The Conservative Candidate has Taken a Stealth Approach to Winning the Burlington Seat.

federal election 2019By Pepper Parr

October 15th, 2015

BURLINGTON, ON

 

The Gazette has been interviewing candidates for the upcoming federal election in order to provide a perspective on where they stand on issues of interest to Burlington.  We may not get to them all but we will try.  But there is one candidate who has not yet responded to our request for an interview.

Michaels with election signJane Michaels is the Conservative Party of Canada candidate for Burlington.  And with the Liberals and Conservatives running neck-in-neck according to the national polls, who she is, where she comes from and where she stands should be highly relevant to the voters.  That is particularly important given that her Liberal opponent is generally regarded as doing a fine job representing constituents.

What to say about Jane Michaels, the Conservative Party candidate whose name will be on the ballet you are handed next Monday?

Jane Elizabeth Michaels chose not to take part in the BurlingtonGreen all candidates debate; she chose not to participate in the videos that were done about each candidate, she chose not to take part in the session at Nelson High School where all the candidates met with the students.

The Gazette has received scores of scraps of information; most of it gossip in nature.  We did receive a note from an individual who cannot be identified who said: “I have some very grave concerns about the potential of Jane Michael becoming a member of Canadian Parliament.

“I think there is some information that the Burlington voters have the right to know, but have concerns about what my legal obligation and potential repercussions are pertaining to in-camera meetings of the school board.”

The Gazette is not alone in being shutout by this candidate.  Michaels also chose not to take part in the BurlingtonGreen all candidates debate.  She chose not to participate in the ECoB video interviews.  She chose not to take part in the candidates session at Nelson High School.

We have been advised that Ms Michael’s has been canvassing door to door and that she has opened an office on Brant Street.

Jane and AndrewOne would expect that a candidate for office would relish the opportunity to meet the press and tell her story, to let the the voters know why they should support her.  But Ms. Michaels seems to believe she can win by hiding in her office.

Perhaps she is concerned that someone will ask her about her experience and her political record.  As  as school board trustee she had been sanctioned by the Halton Catholic Board.  According to the former leader of the PC party she falsified her nomination application when she ran for the Tory provincial nomination, neglecting to note that she had declared bankruptcy, not once but several times.

We are advised that Ms. Michaels  attended the Burlington Chamber of Commerce Q&A session.  Were it not for that event we’d have to find ourselves calling Jane Michaels the stealth candidate.

Isn’t it time to come out and meet the public Jane?

 

 

Return to the Front page
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

18 comments to The Conservative Candidate has Taken a Stealth Approach to Winning the Burlington Seat.

  • David

    The reason I will be voting Conservative is Trudeau….Nothing else matters.

  • BJ

    Believe what you hear. No wonder she won’t issue a rebuttal: she can’t because it is all true. If you have nothing to hide, you would be speaking out. I understand she doesn’t have many volunteers and the office is in chaos. Looks good on her. When you disrespect the members of the Community, what do you expect.

  • Phillip Wooster

    David, there is nothing racist about it! Just a typical, sanctimonious Liberal deflection. YOU raised the issue of dual citizenship–it’s a non-issue with Scheer (his father was American, Scheer has been totally focused on Canada) but for you, you don’t want to recognize that Liberals as well hold dual citizenship and as I pointed out, some of these are from countries that don’t have a sterling record of democracy or respect for human rights. I must say I’m not surprised you scream racist—it’s typical of Liberals when confronted with criticism of their viewpoints. Your hero–Trudeau, called a woman a racist for asking if Trudeau was going to pay for the illegal immigration he was promoting. David you should be ashamed for sinking to such a low accusation.

    And as much as you seek to dismiss Trudeau’s corruption as a “mistake” and “acting on bad advice”, it was a mistake he committed over and over and over again. He never even apologized for Lavalin. One can only hope for a Conservative win next Monday so we can call a judicial inquiry into the Lavalin and Mark Norman Scandals and restore the rule of law to Canada.

  • Phillip Wooster

    Let’s assume that your observations about Trudeau’s behaviour about SNC Lavalin are accurate–it was just about jobs and protecting innocent third parties. Wouldn’t Trudeau have just come clean on the alleged scandal and put it behind him? BUT HE DIDN’T! First he lied when the G&M story broke and denied it happened. Then, in the House of Commons, he used his majority to block a motion for a judicial inquiry. Then, he failed to provide JWR a blanket waiver to testify about the WHOLE scandal whereas he allowed Butts and Wernick to testify about the entire episode. Third, he used his majority on the Judicial Committee to shut down further investigation into the affair. Fourth, he rose in the House of Commons to state that the Ethics Commissioner would have full access to witnesses and documents to review the Lavalin scandal but he lied–the Commissioner revealed that he had been blocked from interviewing 9 key witnesses and several documents. Fifth, he used his majority on the Ethics Committee to block the Commissioner from testifying. And finally, the RCMP were prevented from gathering evidence about the scandal from cabinet ministers. SIX separate occasions when Trudean blocked investigation into the Lavalin Scandal—this was a concerted cover-up! If his story were true that this was just about jobs, you don’t spend that much political capital on covering it up. What was he really hiding.

    I must say that I’m disappointed with Scheer’s failure to be fully transparent but his transgressions pale in comparison with Trudeau’s failure to disclose his numerous black-face escapades during the vetting process. And as for his dual citizenship, his dad was from the USA but Scheer’s record is one of being a Canadian–he was born here, raised here, has served in the House of Commons for 14 years and raised his family here. How does that compare with 11 Liberal MP’s with dual citizenship, some from such stalwart democracies as Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan (although Monsef may be from Iran, she’s not sure).

  • Phillip Wooster

    “Trudeau has certainly made many errors in judgement”?????? You call two ethics violations and six deliberate attempts to cover up what is likely a criminal invesigation an “error in judgement”? Trudeau’s behaviour struck directly at the rule of law–a fundamental underpinning of Canadian democracy and you call it “an error in judgement”? God help Canada.

  • Mary Jenkins

    Pepper, I see you are carefully choosing which comments you choose to post. You’re not even trying to hide your partisanship. I just read the very lengthy article you wrote on Karina. You left out her voting record. Seems to me that should be most important. Voting to keep a child rapist and murderer in a healing lodge. Voting to halt investigations into our government. Voting to turf two extremely bright women MPS for exposing Trudeau. Hmmmm what are you basing your opinion on?

    • Bob

      I’m pretty sure that the readership is waiting for the Pepper and Ray in depth piece on JM, when and if she comes out of hiding. If you even believe half the negative stuff out there about JM, She has some explaining to do – like setting record straight.

  • Penny Hersh

    David, that’s a very good question. Is Justin Trudeau not a reflection of the party? I have not as yet voted – I will – but I have found this election to be very difficult.

    • Mike Ettlewood

      Penny:

      He is or, at least, he should be. But this election has been, like the provincial election before, an uncomfortable array of choices that leave one with a bad taste and a worse result. Personally, I believe that when party platforms do not compel, then one should try to choose the best individual regardless of political affiliation. There is also the option of registering a ‘non vote’ which is exercising your mandate but essentially saying “none of the above”. This is better than a spoiled ballot because you have indeed voted and expressed your fundamental dissatisfaction.

  • Elan

    Jane Michael was pushed out as the Provincial candidate by those who (in their weird wisdom) backed Jane McKenna, thee of the “make Burlington Great again” slogan (ouch! – 44% of the vote got her in….to cut the ribbon on the monstrosity on 22 Brant Street!) Jane Micheal sued the conservative party. The settlement is that Burlington gets her as the Federal candidate to the Conservative Party. Wow. And she is a no show….like…everywhere. She did show up at my house last week. Said people were mean to her. geez. wonder why?

  • Mike Ettlewood

    It’s unfortunate that our electoral system permits a candidate who refuses to engage with potential constituents to have their name stand on the ballot. Whatever your political allegiance, the reluctance of a candidate to participate in multiple forums where differences in platform and policy are discussed, should be deeply disturbing. I am appalled by Ms. Michael’s strategy of silence. I am more appalled at the prospect that she may, in fact, win.

  • Phil

    Stealth approach, it is. A few weeks back, I watched a fellow in a pickup truck stop in front of my house and erect an “Elect Jane Michael” sign on my front lawn. I haven’t spoken to ANYBODY from the Conservative party during the run-up to this election, and although I’m probably on a list somewhere as having been a Conservative supporter for most of my adult life (I’ve become disillusioned with them, and did *not* give them my vote in the last federal election), I found it really presumptuous of them to just assume it was OK to stick one of Jane’s signs on my lawn with absolutely no form of prior contact. I removed it immediately.

    I took a quick tour around the neighbourhood, and was not surprised to see quite a few other Jane Michael signs had been planted that same afternoon. But the *really* curious thing is that, during the following week, all but one of them has disappeared. Is everyone’s experience the same as mine, or are we just getting to the point where advertising your political alignment to your neighbours is just too divisive?

  • Stephen White

    Sad performance….really, really sad!!

  • Roger

    Jane was barely qualified a trustee – she will be a bench warmer – if elected

  • Penny Hersh

    The question then becomes do you vote for the party and its platform or the person representing the party in your City?

  • Jim Ridley

    Her absence in public forums only gives credence to the rumors about her. It appears that her only asset is her name on lawn signs with navy blue backgrounds, and I worry that for many voters that will be reasonenough.

  • Hans Jacobs

    Apparently the salary for an MP is $195 K. For that kind of money most of us would probably want a more serious applicant.