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January, 2005 Archives

January 31, 2005 - In watching the legal wrangling at the Gomery inquiry this morning, it is clear to this website that the quality of evidence being presented by both sides are certainly not on par with each other.  Of course, TDH Strategies does not have a law background to buttress the following observations, and thus any opinions expressed must first be acknowledged as practical and simple, if you will.

On the one hand, you have Jean Chretien's lawyers focussing in on two key points deeming Justice John Gomery as inappropriate to continue on in his role as an "impartial" head of this commission.  First of course are the blatantly biased and premature remarks that Gomery made to the media in December, where he called Chuck Guité "a charming scamp," referred to golf balls bearing Jean Chretien's name as "small-town cheap," and finally stated that certain witnesses had lied, and that the sponsorship program had been run in a "catastrophically bad way."  Secondly, Chretien's lawyers have pointed to Gomery's spokesperson, who when questioned about his boss' impartiality, openly discussed and described private letters that had been received by the public, all allegedly in support of the Gomery and critical of Chretien, whom he suggested people believed to be hiding something.

Then, you have the forces that are trying to ensure that Gomery stays on in his role, which at best have used nominal arguments to try and quash the criticisms that have been levied.  There were the word games, examining every Gomery utterance made to the media, and subsequently determining that while comments had been made, they were not conclusive in nature.  Then, there was the argument that an inquiry of this sort is not on the level of civil or criminal court proceedings, where standards for the impartiality of judges is much higher. Finally, they brought in "evidence" of other inquiries where more serious accusations of impropriety had been advanced, yet the judge in question remained on in his/her capacity.

The bottom line is, Gomery brought this on himself.  Aside from the appointment of Bernard Roy, best friend to Brian Mulroney and long time Liberal detractor, as chief counsel for the commission (which had already impugned the process long before these latest proceedings), Gomery's comments were out of line for a man that is supposed to draw his conclusions following the presentation of ALL the witnesses and testimony.

Whether you like Jean Chretien, or you hate the man, no one can accuse him of avoiding his responsibilities.  He has never argued in favour of not appearing in front of the inquiry - in fact, he is scheduled to testify in weeks (and will do so, whether there is a delay because of this hullballoo or not).  Therefore, in consideration of Gomery's conduct, Mr. Chretien has every right to question whether he is going to get a fair shake when his time comes to present his evidence and recollections. 

Anyone who tries to use today's course of events as proof of avoidance by the former Prime Minister is clearly motivated by politics, not the facts.

January 28, 2005 - The Abu Ghraib prison abuses which are just now being prosecuted were very, very disturbing.  But this use of women in regards to the illegal detention of Muslim prisoners at Guantanamo Bay is just sick.  Just like conservative agitator and Fox news comentator Ann Coulter (you know, the one who said that "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity" after 9/11), it seems as though the U.S government has absolutely no regard for culture, faith or belief when it comes to those they deem as terrorists (which at best is an arbitrary characterization for any prisoner placed at Guantanamo Bay).

January 28, 2005 - Front page of the Vancouver Sun today:

Wow...that kind of puts a wrinkle in the rumour that TDH Strategies reported on January 4, stating that the Liberals were heavily recruiting Belinda for a cabinet posting.

Nonetheless, now that it appears she is staying, so many questions pop up:

Will both enter the Magna's As Prime Minister Awards contest to decide who gets to run for the Conservative leadership?

Will the blonde bombshell still have Conservative fan clubs of young men with neckties tied way too tight now that she is "taken"?

Did the little spat that almost came to blows between Reg Alcock and Peter McKay last May occur because big Reg was looking at Belinda?

Is Belinda weary about signing a potential pre-nup agreement with Peter, considering his shady history with putting his name to documents that he has no intention of abiding by?

* * * * *

Glad to see that the Vancouver Sun continues to practise that hard-hitting brand of journalism that distinguishes it from the tabloid-style Vancouver Province.

January 26, 2005 - With all the images of school children emptying their piggy banks, and the hundreds of underprivileged Canadians who felt compelled to donate whatever they could, this story about the city council of Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan is utterly disgusting.

In order to preserve their $30,000 centennial fireworks fund, council has asked for the $10,000 they originally committed to the Canadian Red Cross tsunami relief efforts back, citing the original vote as invalid.  Why, you might ask?  Well, apparently the Mayor was in hospital, and the councillor sitting as his replacement who opposed the donation didn't end up voting, thinking that he couldn't. 

Here is hoping that the 5,000 residents of Meadow Lake enjoy their fireworks display, because with the way that city council has disgraced their community, it had better be spectacular.

January 26, 2005 - Conspiracy theorists will go wild with this apparent link between new Minister of Immigration Joe Volpe and the most infamous pizza man in Canada, Harjit Singh.  And while the coincidence is suspect, considering the ongoing soap opera surrounding this case, TDH Strategies' sources back in Ottawa have confirmed that Volpe's name on that letter has nothing to do with his emergence into the portfolio.

On a side note, it will be interesting to see how Judy Sgro's impending civil case against Singh plays out, as a huge question looms for Paul Martin if Sgro is exonerated from the accusations made against her.  Then again, politics is all about the 2 minute attention span, and so by the time that court date is wrapped up, any promises made to Sgro about the possibility of being placed back in cabinet will likely be long forgotten.

January 25, 2004 - Stephen Harper is hastening his own demise within the Conservative party of Canada, having nothing to do with the actual position he is advancing with regards to same-sex marriage.  Rather, it is his conduct in rolling out that position that is splitting his party and creating disunity.

The ad campaign, which is targeting ethnic communities across the country, was Harper's idea, launched without any consultation with his caucus.  This unilateral action on such a contentious topic (even within the Conservative caucus) is sure to create hostility amongst his MPs, many of whom have been questioning Harper's ability to lead ever since the close of the election.

From a purely political point of view, one wonders what Harper thinks he is going to accomplish from a strategy that is sure to alienate a good percentage of the Canadian public as well as the people he has to work side by side with everyday.  Regardless, from his pontificating on polygamy, to now his attempts to create wedges within ethnic populations across the country, to his inability to show respect for the opinions of his colleagues, Harper continues to step in it with every step he takes backward, and he has no one to blame but himself.

January 24. 2005 - This story detailing George W. Bush's attempts to threaten Canadian officials over the government's reluctance to commit to the missile defence shield is being met with little comment from both Ottawa and the White House, almost guaranteeing that the story is true.

It is infuriating to think that Paul Martin's dithering on the subject matter, in spite of the fact that he is well aware of the very palpable opposition in this country, is allowing the Texas cowboy to come up here and lay down demands with conditions attached.

Bush's threats are laughable, simply for the fact that an attack on Canada is essentially the same thing as an attack on the United States, due if nothing else to our shared land mass of North America.  Nonetheless, Martin has been so very wishy-washy and slow moving on this file than now he has boxed himself into a corner.

Forget talk about same-sex marriage being cause from Paul Martin to call an election (a stance that he has, not surprisingly, now backed away from after his usual dose of fire and brimstone before the cameras), because missile defence is a far more touchy issue that will plunge this country into a soul-searching national debate.

Buck up Martin, and deal with the issue, rather than avoiding it until the last minute.  Because if it isn't already too late to make a sovereign decision, that day is fast approaching.

January 21, 2004 - Warren Kinsella's testimony was largely uneventful, and relatively short.  Nonetheless, there were moments that showed the typical Kinsella output - confident, cocky, indignant, and on the ball.  Still, TDH Strategies and many others were hoping that Kinsella would have had the opportunity to show why the whole commission is a sham largely because of the conduct of its namesake.  But alas, witnesses can only answer what is asked of them.

January 21, 2004 - Warren Kinsella is set to testify in front of the Gomery Pyle Commission, and with his disdain for how Gomery has handled his job so far, it should be great theatre.  The proceedings are being broadcast on CPAC for anyone interested in watching...will be back later to write a review.

As a side note, in the epic battle yesterday between "freedom" and "liberty," freedom was clearly the winner, as the final tally came in at 27 for freedom, 15 for liberty (and that was just the inauguration speech!).  Ugh...how the clueless leader to the south has perverted those two words.  If TDH Strategies never hears either again, it will be too soon.

January 21, 2004 - Stephen Harper and the Conservatives have hit rock bottom.  The entire country knows where you stand in terms of same-sex marriage, Mr. Harper, and your position is shared by close to half the population.  Fine...no problem.  However, suggesting that polygamy and other radical demands are just around the corner should the same-sex marriage bill be passed...ludicrous, absolutely ludicrous.

Harper had a foothold in this debate, and really was starting to resonate with certain segments of the Canadian population.  This stunt, however, leaves him with absolutely no credibility on the subject matter, and shows that the only way he knows how to get his viewpoints across is through scare tactics.

January 19, 2004 - TDH Strategies wishes to heap huge praise on Navdeep Bains, the young Amritdhari Sikh MP from Mississauga-Brampton South.  Paul Martin's tour of India has been dominated by one issue, that being Canada's plans to legalize same-sex marriage.  The Prime Minister and his 6 Liberal MPs of Sikh heritage have had to deal with an edict by Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, from the Akal Takht in Amritsar (regarded as the seat of supreme Sikh authority), denouncing same-sex marriage, and advising Sikhs not to support anyone who promotes it.

While Minister of Health Ujjal Dosanjh has shown solidarity as part of cabinet, Mr. Bains (who is a turbaned Sikh) has been particularly impressive for his strong defence of the charter in the face of pressures from his faith in the heart of India.  Listen to the eloquence of this rising star:

"When you're not the minority and someone else is the minority, how easy it is to point the finger at another minority."

"I think Sikhs, Muslims, Hindus and all other faiths and all other minorities and communities that exist in Canada cannot forget how important that Charter has been to us in the past and will be in the future as well."

Recognizing that the proposed legislation will have no bearing on any religious institution and the decisions that they make towards same-sex marriage, Bains has articulated the essence of what makes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms such a special gift to every Canadian.

TDH Strategies has listened to many of the names being bandied around as potential Liberal leadership candidates (yes, the governing party eats its own pretty quickly), and not one of them has had the ability to inspire hope, passion, or excitement.  Maybe the way to reinvigorate such sentiments is by turning to new blood, which then begs the question:

Mr. Bains, are you interested?

January 18, 2004 - Paul Martin always used the unaccountable power in the PMO as a rallying cry for his leadership campaign and those who were sick of the way Jean Chretien governed.

How ironic then is the revelation that senior officials in the Prime Minister's Office thwarted an attempt by Ihor Wons, former immigration minister Judy Sgro's chief of staff, to resign back in November.

Here is some of the text from the resignation letter that Wons drafted in advance of a story in the Toronto Sun that detailed his visit to a strip club to discuss getting 18 strippers into the country from the Dominican Republic:

Make no mistake about it - the democratic deficit that Paul Martin preached about for years is more prominent than it ever has been before.  Only now, Mr. Martin is the Prime Minister, and so the urgency to empower individual members of parliament has not surprisingly fallen off his list of priorities.

January 17, 2004 - Chantal Hébert has a wonderful article in today's Toronto Star, detailing exactly why Stephen Harper will forever be playing political catch-up in the province of Quebec.

First, without even considering his election prospects in la belle province, this website is convinced that Mr. Harper came about as close as he is ever going to get to 24 Sussex Drive during last June's campaign.  He squandered the opportunity of momentum, a phenomenon that doesn't come around too often for Conservatives in this country.

When you combine this fact with his dismal prospects for any type of substantial breakthrough in Quebec, Harper has a party that is destined to serve as official opposition for some time to come.  As regional as this might sound, the Conservatives will never succeed in Quebec without a leader from the east, along the bilingual lines of Mario Dumont of Quebec's ADQ or Bernard Lord, Premier of New Brunswick.

The policy Conservative convention scheduled to take place in Montreal in March will help the party better define itself to the voters of the country. Unfortunately for the Tories, great policy with a lacklustre leader is a recipe for second place, every time.

January 14, 2004 - As foreseen in TDH Strategies' predictions for 2005 (scroll down to the bottom of the page), Judy Sgro has resigned from her post as Minister of Immigration.  The final nail in her coffin was a sworn affidavit from Harjit Singh, who owns a pizza shop in Brampton, Ontario, claiming that Sgro offered him exemption from deportation in exchange for providing free pizza and 15 volunteers for her election campaign.  This revelation if of course only the continuation of earlier stories detailing how Sgro made other political promises to a Romanian stripper in exchange for her volunteer efforts, while at the same time denying entry of a malnourished Vietnamese boy into the country.

In the view of this website, Sgro's abuse of her specific position is particularly deplorable, far surpassing the shame associated with politicians who misappropriate public funds into their own bank accounts.  The reasoning behind this viewpoint is grounded in the immense value that a Canadian passport has to people around the world.  Immigrants, who are truly the lifeblood of Canada because of our shrinking birth rate and declining workforce, fight to come to this country in order to secure a better future for their families.  So the thought of using Canadian citizenship as a tool for political gain is really heart-wrenching.

A brilliant rant by the CBC's Rex Murphy a couple of weeks back equated the privilege of being born here to winning a global lottery, a comment motivated by the poverty and hardship that the people of Southeast Asia are currently experiencing.  Sgro has tarnished the Canadian passport, and disrespected the entire immigration process, and for the first time in a long time, done the right thing by deciding to step down.

Let's now hope that recent pledges by the Canadian government to make Canada's system of immigration more equitable, accountable, and efficient are acted upon with solemnity, respect and dignity.

January 13, 2004 - Yeah right Paul...your government hasn't made a decision yet.   

January 13, 2004 - What is with royalty?

According to local news reports, one of Thailand's princesses is staying in Vancouver's Pan Pacific Hotel for a skiing vacation.  She is in a $1000/night suite, and is ordering food from the best Thai restaurants in the city.

With the state her country is in at the moment, this is utterly classless.

And as of yesterday, the following picture is causing waves of anger across the world.  Not only is it offensive, but also very confusing.

Apparently, the young Prince was attending a friend's birthday party which had a fancy dress requirement of "colonial and native."  Huh??? While this was Harry's choice to fit the theme of the party, his brother William chose a lion's costume.

Maybe Prince Charles becoming King wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

January 11, 2004 - The Canadian government has to be congratulated for yesterday's announcement of $425 to Southeast Asia over the next 5 years.  Paul Martin is backing up his deep interest in international affairs with concrete commitments to Asia, and has put Canada's assistance in the upper echelon of global contributions for tsunami aid relief.

Now while this is a major step forward for Canada's role in international development, it does bring to light several of the systemic shortcomings that prevent this kind of presence from being sustained.

First, in his latest rant (which sounds very similar to this website's commentary on DART yesterday, and can be watched by clicking here), Rick Mercer details that the delay in getting the team out to Sri Lanka can be directly linked to the fact that DART's budget has been cut to a meagre $250,000 a year.  As Mercer points out, what can they do with that kind of an annual budget...buy a bungalow in Calgary?

Secondly, Canada's Official Development Aid (ODA) still falls well short of the 0.7% percent of GNP, a pledge that was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1970 (we are currently at just about half of that amount).  Therefore, if Canada's contribution of $425 million consists of $160 million that had already been earmarked for use by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), it is entirely correct to be concerned about money being diverted from other countries in need like Sudan.  In spite of the government's assurance that other aid and development activities will not be shortchanged, unless our ODA is dramatically increased, it is going to be a very difficult balancing act in the years to come.

Mr. Martin has been working hard to foster multilateral relationships with the rest of the world over the past 3-4 months.  Before his valiant efforts can be taken seriously, however, the Prime Minister must beef up his own country's international integration and take a leadership role through unyielding and properly funded action. 

January 10, 2004 - Sorry, but in spite of the Canadian government's tsunami disaster contribution of $80 million+, and regardless of how many cabinet ministers make their way by helicopter around the affected areas, this delay in sending the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) into Sri Lanka is an utter disgrace.

Everyday we hear about the time it is going to take to translate global contributions of billions of dollars into tangible relief on the ground.  Yet, a team that could make a huge impact by supplying fresh drinking water and improving sanitation facilities is mired in a bureaucratic maze.

2 weeks after the disaster, and the Canadian crack team arrives on the scene, breaking their 5 year hibernation from active duty.

For the time being, we will just have to continue to rely on the media's archival footage of DART in action circa 1998-1999 to witness how effective and helpful this group can be.

This website has never been a big booster for increasing the size and capability of Canada's military, but if this incompetence doesn't raise a couple of eyebrows over in Ottawa, absolutely nothing will.

January 10, 2004 - So U.S. Ambassador Paul Cellucci is saying that Canada will sign on to the continental missile defence plan before the end of March.  Apparently, he has been given assurances that "it will be dealt with," which is a surprising claim, particularly with a minority government.

TDH Strategies applauds the recent announcement that this blowhard is leaving his post in Canada and going back to the private sector.  His Massachusetts smugness and adversarial tone over the past four years will certainly not be missed.

January 10, 2004 - Just when Israelis thought it might be safe to live their lives with piece of mind after a decisive victory by Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian Authority president, he includes this statement in his acceptance speech:

"There is a difficult mission ahead to build our state, to achieve security for our people...to give our prisoners freedom, our fugitives a life in dignity, to reach our goal of an independent state."

If Abbas can't reign in the violence by these groups, the peace process will remain a stagnant ideal rather than a work of tangible progress.  And unfortunately, this guy already sounds like he will serve as little more than a political pansy for Palestinian militants.

January 7, 2004 - The NDP is requesting that the foreign affairs committee be able to review whether Frank McKenna is fit for the job of Canada's ambassador to the U.S.   

While it is the view of this website that placing McKenna in such a position would hugely benefit Canada-U.S. relations, Jack Layton has every right to question the merits of an individual for such a crucial international posting.  The U.S. Congressional hearings that are currently taking place for attorney general-designate Alberto Gonzales have been very important in demonstrating some of the inconsistencies between Gonzales's previous and current opinions on the use of torture.

With regards to McKenna, there is a fundamental question that Chantal Hébert raises in her column in the Toronto Star this morning: Will McKenna's close business ties to the investment empire closely linked to the Bush family's political circle ease Paul Martin into participation in the ballistic missile defence shield, or buffer him from criticism when he rejects Canada being involved?

The Canadian government still has not felt the complete disposition of a Canadian public who is largely against involvement in such a plan. One hopes that McKenna will be able smooth things over after Martin is forced to follow the will of Canadians.  Of course, there is always the likelihood of another election if he decides to travel down a different policy path.

January 6, 2004 - In response to this column written by Allen Garr in the Vancouver Courier, this letter was just submitted to the paper:

In his haste to extol the virtues of Metis lawyer Terrence La Liberte (who without doubt is a worthy appointment to the Vancouver police board), it is clear that Allen Garr didn't take the time to find out the facts regarding Mayor Larry Campbell's nominee Randeep Singh Sarai.

In yet another example of the local media's insistence on portraying Indo-Canadians in a negative light, Garr's column paints Mr. Sarai as a shady figure whose integrity is dwarfed by his ambition

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Sarai was never involved in forcing the resignation of former cabinet minister Herb Dhaliwal.  In fact, Mr. Sarai worked tirelessly for many years defending the right of the Minister to fight a fair and open nomination process.  As a former member of Minister Dhaliwal's staff, I can say that our office was always appreciative of the dedication and loyalty that was shown by the young lawyer.  And, when an opportunity for the nomination did arise after Mr. Dhaliwal's retirement, Sarai lobbied hard against the anti-democratic appointment by Prime Minister Paul Martin, asking only for a fair and equal opportunity.

Mayor Larry Campbell made a smart and bold selection, and I hope that Mr. Sarai continues to involve himself in Vancouver municipal politics, where current Indo-Canadian participation is severely lacking.

January 6, 2004 - For all of you political junkies out there, CNN's decision not to renew the contract of controversial conservative commentator Tucker Carlson can only be seen as a major development.  Some might remember Carlson's thrust into the public consciousness this past fall when fake news extraordinaire Jon Stewart's appearance on the Carlson's Crossfire show, when the comedian called the show harmful to America, and referred to Tucker as a "dick." (check out this clip to truly understand the exchange).  Canadians will also remember him fondly for his recent interview with maverick MP Carolyn Parrish, where he called Canada insignificant and a nation of dogsledders.

Here is CNN head Jonathan Klein commenting on the network's move:

"I guess I come down more firmly in the Jon Stewart camp."

Wow.  Watch Tucker join his other neo-con colleagues over at MSNBC, where him and his goofy bowties will likely get a nighttime talk-show gig.

Scorecard:  Fake News - 1, News Leader - 0.

Stewart's The Daily Show will be must-see television tonight.

January 4, 2005 - Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams has become a folk hero in his province for his strong stand against the federal government regarding offshore oil and gas revenues.  And, he has provided worthy arguments as to how he feels that Paul Martin reneged on a deal that apparently was agreed to in June.

His total disrespect for the country, and more specifically our flag, however, is political posturing that crosses the line.  It is offensive, and really taking away the credibility and political capital that Williams has accumulated over the past 2 months.

Protests are scheduled to take place today in Labrador, and federal Minister of Natural Resources and fellow Newfoundlander John Efford is greeting Williams' requests for another meeting with disdain until the premier changes his policy on flying Canadian flags in the province.

This website has been very supportive of Williams' position, as evidenced by this paragraph from a commentary from November 1:

"Sustained growth for a period far beyond the point of reaching Ontario's fiscal capacity is the only way that Newfoundland and Labrador can really grow into a self-sustaining economic engine for the country.  So as was done with Alberta when the province was first developing its oil patch, Paul Martin should make Newfoundland's oil revenues exempt from the equalization formula."

Nonetheless, as this flag protest stretches into weeks, Williams' is going to understand that he is not doing himself or the fortunes of his province any favours by continuing to trample on the unity of this country.

Message to the premier:  It's time to get back to the real issues at hand by sticking with an unwavering front to get what is due for Newfoundland and Labrador (this article is a real eye opener).

January 4, 2005 - How about this behind-the-scenes maneuvering that TDH Strategies stumbled onto yesterday:

Conservative MP Belinda Stronach is being heavily recruited by the Liberals, and is having a cabinet posting dangled in front of her as an incentive.

In terms of optics, having a second former Conservative leadership candidate cross the floor (the first being Minister of Public Works Scott Brison) would be a major coup for the government.  On the other hand, if the Paul Martin cabinet is already generally recognized as thin on talent, TDH Strategies shudders to think what it will be characterized as after Ms. Stronach is named as Secretary of State responsible for the As Prime Minister Awards. 

January 3, 2005 - Happy New Year!

The way that 2004 ended was fitting of a very difficult year for many around the world.  2005 is a welcome change on the calendar.

Everyone should be aware that Revenue Canada has not only extended the fiscal year to include 2004 tax receipts for all tsunami disaster donations made up until January 11, but is also matching each of those donations dollar for dollar.  Please take advantage of these concessions and give generously.  The Canadian Red Cross, Oxfam Canada, or World Vision Canada are all good places to direct your kindness.

Now, as promised, here are TDH Strategies' top 10 predictions for the coming year (in no particular order):

1) If a federal election is called in 2005, the Liberals will improve on their current fortunes with a majority government.

2) The Conservative Party of Canada will be in the thick of a leadership horserace again (either officially or unofficially) by the end of year.  New Brunswick premier Bernard Lord will toss his hat into the ring.

3) The U.S. will use the Iraqi elections as the basis to begin to retreat from Iraq, beginning with the number of troops stationed in the country.  Donald Rumsfeld will not be Secretary of Defence by June.

4) Kofi Annan will be forced to leave the United Nations, led behind the scenes by a push from the United States.

5) As a witness in front of the Gomery Pyle Commission, Paul Martin will be found to have lobbied for sponsorship grant applications in his riding, although he will incur little political damage as a result.  Jean Chretien will also testify, although lawyers will be unable to pin him down to anything but defending a united Canada.

6) Judy Sgro will be the first and only Minister to resign from the Paul Martin cabinet.

7) Industry Minister David Emerson will emerge as one of the top 2 or 3 performing members of the Martin administration.  He will make his mark by expanding and opening up new trading relationships for Canada.

8) Tony Blair will win a third majority in the U.K., and take a strong lead in managing the Middle East peace process.  By year's end, Blair will be heralded for his progress, while planning for an exit from public life.

9) The Democratic party in the United States will go through the process of major soul searching, and come up with solutions for how they can reconnect with the American public.  This will plunge the American "left" further into neo-conservative territory, giving George W. Bush the kind of lift that will see him face little to no opposition for all of 2005.

10) BC premier Gordon Campbell will win a second majority, but will also lose about 25 seats in the process.  He will form a new cabinet with a bunch of new, unknown faces, while NDP leader Carole James will struggle to gain traction after the election.  Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell will cruise to an easy victory, and will preside over a council fractured by an NPA recovery, a COPE collapse, and an independent or two.