Hoping to unseat Liberal incumbents

Despite a history of almost consistently Liberal victories in the West Island's two ridings of Pierrefonds-Dollard and Lac St. Louis, candidates for other parties are gearing up with their sights set squarely on the two seats for Oct. 14.

"It's going to be a close one," said Pierre-Olivier Brunelle, 31, the Conservative Party's candidate for Pierrefonds-Dollard. Though a West Island native, it is the first time Brunelle is running for a seat in the area. "My goal is to finish first," he told The Chronicle.

The same confidence came through in an interview with Lac St. Louis riding's NDP candidate Dan Quinn, 25. "People haven't really thought of the NDP making any inroads in Quebec," he said, but he expects things to change. "We're aiming to unseat Francis Scarpaleggia," he added.

The big issues for all candidates seem to be the same: the economy, the environment and health.

Much ado has been made of the Liberal Green Shift plan unveiled in the summer by party leader Stéphane Dion. According to the Liberals, this revenue-neutral carbon tax will shift costs on to polluters and will decrease income taxes on families.

"I wouldn't say it's a revolution, but it's clearly a changing of the course," said Bernard Patry, Pierrefonds-Dollard's current MP.

However, Quinn had little kind to say about Green Shift. The NDP, which endorses a carbon credit-training program, would impose a limit on how much tonnage in pollutants companies can produce. Those who go beyond their quota would be forced to buy credits from greener enterprises. "Both Senator Obama and Senator McCain support cap and trade in the United States," Quinn said, adding it also has the backing of California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as some European powers.

Over at the Green Party, Pierrefonds-Dollard riding candidate Ryan Young explained their approach combines both a carbon tax and trading program. "The Green Shift is stolen right out of our platform," he told The Chronicle/.

Meanwhile, Brunelle emphasized the priority of the economy over the environment during this election, as hinted at in some polls. "Let's do things for the environment, but not 100 per cent, so we don't go into a recession," he said is the attitude many people seem to have.

Brunelle defended the Conservative government's stance on the environment, which is usually at odds with that of environmentalist groups. "People don't know (what we've accomplished for the environment) that well," he said. "By 2020, we will have to bring down (carbon gas) emissions by 20 per cent," he said, pointing out how his party was the first to set a specific target while in power.

He also said improving public transit will be a key issue in the West Island. He reminded voters the Conservative government is allowing the train project linking Pierre-Elliot Trudeau International airport and downtown Montreal to the remainder of the West Island to move ahead.

Neither of the two Liberal incumbents seemed particularly worried about losing their seats. "I always run a tough campaign," Lac St. Louis Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia said. "We're not taking anything for granted," he added.

Bernard Patry said the Liberal government had left the Conservatives with a surplus of $13.6 billion in 2006, only to watch it being squandered. "It's absolutely false that (the Conservatives) have given tax cuts to Canadians," he said.

Brunelle claimed over $200 billion has been given back to Canadians with all tax cuts and financial incentive return programs combined. "That's why we're not in a recession like in the U.S.A.," he said.

Like Patry, Scarpaleggia claimed a Liberal government would end up giving more back to Canadians.

And while polls suggest the war in Afghanistan matters less to Canadians during this election than it has in the past, Scarpaleggia hinted it might become a point of debate yet. "(The Conservatives) are always trying to flip out of their positions," he explained, adding he was suspicious a Harper government would not stick to the current plan of leaving troops stationed there until October 2009.

Brunelle pointed to a poll by a major French daily in Montreal suggesting the war was not on Canadians' minds. "Five to 10 per cent of people had voted for (the war as a priority). It was at the bottom of the list," he said.

Quinn said the war was not forgotten by the NDP. The party was looking to return the mission in Afghanistan to a peacekeeping one, he said. "I don't think we're advocating for a complete disengagement," he clarified, but he insisted negotiations must be conducted with all sides of the conflict if one hopes to end it.