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Thunder Bay, ON -- Over the past week, the federal Minister of Finance has been in the Kenora Riding, as the guest of MP Greg Rickford. Jim Flaherty has been in Red Lake, where he announced funds for projects to boost the community's economy. The Finance Minister then announced $2.4 million in Kenora for more economic development efforts.

In recent times, in Thunder Bay Superior North, the Conservatives have been on what appeared to be a bit of a roll. There was a growing list of Cabinet Ministers hitting the city. The Prime Minister has been in town. The PM had also on an earlier trip travelled to Nipigon on a surprise visit to the community. Cabinet Ministers and funding announcements were starting to become increasingly common.

When it came to infrastructure funds, Thunder Bay received almost everything that was sought. One could have thought that the Conservatives were looking at Thunder Bay Superior North as a potentially winnable seat.

The Minister of Finance skipped Thunder Bay on his latest trip to Northwestern Ontario. Could this could be marking a change in Conservative fortunes in our region? That Flaherty skipped Thunder Bay is different from what has been happening. One might think that with the Thunder Bay Superior North Conservatives having their candidate in place, Michael Auld, who was fresh from candidate training in Ottawa that the Conservative march of high profile MPs and Cabinet Ministers would have continued.

Instead the Minister of Finance choose Red Lake and Kenora. If this is an indication of the political skills of the Conservative candidate Michael Auld, it could mark that the coming election battle in Thunder Bay Superior North will be a two candidate race between Bruce Hyer and the Liberals.

Perhaps for the Conservatives, the nomination race that was decided by a coin toss will show that while Mr. Auld, had the luck that day. If the move by Finance Minister Flaherty to fly over Thunder Bay is the start of a trend, the Conservatives, who have not won a federal seat in the city in recent memory may well end up continuing that streak.

The Liberals have yet to select their candidate. Don McArthur who ran for the Liberals in the last federal election is facing a challenge from Yves Friscot, and Joe Virdiramo.

In Thunder Bay Rainy River, the Liberals acclaimed Ken Boshcoff as their challenger to incumbent MP John Rafferty. The word from the Thunder Bay Rainy River Conservatives is "No doubt having a candidate in place at the present time in preparation for the next election would only bring us benefits. But for the present the Candidate Search Committee continues to search".

James Murray
News Director

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