It wasn’t exactly predictable, but it came as no big surprise to many in the hall when assistant Crown attorney Julie Bourgeois steamrolled in one ballot over all comers at the Glengarry-Prescott-Russell federal Liberal nomination meeting in Plantagenet Sept. 3.
In private post-mortem reflection, even the star candidate in many delegates’ eyes, Russell Township mayor Ken Hill, probably wasn’t shocked… disappointed yes, experiencing a feeling of betrayal, perhaps, but not too surprised.
You see, francophone female Bourgeois is a natural fit for a Liberal Party needing a kick-start in this riding. As she herself has repeatedly noted, she’s a “fille de chez-nous” whose “head, heart and soul” are anchored in the riding.
At 36, she’s an accomplished lawyer, a proud Franco-Ontarian in a riding where residents of such extraction still form a slim majority and want to shore it up.
During her campaign for the nomination, Bourgeois received the invaluable blessing of Gisèle Lalonde, the godmother of Ontario francophones for her tireless effort in saving the Montfort Hospital. Bourgeois, Lalonde decreed, would be the best bet, not just for local francophones, but for all French Canadians.
Ironically, the winning candidate’s honorary campaign chairman was none other than omnipresent Franco-Ontarian legal beagle Ron Caza, who’s now representing Russell and its council – including Mayor Ken Hill – in Charter challenges against the mandatory bilingual sign bylaw, piling up $100,000 in fees to date.
Bourgeois has family tentacles stretching across the riding, reaching into law and business offices, farming, and municipal politics. Politically pure, she’s certainly more of a threat to incumbent Conservative MP Pierre Lemieux than Dan Boudria was for the Liberals the last time out.
During that campaign, Dan had to wear more than his dad’s red running shoes; respected throughout most of his lengthy career, Don picked up a thin layer of the sponsorship scandal before he retired.
That plus the fact a lot of voters simply don’t like the idea of perpetuating family dynasties made Dan’s challenge an insurmountable one.
Politically wise despite her inexperience, Bourgeois pointed out she doesn’t carry any baggage, an indirect reference to young Boudria and to Hill who bears a heavy burden from the Russell Township political wars.
As an assistant Crown, Bourgeois has undoubtedly learned something about the fine art of diplomacy, perhaps the greatest asset of a successful politician. Say what you will about lawyers, it takes a lot of dedication and perseverance to become one, which are also important political attributes. Winning any nomination in one ballot shows tremendous organizational skills, another asset.
Never a diplomat, Ken’s relentless pursuit of the bilingual signage bylaw divided the municipality as witnessed by a petition bearing close to 2,000 names – many of them French – handed to Russell council last night (Sept. 8) demanding that the bylaw be amended to make choice of language on signs voluntary rather than mandatory.
That’s where the feeling of betrayal might come in. Ken no doubt assumed his position on signage would earn him many more francophone votes at the nomination meeting than it did.
With the nomination resolved, Caza has begun to rattle the Liberal saber, warning incumbent Conservative MP Pierre Lemieux to run for cover because a train called Julie Bourgeois is coming full speed down the track.
Don’t get too cocky too quick, Ron! During my long history as a voter, like many Canadians and depending on the issues, I’ve given my support to all major parties, including the NDP provincially under the leadership of Stephen Lewis.
But without so much as a second thought, I’ll vote against a party who pushes the country to the polls for no other reason than political expediency. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff is threatening to do just that.
Beware Mr. Ignatieff: Should you force a premature, unnecessary election, impressive novice candidates like Mme. Bourgeois won’t stand much of a chance against established, respected incumbents such as Mr. Lemieux.
