So the elections are underway in Calgary and I hope to provide you with almost instant updates throughout the day. But you can link to the AFN Webcast and watch too. Ward was able to provide us with background info on each of the contenders in an earlier blog entry but thanks to the intrusion of real life neither of us was able to keep up. Bills!
I also released some comments that were caught in the moderated comments section. Please accept our apologies for not blogging again before now.
But let’s get to what we really want to blog about...what the heck is happening in Calgary? I have some information from a few sources for but sure would welcome input from anyone else following. BUT before we start and finish I would like to lay out my guess for what happens.
I say Shawn Atleo narrowly beats out Perry Bellgard in the fifth ballot. First out is Terry Nelson from Manitoba, Bill Wilson from British Columbia is out on the second ballot. A close race between Bellgard, Atleo, and Beaucage opens up the race. My guess is that Bellgard squeezes past Beaucage on the third ballot and the race is on between Bellgard and Atleo but because the winner must have a majority vote – a fifth ballot will take the vote into the wee hours of the morning.
A few weeks ago I would have thought Atleo had it hands down but I’m not so sure anymore. There was a debate at the Odawa Friendship Centre in Ottawa that Ward and I discussed with a few people. Atleo was thought to be a bit of a disappointment. He was not a very powerful speaker in fact was rather flat. He spoke in broad terms with no path. We know we need to end poverty through economic participation so I was left wondering where the meat and substance was.
Another factor I forgot about was the ‘local boy’ effect. Perry can and has brought a large body of support from Saskatchewan with him (according to a source on the floor Perry is commanding a lot of attention...at least there are a lot of Perry buttons). I’ve been told there is a feeling on the floor that Atleo lost some ground as a result of the debate – but made a funny joke about how his Grandfather was even shorter than him.
Another source on the floor said Perry was pulling ahead of the Beaucage and was now challenging Atleo. But I don’t know if it’s enough to win. I hear he is definitely the sweatiest candidate and has a nasty habit of making a snort noise after he speaks (
Beaucage makes the best comments and made the grandest entry with a troupe of supporters banging big black balloons on signs with his entry – unfortunately those balloons look like big condoms! (heeheehee)
Wilson was boring – and THAT surprised me as I think he is many things but not boring! But he did manage to fit the word “poop” into his speech (in reference to farmed salmon). So.....lets wait for first ballot shall we?
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