British Columbia NDP leadership candidates from left: John Horgan, Adrian Dix, Nicolas Simons, Mike Farnworth and Dana Larsen pose for photographs together before a debate in Surrey, B.C., on Sunday March 20, 2011.Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press
I cruised by the deserted Olympic Village on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and, lo and behold, an NDP leadership debate broke out.
Truth to say, it was better than I expected, and a marked improvement over the dreadfully dull, all-candidate encounters during Christy Clark's run for the roses.
I'm not sure why, exactly. Perhaps I became overly beatific listening to all that waxing over the virtues of hemp from pot activist Dana Larsen.
But there was energy, good humour and not a weak performer in the bunch. I guess, after several months on the campaign trail, the candidates have ironed over their weaknesses and now know what works before a friendly NDP crowd.
I took note of Mike Farnworth's forthrightness ("The NDP got it wrong on the carbon tax."); Dana Larsen's vow to provide "leadership that is fundamentally socialist"; Adrian Dix, wearing a bright orange tie, attacking Christy Clark's determination to overturn the feds' rejection of Taseko Mine ("You've got to be pretty far out on the political fringe to be to the right of Stephen Harper."); the wry sincerity of Nicholas Simons ("People say I'm too nice to be leader. I want to reassure you: I'm not that nice, actually."), and John Horgan's quip about working for the last four NDP premiers - Mike Harcourt, Glen Clark, Dan Miller "and that other guy at the end. I can't remember his name." (Columnist aside: That would be Ujjal Dosanjh, who bolted the NDP for the federal Liberals, after presiding over the party's 77-2 electoral drubbing in 2001).
Another observation: Local MLA Jenny Kwan did not show up. Probably a wise decision. Not all party members have forgiven Ms. Kwan for the tenor of her attack on former leader Carole James, which led to Ms. James's resignation. Her presence might have reminded people that each of the three leading candidates strongly supported Ms. James against Ms. Kwan's no-holds-barred verbal assault.
*****
Being a perpetual sucker for silliness, I can't resist pointing out that candidates were also grilled on the question considered critical to netting the undecided aquatic vote, still believed to be swimming around in circles. "If you were a salmon, what species would you be?"
With no wish to offend a fish, all five responded. Just for the halibut, here's what they said.
Nicholas Simons: "I'm not sure, but I can tell you, I wouldn't be farmed salmon."
Adrian Dix: "Pink."
John Horgan: "At the beginning of the campaign, I would have said Chinook. But I've slimmed down a bit, so it's Coho. I'll leave Mike [Farnworth]to be Chinook."
Mike Farnworth: "I'm proud to be a Chinook. It's the biggest, fastest, smartest, strongest, and that's what we're going to need to defeat the Liberals in the next election."
Dana Larsen: "As a former leader of the B.C. Marijuana Party, I would have to be smoked salmon."
That brought the house down.
***
Speaking of marine culture, a shockingly brainy young person down at the Vancouver Aquarium has discovered that it would take one electric eel just three years to provide enough power to generate an iPod. My kind of eel. My kind of iPod.
****
John Horgan, meanwhile, could be coming on like Silky Sullivan in the leadership race. Mr. Horgan got off to a slow start, behind front-runners Farnworth and Dix, but he's impressed in the debates, and Thursday he picked up the nod from Nicholas Simons, who emulated his favourite team, the Montreal Expos, by folding. It might be too little, too late for the affable Irishman, but still, his late dash bears watching.
****
I'm told this is Canada's first social media federal election. Apparently, that no longer involves Facebook, which is so last decade. Now, it's all Twitter, all the time.
That means I can read brief, breathless dispatches from the country's top political journalists, telling me everything I need to know, for instance, about a malfunctioning windshield wiper on Stephen Harper's media bus, as they did last Sunday.
And partisans on all sides can weigh in about how "great" everything is and toss 140-character brickbats at the other guys. Mind you, there is occasional news. "Just about to start an afternoon of door-knocking," tweeted Industry Minister Tony Clement the other day.
Wake me when it's over.
****
Sad to note the pending demolition of the once-stately Pantages Theatre on Hastings Street. My mother had fond memories of attending movies there in the 1930s. I think some of her chewing gum is still stuck under one of the seats.