Laurie has been doorknocking and chating with poeple in the riding for some time now.
As we say watch this space. A two percent swing from the Liberals to the ND’s makes this riding very winable.

ANN IS GOING TO TAKE IT AGAIN

This riding is always a crap shoot.Clearly mcclelans personal popularity and riding association work hard to win this one. In effect all liberals in Alberta come out to try and win this one. I don’t know if that will be enought this time. Hawn is popular and organzied and mcclelan signs are vandalized all over the riding. If it appears to the voters of Edmonton Centre that the Libs will not be in government. (like it appears now) Anne will lose her riding.

This riding is one of the only ones that you just have to wait until the very last poll to be accounted for. For the past couple elections, McLellan has been behind early on but eventually comes back to win it. My prediction, I donno, whatever it is, it’ll be awfully close.

If voters in the riding perceive that the Liberals will not form government, which at the present time, does not seem likely, then the main reason for voting for her–being Deputy PM, is lost. Anne’s work as an MP is over-rated and her 2004 election accounting is now in serious question. Laurie Hawn, despite much door knocking, his name and face still does not appear to resonate through the riding nearly as much as Anne does — especially in downtown Edmonton. This will again be tight (

It is done. With the anti-military ad from the Liberals today, they have written off Landslide Nellie.

Last time around it was not clear how strong the CPC support was. Some people just assumed they could win. PCers especially. Now they see what the numbers are and this will motovate people to come out and defeat the Last Liberal in Alberta. Conservative win.

Oh look, known Conservative posters posting their same biased opinion across individual riding forums and across various prediction website without using any objectivity.

1) Anne is in trouble - isn’t she always though? But when shes campaigning in the gay bars like Rahim Jaffer does (thats not an insult.. he REALLY DOES capmaing in gay bars) you can tell somethings definitely up. It wont be because of Nick’s (conservative poster)assessment however. Former PC’s here do NOT go Conservative, and last election proved that.

2) The vote is already polarized as it has been here in every election since 1993. Its not a normal riding. People vote for various reasons, but here in this riding, theres much more strategy into play youre voting AGAINST the Conservatives (Regression and backwards social policies for this riding) or AGAINST the Liberals (Corruption)whether one likes the other party or not. The other 10% goes to people who won’t vote for either (knowing that the vote wont go to the top 2) and then theres the 40% of people that dont vote at all. Conservatives always think they have a chance at this riding (and its true they do), but just like the Liberals for the most part they have hit their high water mark. Slarty (a conservative poster and friend of Hawn’s) mentions on this and on another website that a 2% swing from Libs to NDP means Conservative pickup… but why the hell would there be such an occurance. If she (McLellan) can spend $2 billion on a $2 million dollar program and get re-elected 3 times since, people aren’t going to be pissed off all of a sudden with this current election and throw their vote to the non-winning NDP now…..theyve had 3 chances to already ….not 6 percent, not 5 percent, not 2 percent- how about zero percent? If Conservatives can’t even figure that out with reasoning and logic, god forbid them running the country… we’ll have “Gun Registry” scandals every month!

3) Demographics keep favoring the Liberals - new emigrants to the riding are more Liberal in nature than Cons. But its still only 1.5 years since the last election… a few hundred extra votes at very best.

4) From actually LIVING in the riding and chatting with people who VOTE in the riding, most were voting the same way as before except in 2 instances
a) NDP/Green votes i’ve chatted with are voting for Anne because of a sense that the Cons. may actually win here. These are people who didn’t vote Anne before and are REALLY holding their noses and voting Liberal purely as a way to prevent Hawn from getting in. Frankly, I didnt think Anne could shave any more votes away from this group *shrugs* but it sounds like its happening when conversing with people
b) Quite a few “non-voters” who dont bother with elections have told me they will vote this time! “Why?” I asked, and the responses are uncannily similar to the committed NDP/protest or committed Green vote who are switiching in this election. Although apathetic regarding politics generally, concerns were expressed over the Conservatives winning the election/winning all of Alberta/winning Edmonton Centre etc. and that the only reason they would vote is if they sensed this happening and would vote Liberal.

This one will be too close (as always) on election night!

I know someone in this riding - I think that the gay marriage thing lost a lot of the traditionally liberal support among the non white population - Conservative

Interesting thing I’ve been watching here… Every other election there has been an advertising war by “Friends of Anne” - a bunch of high profile conservatives who want Edmonton to have a seat at the cabinet table. People who may be conservative but want a good reputation with the governing party. Great way to get around the spending laws. Full page ads. So far, little more than a week left and nothing. Nothing. The silence is interesting. I’m still watching for them, however.

Michael, if gay marriage is seriously the deciding factor here, then A. why did Anne still win in 2004, and B. how will Harper’s backtrack help win over more people in these communities.

Seriously, gay marriage is not a major issue in the vast majority of the country (polls confirms this - a lot of people oppose it, but very few care - never mind that Edmonton Centre has a large gay community and isn’t Calgary).

Anne has smartly distanced herself from the national campaign - it’ll make Martin look bad, but not McLellan: Albertans like their renegades, and dear god was that ad stupid.

At the end of the day, I think it will be close, but Anne may well win it. The Conservatives are gaining across the country, but not in Alberta. They aren’t campaigning here - though it is possible their move to the centre policy-wise could finally deliver them their prize.

If I were a betting man, and I am, I’d put my money on Landslide Annie surviving.

If the polls are correct, then Mclellan could be seeing the last week of her reign as landslide Anne, and as MP. She is going to lose this seat to Laurie! Her govt wont be in power, and there is no need to keep her, Laurie may even get a cabinet post in the military and defence who better to have the job? Anyways let me know what u think!

The END To Liberal Corruption,Dithering, and Incompetence, GOOD LUCK LAURIE!

It’s pretty clear that Laurie Hawn is going to win this. Anne is very imcompetent and I welcome another Conservative MP in Alberta

Maclellan will loose. Laurie Hawn will win.
Vote Harper

Ding Dong the witch is dead the wicked witch…the wicked old witch. Ding dong Annie is going down!!!!!! It is past time.

Anne is the number 2 person in the governing party that stole alot of money in scandals too numerous to mention. This election is an IQ test for Edmonton Center.
Has anyone noticed Anne’s “Run & Hide” campaign style?

Let’s hope we can get rid of McLellan this time. It is time for change. Does anyone want a liberal government for a possible 16-17 years???? 13 yrs + 4 - 5 More Years! This is a dictatorship.

The Liberals will go down in flames across the country and a lot of high profile seats will go Conservative. Martin,Maclellan,Stronach,Brison? They all make my skin crawl,Maclellen will lose by a lot more than people think. She supports a corrupt party and deserves the defeat. Time to take her garbage can politics and get out of our sight.

Makes your skin crawl? Hmmm. I can’t wait for the new cabinet of Rob Anders, Art Hanger, Myron Thompson, Vic Toews, Jason Kenney, David Sweet, Rondo Thomas, Brian Fitzpatrick, Darrel Reid and Cheryl Gallant. What a star-studded lineup!

In the know is definitely not. Hawn would not be a cabinet minister, he`s not even the best Defense minister possibility, add to the fact he would be Alberta`s 27th or 28th Conservative. Plus, a Conservative minority will crumble quicker than a Liberal one.

Bye Bye landslide Annie, not this time. This seat will go Tory, finally.

Well, landslide Annie is facing perhaps the toughest campain yet. I predict that if the liberals win this riding, it will be a huage blow for the Con’s. Alternately, even if the Liberals somehow (There are miracles) win a minority government (however unlikely that is), and fail to win this seat, they will nolonger be able to call themselves a national party, in the same sense they where.

An Albertan voting for the Liberals is like a chicken voting for Col. Sanders.

Paul Martin is so unpopular here if he became an undertaker folks wouldn’t die anymore.

The Liberal party stole millions of taxpayers dollars. Responsible government requires responsible voters as well as responsible elected officials.

You simply cannot reward theft with re-election and call your self a functional democratic state.

i agree with kal, i do believe that the liberals will keep up there strong support here and win. although naturally i am a green supporter.

If the polls hold, Anne is going to get creamed.

seems a little odd to me that PM squared didn’t bother to drop on to see little Orphan Annie as he crossed half the country just a day ago.

I’m sure Ralph Goodale would have much preferred he stop there so that it would a little easier for him to lose and not face the indignity of being an opposition (maybe even Fourth Party) MP who will learn what it is like to ask questions and never get answers.

I hope for Mclellan’s (not Mclean like some have posted) that she gets to ride off into the sunset without having to resign her seat.

I don’t think she is making the trip to Ottawa for swearing in though, the biggest reason the Liberals in Edmonton (and the 22 of them from all of Alberta) rallied to her was so that Alberta had the prime minister’s ear. They don’t need her to have the ear of the Notional sorry I mean National Liberal Party

Anne’s latest radio ad is basically conceding her defeat. YAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

As a person from Ontario could someone from this riding or Alberta in general tell me if McLellan had senior cabinet portfolios based on skill and merit or because she happened to be the only Liberal MP from Alberta?

I read the above with interest, and I’m disappointed to note that there has been very little critical thinking, or serious comments.

Ann McLellan is a highy competent MP who, dispite the optics of being the only Liberal member from Alberta, was more than qualified to excell in the portfolios she has held. She is a very thoughtful lady, and a former law professor. And being the only Alberta MP she has gone out of her way to make a real difference for Edmonton and Alberta. If you don’t believe me, just check out her website www.annemclelland.com I was surprised just how much she had done.

No offence to Laurie Hawn, I’m sure that he is an honourable guy, but Anne has proved herself in Edmonton Center. She will make it again, and should she find herself in opposition, I’m sure that she will be gracious and remain an effective voice for our riding.

What is unique about this riding is the very high personal popularity of Anne. Further, she had nothing to do with the sponsorship scandal.

Let’s put this in perspective. The sponsorship program happened over 10 years ago, a well meaning effort to connect Quebecers to Canada that was seriously abused by a handfull of dishonest men who are finally being held to account for it. While disappointing, it has no effect on the positive outcomes of the Liberal government over all these years.

This is how I deal with it: I’m pissed off about the scandal, but when I review the policies of all the parties, I conclude that the policies of the Liberal party have been the most benificial to this country.

I always say, vote for what you want, a protest vote or a punishment vote will not get you what you want. If the Conservatives get in, they will rightfully believe that they have a mandate to implement their policies whether or not we just wanted to punish the Liberals or simply wanted a change to shake it up.

So I ask that people take their voting seriously and keep it real and balanced and consider all perspectives. Not all politicians go into politics just to get what they can. Ann McLellan would not have been re-elected a lone Liberal MP all these years if that were the case. When one finds a sincere person of intergrity as their MP, it only makes sense to reward their honourable work by re-electing them.

Thanks for reading this.

May the best person win.

Terry,

your comments are well thought out and do have some merit. Ann is a bright individual. However, sponsorship is not the only thing that people are “pissed off” with. Yes it happened 10 years ago. That doesn’t make it any better or have her any less culpable. She has been in the highest levels of this government for the duration of all the scandals. While it has not been proven she has been involved (and I would be surprised if she was) she is still a part of the problem. She is a part of a government that has stolen and wasted billions of dollars on scandals, ineffective gun registries. She regularily takes shots at fiscal and social conservatives in Alberta without realizing she is alienating the majority of Albertans. Ann has said that her party is the only one that truly reflects Canadian values and I find that offensive. Especially in light of the crap that has been foisted upon us by this government. What has being the only or one of two Mp’s in this province gotten Alberta or Edmonton Centre for that matter. Nothing. Western Alienation is still prevalent and politicians and their lapdogs are still ignoring Albertan interests. The best person will win and it won’t be Ann.

If this riding is SOOOO close, and considering that this web site is to assist people to consider ” strategic ” voting …. why would there NOT be a consideration here for the NDP to vote for their second choice … whoever that second choice is ???It is clear that the NDP have NO chance of winning this seat …Each of our votes DO count… whether it is for one party or another ….and given current circumstances..( either Liberal or Conservative ) doesnt itmake sense to at least ” consider ” the second choice option ??

I live in this riding, and I’m voting for Anne McLellan. Not because I support the corruption-tainted Liberals, but because she is an extremely qualified and effective individual to represent us in Parliament. No matter who forms the next government, of the candidates running in the riding I would most like to have Anne as my MP!

At last! The liberal chickens seem to be coming home to roost.. and whether she deserves it or not, “Landslide Annie” is gonna pay the price. let’s colour ALL of Alberta a happy Tory blue!!

“let’s colour ALL of Alberta a happy Tory blue!!”

And totally undermine democracy by sending more Conservatives in an already overrepresented Blue delegation by proportion. The tyranny of the Alberta Conservatives won’t last long in Ottawa, it never does anyways, and then we can move on to moving this country forward.

Let’s hope we can get rid of McLellan this time. It is time for change. Does anyone want a liberal government for a possible 16-17 years???? 13 yrs + 4 - 5 More Years! This is a dictatorship.

I continue to find it ironic that the same conservative Albertans who are complaining that the federal Liberals, in power since 1993, are the same people who have kept the Conservatives in power since 1971.

A little over 12 years vs almost 35 years…. and where is this “dictatorship” exactly?

That said, it will be very close, however I think McLellan. I’m an NDP member, however if I were living in Edmonton Centre and not Crowfoot, I’d vote for McLellan simply to keep a Conservative out of power.

The last time all of Alberta was coloured blue was 1988. I hope this is a sign of things to come. God bless Alberta! And I’m from Ontario.

The last time all of Alberta was coloured blue was 1988. I hope this is a sign of things to come. God bless Alberta! And I’m from Ontario.

Ah, yes, and what a memorable time period that was…

Forgive me if I don’t harken back to the Mulroney era with as much wistfullness.

There’s an important factor - Klein. His people have been very active in helping McLellan win her seat, on the premise that having a cabinet minister from Alberta was a good thing.

And he was right! But this time that’s not happenning, since the Liberals aren’t poised to form a government.

I like her, but it’s over. And probably for the best, I doubt she’s really pining to sit in opposition, better to find a nice job in the private sector.

Landslide Annie falls at last, didn’t she once win an election by 1 vote?

Being from the area it looks like Anne is finished. Her connection to Martin, and her refusal to support/protect the values of the people in her riding is going to be her downfall.

Alberta is the only province in Canada which is rat-free. After Monday, it will also be free of Liberal-free.

I live in the community of Cold Lake and have known Laurie Hawn since his days as a fighter pilot.

Laurie is an incredibly capable leader as demonstrated while he was the commanding officer of 416 squadron.

He is as honest as they come, was well respected and liked by all ranks. His departure from the military was a great loss. His return to serving Canada as an MP is something I welcome.

If you have the opportunity to meet Laurie in person, you will agree.

I predict a decisive win for the conservative candidate, Laurie,in his riding.

Given the allegations of electoral fraud in this particular riding, one has to wonder just how many of those “squeaker” elections are also suspect?

To all the NDP voters in this riding. Please do not let the neo-cons of the Conservative party win this riding by default. There are other ridings in Canada where you can make a difference but not here. Your votes will be better spent in keeping a much-chastised -in-profound-need-of-change-left-of-centre Liberal party as the only party that can stop the Harper agenda. Aim for the day that the only two parties are the Liberals and the NDP. Please stop this socially conservative movement from swallowing Canada like it did the U.S.

Conservative win.

Votes will be picked up from previous non-voters in order to express their distaste for the Liberals (a factor nationally). Votes will be picked up from previous Liberal voters as Anne would not be the deputy PM.

Even if 2000 NDPers vote Liberal (sanctioning that party cannot be swept away by claiming to hold one’s nose), they will fall short. I think it would be comical if the NDP constituency looses their post election refund of campaign money spent due to insufficient votes (never mind falling behind the greens).

Alberta is the only province in Canada which is rat-free.

Rob Anders doesn’t count then?

With the money that Anne is gonna make after her wasted time in government is over, I doesn’t really make sense that she is busing in immigrants and giving them fakes addresses so they can vote for her. Why would she want to win?

Funny how the attitudes are different in the comments relating to Edmonton Centre versus Edmonton Strathcona where 75% of there respondents want to give Jaffer the boot.

Landslide Annie falls at last, didn’t she once win an election by 1 vote?
Actually, it was 11 votes. That was back when she was first elected back in 1993.
Alberta is the only province in Canada which is rat-free.
Rob Anders doesn’t count then?
Obviously a liberal supporter was saying this.
Although I don’t much like Anders as an MP, I’m still voting Conservative in my riding, in Saskatoon Wanuskewin.

I am confident that Anne will withstand the blue tidal wave and bear the liberal flag in Alberta!

Joel, on some of your posts elsewhere you actually come through with a voice of reason. But then every once in a while your true colors show through. Whether or not you are a Liberal or NDP gets swallowed up by the fact that you are simply anti-Conservative. As you state, your agenda is to write the Conservatives off the map in Canada. Do you really feel that the sizeable percentage of honest Canadians who really do have conservative views don’t deserve to have a party to represent them? C’mon.

Rob Anders doesn’t count then?
Obviously a liberal supporter was saying this.

or a resident of Calgary West who has him as an MP! Anders doesn’t believe in “constituency work”

Just wondering if anyone in this riing knows if this is being invstigated, or will this become another covered up scam that will only come to light if Police get involved?

From small dead animals:

Via campaign manager Victor Marciano:

Laurie Hawn, Conservative Candidate in Edmonton Centre, has filed a complaint with the Commissioner of Elections Canada after massive voter list irregularities were uncovered by his campaign.

For some time, there have been rumors of election irregularities in Edmonton Centre. At an all candidates meeting with Elections Canada on January 4, 2006, it was revealed that two buildings had been struck from the electoral rolls because they were not residences. In reality, these buildings were both mailbox stores.

Several days later, the Laurie Hawn campaign identified a third non-residence building which sells mail boxes and reported it to Elections Canada.

A few days ago, the Laurie Hawn campaign was alerted, via e-mail, by an Edmonton lawyer that:

“Lots of [Anne McLellan] supporters are enumerated at their downtown office address instead of at their houses. One of them was bragging about how many times he could vote liberal (sic) based on the number of leases he had in her riding.”

This has to be the saddest story out of this election. Stuffed ballot boxes? Repeated voting? I hope it’s not true, but apparently there is enough evidence to file a complaint.

Individual MPs saying stupid things, dumb stunts by their supporters, unfunny jokes on blogs — people do silly things during elections.

But electoral fraud? This is our democracy we’re talking about here. What’s the point of having elections in the first place? Is it just a show for the cameras? Something to make the proles feel good every few years while the Liberals enrich themselves?

http://libscam.godsandartists.com/index.php/Main_Page

Click this to see what Annie represents. Why not jst vote for ex convicts.

http://libscam.godsandartists.com/index.php/Main_Page

Click here to see what the Liberals are all about…and if your still ot convinced..ask one of the soldiers in town about how the Liberals have left them witout equipment. They screwed over the Air forcewith with the Sea Kings and the CF!*’s are getting a little rusty too…the Liberals say they are for Canada, but not the military, western provinces, eastern provinces, the territories, their own MP’s in western Canada (except Anne…big deal), and the poor people…so basically only those that respect their entitlements or Ontario….oops I mean Toronto, because he isn’t interested in the rest of Toronto either. Vote for Canada and not the Liberals…yes they are completely different.

Oh yes its always a government conspiracy… cmon. I`ve known of Conservative supporters who have voted in multiple ridings on Election day before, and not of other stripes. I`d love this to be Liberal just to piss the right wing freaks off.

This Toronto based Conservative is THRILLED to see that Annie is on her way out. I already cast my vote for the Conservative candidate in my riding (Toronto Danforth) which will be won handily by Jack Layton. Toronto is too left for me; I’m moving soon!!!

Reading the comments on this site makes me wonder… Who are these people? They certainly don’t speak for me or anyone else I know who lives in this riding. I’ve lived here 10 years and I can say that people on the street are solidly behind Anne.

In any case I was going to vote NDP as I have always wanted to; but, the conservatives on this site have reminded me that the most arrogant party in the country is the Conservatives. Plus there would be no bigger blow to democracy in this lovely city then sending just conservatives to Ottawa — less then 50% of the city will vote conservative but the ridings are rigged to favour the conservatives by mixing urban voters with rural voters. If it’s 28 blue on Monday then democracy is dead in Alberta.

Plus, all you conservatives complaining about 13 years and arrogance, I hope you will formally denounce the Alberta Tories. There reign has been 30 years of tyranny and corruption. There is no government in Canada more arrogant, sleazy, and corrupt then the Alberta Tories. Just look at how often Klien skips out on Question Period. He is worse then most senators.

I find it instructive to discover that most of the grammatical and spelling errors that crop up on this page are committed by rabid anti-McLellanists (Chuck, Matt, Jared, Robert King, etc.) Could there be a positive, and possibly causal, relation between poor writing skills and poor political thinking?

So, Steve, intelligent people vote Liberal, is that what you are saying?

Mr. Blitzer, please stay in Toronto-Danforth, it may be many years away but we’ll paint it blue eventually.

As for Ann, some respect people. She’s not that bad (in comparison to most of her caucus) but she is on the path to defeat. Best wishes to her, and a huge symbolic troy victory as The conservatives pain the west blue.

troy - tory (its late Steve and I’m tired) lol

I surely hope that this riding is won by the Conservatives, along with every other riding in Alberta. Perhaps I am an anomaly amongst Conservatives but I would vote NDP before I’d vote Liberal, especially this election. Re-electing people from a party that literally steals tax money, no matter what good they may have done in their individual riding, sends the message that corruption and theft is okay, and it just isn’t. So I hope people all over Alberta and all over Canada will stand up on Jan. 23 and vote ABLOBQ (Anybody But Liberal or Bloc Quebecois).

Steve …spoken like a true Liberal. You offer no insight into why you would vote for a member of a corupt party (I said member because of the fact she was not implicated), but a supporter of a corupt party, which is makes her guilty by association. Steve, I am sure you have some supporting thoughts as to why you are going to vote Liberal and those would be better served spoken rather than resorting to a “Drive by smear campaign”, but that is the Liberal way usn’t it? Instaed of engaging in a healthy debate you pick on stupid nonsense things like spelling and grammar. This is a blog, and is not intended to be a place of perfect grammar and spelling. I could easily say that you have no arguement based on your posting, but I am a Conservative and I believe you may have something to say…you simply decided to throw mud instead of intelligence. Get a grip and be more creative. Oh, and I am not an “anti-McLellanist” I simply don’t believe she is representative of a Canada I can be proud of. Edmonton is my home town and a place that I want to be proud of for years to come…Anne makes a tarnished bit in my city and I don’t like that.

One more comment for some of you. I Am bored with the comparison of the Tories of Mulroney and Klein to the Conservatives of Stephen Harper…no comparison, and a different party. The morons of the Prograssive Conservative party are more like the 2 bozos you refer. I thought you were informed…hmmmm no wonder. MAybe you are one of those people that votes in Edmonton with your mailbox address, but lives in Toronto. That would explain how a Liberal wins a seat in Alberta. Most Albertans would never vote for a corupt ladden party. Voting for a party with low morale standing and police investigations? What a sad state of affairs when people actually vote for such people.

Check the link I posted before. 203 examples of how corupt the Liberal party is and how the supposed Mr. Finance (Paul Martin) has made billions of tax dollars disappear. Balanced budget my ass, more like hidden money and BS budgets. Much of the surplus is ear marked student loan money that students never get.

If to be canadian is to be Liberal than I don’t want to be one. I have morales and values…and integrity…I could never associate myself with power hungry, corupt self serving people like the Liberals.

Tomorrow lets hope Canada is singing the BLUE’s and leaving the RED to BLUE skies and prosperity.

I don’t like Ann for what her Party has done to Canada, but I could never vote Conservative, as that is the Party which started the sell-out of Canada to US interests. It is because of NAFTA that we are stuck with inflexibility in regards to our utility costs, and as home heating costs increase year after year, know that you have nobody less to thank for it but the Conservative Party.

Last time the Conservatives were in power, they ran the national debt up by $35 billion per year. They accomplished ten times as much in one year as what the Liberals accomplished in the last 12 years. The Liberals are corrupt, and the Conservatives are inept. Both of these corporate parties are selling us out.

Chuck, Mulroney is advising Harper, so don’t say they are not the same. Actually, the new Conservative Party is the amalgamation of the worst of both previous parties: the treacherous corporatism and the social bigotry.

A correction to the statement about all of Alberta being Tory Blue in 1988 (above). Ross Harvey won Edmonton East for the NDP in 1988,