An associate professor of political science at the University of Windsor is not surprised Prime Minister Stephen Harper limited his answers to media questions during a campaign stop in Windsor over the weekend.
Lydia Miljan says the purpose of a visit from a party leader is to motivate campaign volunteers and highlight important planks in the party's platform, so complicated questions won't likely get the in-depth answers they deserve.
Media covering Harper's campaign are limited to just five questions per stop, one for local media. One question focused on the impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal Unifor has demanded include quotas for regional content. Miljan admits Harper's answer may have been lacking but says giving a specific answer is difficult under the campaign's format.
"I think he gave as good an answer as anyone could, given the constraints of the format," she says. "There're a lot of battle lines being drawn. But, unless you're following the negotiations, it's going to be very difficult for any of us to understand what it's going to mean for us."
As for who benefited from Sunday's visit at Anchor Danly, Miljan believes that would be the Conservative candidate in Windsor-Tecumseh, Joanne Gignac. She says the Conservatives know it's going to be a horse race between Gignac and NDP candidate Cheryl Hardcastle. Liberal candidate Frank Schiller is also running in Windsor-Tecumseh.
Some pundits believe Essex MP Jeff Watson is vulnerable to the NDP's Tracey Ramsey, but Miljan doesn't think the party believes so. The Liberal candidate in Essex is Audrey Festeryga.
As for Windsor West, she says the party pretty much has accepted the riding will go to NDP incumbent Brian Masse. Henry Lau is running for the Conservatives, and Dave Sundin is the Liberal candidate in Windsor West.
