1. Now you seem him, now you don’t. Michael Ignatieff’s Liberals are circulating pictures from an all-candidates meeting in Vaughan, Ont., Tuesday night to bolster their spin that star Conservative candidate Julian Fantino is running a peek-a-boo campaign.
It’s getting nasty out there ahead of Monday’s vote in three federal by-elections provoked by long-serving MPs stepping down to run municipally.
Tuesday night, he was a no-show at a public forum organized by a local newspaper.
“Mr. Fantino was out of sight last night, having refused to accept any of the dates offered to him to participate in the local newspaper's all-candidates debate,” a senior Ignatieff official told The Globe on Wednesday. “It’s a stinging rebuke to all the people of Vaughan who showed up and for him to think he’s above basic democracy and doesn't need to answer to the citizens he's running to represent.”
Despite the outrage, the Tories had said last week Mr. Fantino would not be able to attend the event because of a family conflict. He had participated in a Rogers TV debate earlier that day.
The Conservatives are running a classic frontrunner campaign for Mr. Fantino, keeping him out of the spotlight to avoid any missteps. But he is active in safer venues, such as on social media.
In fact, the 68-year-old retired cop took to Twitter after he finished the television debate, showing he is engaging with his opponent despite the Liberal view. “Just finished up at the Rogers debate. Great discussion on the future of our community,” he said. “Thanks to my fellow residents who asked questions.”