Battle for Don Valley ridings
[attach]3964[/attach]The ridings of Don Valley East and Don Valley West have been Liberal territory ever since the virtual implosion of the former Progressive Conservative Party during the 1993 federal election.
Now, almost 20 years later, a seat representing those ridings still eludes the Conservative Party.
But don’t take that to mean they won’t try as they might to nab Toronto seats and score a majority government this May.
That is no less evident in Don Valley East, where current Liberal MP Yasmin Ratansi is vying to retain her seat against political newbie, Joe Daniel.
“I think for the Conservatives, it’s arrogant to think they’ll get a majority,” she said. “No one can predict a majority, no one can predict what the electorate will do on the last day.”
While it may be difficult to predict, University of Toronto politics professor Joe Martin speculates Toronto ridings won’t see huge changes this election.
“I think a breakthrough for the federal Conservatives is one seat in Toronto. A huge victory, major breakthrough will be three (seats),” he said.
Ratansi is a member of an elite group of Toronto Liberal MPs who are repeatedly elected with overwhelming support. Ratansi has garnered near or above 50 percent of the vote since first being elected in 2004. Also in the running is Akil Sadikali for the Green Party, and Mary Trapani Hynes for the New Democrats.
Conservative candidate Daniel, a professor at Centennial College with a background in engineering, said he’s aware that the cards are stacked against him.
“I’m the new kid on the block, so it’s tough for people to take me seriously,” he said.
However, he says he’s engaged in the community and believes hard work is key to winning the seat.
[attach]3965[/attach]In the neighbouring riding of Don Valley West, Rob Oliphant, who was first elected to the riding in 2008, is again facing off against Conservative foe, John Carmichael.
In 2008, when longtime MP John Godfrey retired, the race was a hot one between Carmichael and Oliphant, who won the race with 44 percent of the vote. Carmichael was runner-up with 39 percent.
Oliphant is cognizant of the close race last time around, but said the Conservatives’ chance to take Don Valley West came and went.
“I was a brand new candidate, I had very little name recognition, we had an unpopular leader, we had an unpopular platform with the green shift and Mr. Carmichael was running for a second time,” Oliphant said.
“If I were a Conservative, I would say that was my best opportunity, not this one.”
But Carmichael says Oliphant is not well-known in the riding.
“I find that when I’m out there … people are asking me who their MP is, they’re really not sure,” Carmichael said. “So I think we’re at a place where we’ve got a very good chance to be successful.”
Oliphant disagrees, saying plenty of people know who he is.
“What I get at the doors is a lot of name and face recognition,” he said, citing numerous public meetings and his highly publicized expense transparency as ways constituents have gotten to know him.
Also in the running for Don Valley West are Green Party candidate Georgina Wilcock, who also ran in Don Valley West in 2008, and NDP hopeful Nicole Yovanoff.