Hours before a by-election in Vaughan, former Toronto police chief and former OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino is still in hiding, still refusing to appear in public to tell the people he purportedly wants to represent just why he believes he is the right man for the job. It appears the man who has been used to giving the orders is content, temporarily at least, to do as Stephen Harper orders and zip his lip.
(Quotes are included in their original language)
“What’s going on in [Vaughan] is a democratic travesty with the former Ontario police commissioner refusing to appear in public, campaigning by stealth to avoid any tongue-tripping accidents” (Don Martin, National Post, November 24, 2010)
“A police chief, a man of courage should not be the man that sneaks into Parliament. End of story. You do not by duplicity or hiding recommend yourself to the Parliament, and he’s a police chief. Courage is the first virtue, says Aristotle. Show it in your campaign.” (Rex Murphy, CBC’s The National, November 25, 2010)
« L’absence du candidat-vedette [Julian Fantino] a été perçue comme un affront par certains des 200 citoyens présents [au débat des candidats]. » (« Fantino brille par son absence », Radio-Canada.ca, le 25 novembre 2010)
“Perhaps Mr. Fantino has excellent answers to such tough but important questions. But there’s no way of knowing, because he chose to shun the only opportunity to address them in an open public debate where they could be forthrightly raised and debated.” (Editorial, YorkRegion.com, November 24, 2010)
“I find it rather fascinating that you would want to go in a federal arena and agree as you are running to put duct tape over your mouth.” (Chantal Hébert, CBC’s The National, November 25, 2010)
« Tout au long de la campagne, Julian Fantino s’est souvent défilé, fuyant les médias. Accusé par ses opposants d’être muselé par le bureau du premier ministre. » (Radio-Canada, jeudi 25 novembre 2010)
“The whole Conservative strategy now is complete control from the centre. You’re a candidate from us. We tell you what to do and how to do it and when to do it.” (Nelson Wiseman, associate professor of Canadian government and politics at the University of Toronto, Vaughan Citizen, November 18, 2010)
« Et que fait M. Fantino, comme campagne? Il a refusé jusqu’ici tous les débats publics entre les candidats, … et accepté un seul échange enregistré en studio. Comme il n’a pas d’expérience politique et qu’il lui arrive de déraper, il a choisi d’éviter les affrontements. » (Le Soleil, le 25 novembre 2010)
“With less than a week to go before Vaughan voters choose their next member of Parliament, many who attended a byelection debate hosted by The Citizen Tuesday night were disappointed they couldn’t compare the two front-runners side-by side, Conservative candidate Julian Fantino and Liberal candidate Tony Genco.” (Caroline Grech, Vaughan Citizen, November 25, 2010)
“The Canadian Press made a number of requests to interview Fantino but he was not made available. Fantino’s kept a low profile during the campaign and missed every live public debate, including one Tuesday evening.” (The Canadian Press, November 25, 2010)
link: In their own words: Julian Fantino’s no-show
Voters in Vaughan, I hope, will see thru this travesty and elect Tony Genco.
