It’s Ignatieff vs. Boyer in tight race

From the Toronto Star:

Some Tory campaign workers say privately that Etobicoke-Lakeshore is one of the party’s best chances at making inroads into the 416 area. In the 2006 federal election Ignatieff defeated his Tory rival by fewer than 5,000 votes.

Boyer, who represented the riding for two terms during the Mulroney years, likes to emphasize his local roots, pointing out that he lives on the lakeshore and runs a publishing house nearby.

Ignatieff, Liberal deputy leader, likes to emphasize that he is often seen on television holding the Tories to account in the House of Commons, but it’s constituency work that he finds rewarding, such as helping a voter with an immigration problem.

Also running are Liam McHugh-Russell for the NDP, Dave Corail for the Green party and Janice Murray for the Marxist-Leninist Party.

While Etobicoke-Lakeshore is a Liberal stronghold, Ignatieff was parachuted in to replace a popular Jean Augustine amidst controversy when others trying to apply for the seat were locked out.  Augustine defended the action, from the same article:

She told The Hill Times that the takeover was orchestrated by “a group of individuals who are from the Ukrainian community” who wanted to ensure that the next MP was Ukrainian. Etobicoke-Lakeshore has one of the largest Ukrainian-Canadian populations in Canada.

Ignatieff has gained heat in his own riding, for starters living in Boston most of his life and currently not even residing in the riding he is to represent.  Also some choice words from his book Blood and Belonging:

My difficulty in taking Ukraine seriously goes deeper than just my cosmopolitan suspicion of nationalists everywhere. Somewhere inside I’m also what Ukrainians would call a great Russian and there is just a trace of old Russian disdain for these little Russians.

The Liberals are losing their hold on this riding, and I’m glad to see this group is also losing voters.

Canadians vote today

Today is the Federal election, the blogosphere deems the following candidates the most Ukrainian friendly:

If you’re not already registered or haven’t recieved your voter card in the mail, you can still vote provided you bring any of the
following;

  • Government-issued photo ID with an address (but not a passport).
  • Two pieces of ID without a photo, as long as one has your address. These can
    be bills, a health card or a library card.
  • Another registered voter from your district who will vouch for you under
    oath.

Not sure where to vote?  Visit Elections
Canada and enter in your postal code
.

Movie review: The English Surgeon

Earlier this Spring I was lucky enough to catch this great documentary called The English Surgeon at HotDocs, an intimate portrait of a brain surgeon working in an ill-equipped Ukrainian hospital and dealing with the moral and ethical issues that often exist between doctor and patient relationships.

It was an amazing movie to see, and it ended up winning the HotDocs festival.  When the movie was released on DVD it was only available in England but I was lucky enough to have some friends bring it over and it has been a pleasure to watch again.  Here is a trailer of the movie and some screenshots (click on them for a larger image):


Edit: I’m happy to report that now the DVD is available to all on their official site and finally comes in NTSC format which can be played on North American DVD players.  It’s about 16 pounds to purchase, but with the pound coming down recently now is a great to come to buy it!

Edit #2: While the entire movie can now be found on YouTube, it would be great to support the author and buy the DVD.

Ukraine’s president dissolves parliament, calls election

From CBC:

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko abandoned the search for a functioning governing coalition on Wednesday, dissolved parliament and called the third election since his “Orange” revolution swept to power in the 2004 vote.

“I hereby declare the activities of … parliament to be suspended and call an early parliamentary election,” Yushchenko said in a recorded television address.

“The vote will take place in democratic and lawful fashion.”

Prime Minister turncoat?

From Reuters:

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin has struck a tactical alliance with its former foe Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko designed to help her become the next president and help Russia rein in Ukraine’s drive to embrace the West.

Tymoshenko and the Kremlin have put aside years of mutual suspicion to unite against Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, the driving force behind Kiev’s ambitions to join NATO and Tymoshenko’s rival in a bitter struggle for power.

Is this for real?  Not a lot of news has been generated, but this is definitely something to look out for.