected my member of parliament to make an efford to make an appearance on a scheduled all candicates meeting, especially when it was arranged at his convience.
His cancelation only affirms his neglect, arrogance, to assume his constituents are not taking notice of his abscence, lack of care. But let me remind you…. JACK cannot even vote for himself… He does not live in the riding he is representing!!!
Oh and PLEASE… Jack for PM? The very thought… Just think of the mess the NDP council makes of this city, and I can very well remember what the NDP did for this province many years ago….
Yes … Jack is quick to mention we now have Rae… but regretfully forgets it was the same NDP platform and policies that drove this province into the ground and further into dept.
I hope this helps too… if you can grasp the drift.
October 7, 2008 at 9:21 pm
This site looks like a partisan smear site, but regardless I am also dissapointed by Jack’s reported absence at tonight’s meeting. And if there is an NDP stand-in at tonight’s meeting, couldn’t a stand-in have replaced Jack where-ever else he chose to go instead? It looks and feels like a deliberate absence – why would someone who wants votes do this, unless he feels it’s not worth-it to personally ask for his constituency’s votes. And by the way, I reside in the riding and I have voted NDP for over a decade…
October 8, 2008 at 3:31 am
I don’t live in Toronto-Danforth but I hope many of the constituents in the riding read this and don’t vote for Jack.
October 8, 2008 at 2:49 pm
His behaviour is actually contemptuous to the riding, and to the voters in it.
October 8, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Here is an email I sent to Jack and the other candidates of Toronto-Danforth:
Dear Jack,
Since coming to Canada on a work visa, I have followed your career as you were the city counsellor for my ward. Over the years I watched as you evolved from local to national politics and developed greater respect for you as I felt you truly brought the perspective of the ordinary person to the table and gave them a voice, because you listened to the people.
When you announced you were running for Toronto-Danforth, I welcomed the opportunity to have you as the voice of our riding at the national level, but also expected you would participate in provincial and municipal issues important to us where your input could have a positive impact. While not eligible to vote in the previous election, I monitored the campaigns with great interest. Knowing I’d be a Canadian citizen by the next election, it was necessary to pay closer attention to the issues and how a candidate or party would address them.
Tonight, after being ill for the past week, I pulled it together to attend the ALL CANDIDATES debate for Toronto-Danforth. To say I was disappointed to see you were absent is an understatement. Instead of seeing you seated with the other candidates on stage, I walked into a debate as to whether or not the audience would allow a ‘stand-in’ to represent YOUR responses. How pompous!
Your absence was disrespectful to your fellow candidates who have taken on a civic duty and put themselves in front of the community to be our representative, not to mention the willingness to take on an incumbent, let alone a national party leader. Your absence was also disrespectful of your constituents.
This debate, after two rounds of voting, consumed the first twenty plus minutes of an evening that was to hear the concerns of Toronto-Danforth and how each would address the issue. You took the citizens of Toronto-Danforth for granted tonight.
As the clock reached 9:45, the moderator cut off the questioning even though several people stood in queue for some time waiting for their chance to ask a question of the candidates. We were putting in our time to become informed voters. Your assumption that we will re-elect you into Parliament cost the people of this riding twenty plus minutes of the democratic process to handle your presumptive absence and attempt to drop-in a proxy.
Well Jack, I am now a proud Canadian citizen and eligible to vote. I am writing to tell you that my vote is not available for being taken for granted. My vote will be cast for the candidate who truly understands the issues because they live in the riding, has respect for the people they will represent, and won’t take my vote for granted.
October 8, 2008 at 10:28 pm
I am an ardent Liberal supporter and have always thought that this site is a good idea.
Some may discount the site as partisan, but I think that it is great symbol of the unaccountable politics practiced by Jack Layton.
Jack figures that the people of Toronto-Danforth will never vote him out so he ignores them. He figures that the people of Canada will never vote him in so he says anything.
Every manufactured sound bite is a hail mary long bomb based on the premise that people in Canada are stupid. That they don’t want an accountable, measured leader, they just want to cast their vote into the wilderness “against” something.
The local media recognizes this and has reported on it:
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_27728.aspx
October 9, 2008 at 1:24 am
Jack Layton isn’t much of a leader. This guy will say anything to buy a vote, and yet, he’s quick to slam Harper on everything, but he doesn’t really come out and say what his plans are. Sure, we hear him say X billion for this, X billion for that and all kinds of social spending, but when it comes to his economic plan, he just gives us political jibber jabber. And it wasn’t a well thought out plan to tell the world that Canada is heading for a depression. Do we really need this moron telling the world it’s a bad risk to invest here unless he’s in charge? Layton is like the worst of the low, he’s playing on the poor and ignorant, telling them that he can eliminate poverty knowing full well that would be an impossible task. With his driving attack on business, and his willingness to tax the middle class into oblivion, Jack Layton is the most dangerous man in Canada at the moment. Thank goodness Canadians are smarter that he thinks we are.