Wendy Peters
Editor’s

Notebook

US presidential candidates finally ready to rumble

Barack Obama won the Democratic presidential nomination on June 4, after 16 months or so of non-stop primary campaigning. While Hillary Clinton didn’t throw in the towel that same day, Obama had finally secured enough delegates to claim victory. Hillary waited a couple of days before she gave Obama her blessing. Those days did not favourably enhance her image or reputation as people saw the move (or lack thereof) as either her refusal to concede defeat or some inexplicable internal conflict of utter denial. Whatever really happened to Hillary during those extraordinary days of unconscionable behaviour was repaired somewhat by the brilliant and inspiring speech she gave on June 7 to a huge crowd of her supporters. Many said afterwards that if only she had revealed that Hillary during her campaign against Obama the end result might have been different. (As an aside, one columnist suggested that the fact writers call Hillary by her first name and Obama by his surname — which is normal in journalism — is because of sexism. I do it to differentiate between Hillary and Bill. To this day, I still often think “Bill” when I read about “Clinton.”)

As exciting and historic as this particular race has been, was there some degree of overkill? For some people, perhaps there was. Yet is there anything we don’t know about either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama? Not much, but it’s possible some skeletons will be revealed during the actual presidential race against John McCain, the Republican nominee. Though it’s difficult to imagine what else could be hidden under the floorboards about any of them. McCain also ran a lengthy campaign and emerged from the back of the bus to win the nomination. He deserves great credit for being so determined when it must have seemed like an absolutely hopeless, unattainable goal for him last year.

Let’s compare these lengthy nomination and election maneuvers to Canada’s political process and how short it is by contrast.

The Liberal leadership campaign in 2006 seemed pretty endless at the time — it involved about nine months of campaigning. There were originally 13 candidates but only eight made it to the convention and Stéphane Dion was elected. During the campaign, we did have the opportunity to see the candidates often and openly. That is a good thing; getting to know the people who may one day run the country is of paramount importance.

This was not the case with the leadership campaign for the newly formed Conservative Party of Canada — a merger between the Canadian Alliance Party and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada; and yes, people are still smarting over that merger.

Only three candidates ran for the leadership of the CPC — Stephen Harper, Belinda Stronach and Tony Clement. Those were pretty slim pickings for a federal party, especially considering some major players either dropped out or declined to run. That particular campaign only took two months — from January to March 2004. How well could we possibly get to know the candidates in that short space of time? Belinda Stronach was a novice who declared herself ready to be Prime Minister of Canada. Tony Clement was an ineffective former Ontario health minister, who has since become an even more ineffective federal health minister. And then there is Stephen Harper who won the leadership race and finally became Prime Minister.

Did we know then that he was a control freak? Did we know then that he would muzzle his MPs and render them mute? Did we know then that he would treat the press as pariahs? Did we know then that he would create a toxic atmosphere in parliament the likes of which has never been seen before? The answer to all these questions is a resounding “no.”

Many people were wary of Harper but didn’t know exactly why because they really didn’t know him. Had he been obliged to campaign for a year or more, we would most certainly have had a better glimpse into the man who now rules the country with an iron grip — or at least tries to do so.

Do the Americans know enough now about their potential leader? Certainly a great deal more than we did. They must also be congratulated for being so far ahead of us in terms of having minorities in positions of power. Who would have believed a few years ago that a woman and an African-American would be the top two candidates for the leadership of the Democratic Party and, ultimately the presidency? There are certainly many racists and misogynists burning with fury over these interlopers swanning into their white, male domain, but obviously they are in the minority themselves.

As a woman, listening to Hillary Clinton’s concession speech, I was incredibly proud to realize just how far we have come in a relatively short period of time. I was also startled to recognize that it wasn’t that long ago women were told their place and expected to stay in it, as were non-whites.

Although Canadians only have one-tenth of the population of the U.S. it’s time that women were taken more seriously in politics. There is still far too much condescension towards females and they need a pretty thick skin to run for public office and a willingness to have the timbre of their voice, their clothes, their thighs and their bust size criticized rather than their policies. It’s a head-shaking realization, but it’s true and it makes Hillary Clinton’s achievements all the more praiseworthy. WP

Handgun Manufacturer Bill receives second reading

QUEEN’S PARK — Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn’s Private Member’s Bill, the “Handgun Manufacturers’ and Importers’ Liability Act, 2008,” was to receive second reading June 12 and be debated by all parties in the Ontario legislature.

The Bill provides that when a person is injured or killed as a result of the actual or threatened unlawful use of a handgun, the person and his or her dependants are entitled to bring an action against the handgun’s manufacturer or importer. The Bill would also allow the government of Ontario to bring an action against a manufacturer or importer of handguns to recover the cost of health care benefits caused or contributed to by the actual or threatened unlawful use of handguns.

According to the most recent data published by Statistics Canada in 2008, one-quarter of firearm-related victimizations occurred in the Toronto area in 2006. The report noted that a total of 1,993 people in the Toronto area were victims of a violent offence related to guns in 2006, about one-quarter of the national total. Police reported nearly 4,000 robberies and almost 2,400 assaults that were committed with a firearm.

Each day, about 5,500 new handguns are sold in the United States; there are 81,325 federally licensed dealers and pawnbrokers in the United States, three times the number of McDonald’s franchises — and 238 active federally licensed firearms manufacturers across 43 states.

“As a province we cannot ban handguns. However, my Private Member’s Bill would ensure that victims of handgun crime would be able bring action against manufacturers or importers who are negligent either in their manufacturing, transportation, marketing, storage, or distribution systems,” said MPP Kevin Flynn.

“I fully support Kevin Flynn Private Member’s Bill, the “Gun Manufactures’ Liability Act, 2008. Too many innocent lives and the lives of their families have been scattered and destroyed by gun violence. No-one but authorized personal should be allowed to have a firearm,” said Louise Russo, an innocent victim of gun violence, left paralyzed in a drive-by shooting on April 21, 2003. “This Bill is an instrumental part of ensuring that the victims of handgun crimes can make manufacturers or importers take responsibility if found they were neglectful.”

“For too long handgun manufacturers and distributors have hidden behind the fallacy that their product was merely for sport. In the meantime they saturated the streets with weapons that have been the cause of too many murders and too many spinal cord injuries. The economic and social cost to Ontario has been far too great, and it has to stop. The Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario applauds Mr. Flynn, and his private members bill. We urge all members of the Legislature to support the bill, and stop a direct cause of murders and spinal cord injuries in Ontario,” said Bill Adair, Executive Director of The Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario.

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