10.12.2010 08:21 AM

Kiss that seat goodbye?

I’m a bit of a Julian Fantino fan, so I’m biased.  Maurizio leaves big, big shoes to fill: can Julian do it? What do you think?  If Harper wins back that seat, how far is he from a majority?  (It’s Monday, and I’m not awake yet.)

Personally, I’m amazed Julian’s giving up on three pensions to embrace the joys of Perpetual Minority Government. Not how I’d spend my twilight years, but that’s just me.

***

Fantino Politics
Source: The Canadian Press
Oct 12, 2010 4:05
VAUGHAN, Ont. – Reports say Ontario’s former top cop will take a run at joining the Harper Conservatives in Ottawa.

The reports say Julian Fantino will announce today that he will run for the Tories in an upcoming federal byelection in Vaughan, north of Toronto.

A telltale sign is found at his website www.julianfantino.ca.

Although the website didn’t open early today, a title bar that did open is marked “Conservative Party of Canada.”

The seat was vacated in August by longtime Liberal MP Maurizio Bevilacqua, who quit to run for mayor of Vaughan.

He served the riding for 22 years and won several elections by wide margins, though that lead tapered off in the 2008 race.

(The Canadian Press)

INDEX: NATIONAL JUSTICE POLITICS

14 Comments

  1. David says:

    First of all ..It is Tuesday

    I wonder about how this will effect the long gun registry debate that will no doubt dominate the headlines for a day or two during the next capaign.

    Will a “top cop” be able to counter the opinion of police chiefs that presumably support the LGR?

    In the last election K. Redman here in Kitchener lost (very narrowly) to a new guy. It should have been a lock due to her name.
    With Bevilacqua dropping out and a high profile respected competitor on the other side it should go to the tories.

    • Warren says:

      Oh my Lord I’m tired. I can’t even get the day right!

    • Steve T says:

      If you dig deeper into the gun registry issue, you will see that although police chiefs may support it, most police officers seriously question its value. This is not as cut-and-dried an issue as the mainstream media have made it out to be.

      • scanner says:

        “most police officer” = a few who got hopped up by the Reformatories to squawk. Never did see a statistically significant study that asked police officers their opinions. My nurse friends were sure loud in their opinions, as were the paramedics I know. If the Reformatories try to use the long gun registry as an issue they should look at that 60%+ Canadians who approve of it. I do not recall Fantino making any mention of his opinion, anybody got quotes?
        BTW Warren, when the by-election is called, I’ll make sure I send some dough to whoever looks like making a strong run against Julian. I think he’d make a crappy MP.

  2. Dr.Dawg says:

    A Fantino fan? I thought you opposed racism and homophobia?

  3. Brian says:

    So it seems Warren is fatally flawed after all. Who knew?

  4. A. says:

    Let’s not forget how he embarrassed his office by interfering in the Shawn Brant affair to such a degree that the crown had to drop most of the charges against Brant rather than give up embarrassing evidence about Fantino or the debacle over his vendetta against two of his own officers at the OPP that ended up in the OPP dropping charges rather than have Fantino embarrass himself further during cross examination or, perhaps most petty of all, forcing Cam Woolley off the air because he was jealous that another OPP cop was getting publicity.

    Fantino has hubris written all over his forehead and will be a scandal plagued cabinet minister if the people of Vaughan have the poor judgment to elect him.

  5. Dr.Dawg says:

    @Warren

    My grumpiness is fact-based:

    “As a regular Toronto police officer, Fantino was central in one of the city’s first major racial profiling scandals, when he released race-based crime statistics to the media.”

    He spends all of two sentences on the issue of race. “Regardless of reality,” he says, “the issue of race must not be ignored or discounted.”

    “Regardless of reality” indeed.

  6. scanner says:

    Julian is the last vestige of the Holdup Squad, that group of vigalante cops who used Cherry Beach as their interrogation room. I bet he thinks he’ll fit right in to the Reformatories Caucus. I bet he’s wrong. He’s too liberal.

  7. Lipman says:

    I’m with Dr. Dawg on Fantino re: racial profiling. But JF deserves credit for taking head-on the corruption inside the Toronto Police Service back in the early-mid 2000s.

    D

  8. ben burd says:

    How does one give up three pensions? He gets to keep them and get his MP/Cabinet salary – nice work if you can get it. His tax bill will escalate but I’m sure a good accountant will ensure he keeps every penny as he QUADRUPLE dips!!

  9. Eastman says:

    Anyone who reads Fantino’s record should be frightened at the prospects of having him as a Harper M.P., and God forbid, potential cabinet minister.

    Some of his record suggests extreme right wing view similar to some principals of fascism.

    This viscosity of his actions has attracted negative attention in our cosmetically democratic society yet he has successfully turned the stickiness into brylcream.

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