A faithful listener of our program, who has taken quite an interest in the way politicians get their message out in the hopes of being elected this October, sent along a copy of a pamphlet dropped in their mailbox, a standard 8.5 x 11 folded. They had a few questions which are a little confounding, and perhaps some of the more informed among you can help clear up the confusion.
Now at first glance there doesn't seem to be anything unusual. A candidate, in this case a government Health Minister, is providing some personal career background and towing the party line.
Oswald, of course, is well remembered from her days as an English teacher - sources say she was given the nickname "Dragon Lady" for her firm attitude with students - and was a volleyball coach. The middle section of the pamphlet has a quote - bilingual of course - beside the family portrait.
"Manitoba is a better place to live, work and raise a family than it's ever been", Oswald tells her constituents in Seine River, as she implies she shares their experiences and so, they should vote for her to continue on as their MLA.
Our listener, though, found Oswald's urging ironic.
Because it appears not everyone in the family portrait found in the Health Minister's election advertising, is living and working here.
The listener discovered that her husband, Sam McCreedy, is a member of the Language Arts faculty of Apple Valley High School.
http://www.district196.org/AVHS/
Which is in Minnesota, about a 10 hour drive from Oswald's address.
He's even a member of the state volleyball coaches association.
http://www.mshsca.org/volleyball/members.htm
The question raised by the listener was, how can Theresa Oswald ask voters to re-elect her on the basis that under the NDP, Manitoba is better than ever to work and live in, but it isn't good enough for her own family members?
Good question.
Now that is not to say that Mr. McCreedy is not supportive of Oswald's beliefs. After all, according to page 19 of the NDP Annual Returns for 2010 on file with Elections Manitoba, he gave $1020.00 to the party.
That wouldn't be unusual, except that the Voter's List shows only Theresa Oswald as a registered voter at her home.
That in itself, also wouldn't be unusual if Sam McCreedy only holds American citizenship, because Americans can't vote in our elections. The law says:
Only individual residents may contribute
41(1) No person or organization other than an individual normally resident in Manitoba shall contribute to any candidate, leadership contestant, constituency association or registered political party.
Losing Manitoba residency
8 A person ceases to be a resident of Manitoba when he or she
(a) leaves Manitoba with the intention of becoming a resident of another place for a period of at least six months;
Mr. McCreedy appeared on page 60 of the 2009 -2010 Apple Valley handbook as a Language Arts instructor.
http://www.district196.org/avhs/communications/handbooks/0910avhscal.pdf
And the same page in the next year's handbook.
http://www.district196.org/avhs/communications/handbooks/1011AVHSCal.pdf
It appears that Manitoba has never been a better place to work and live, unless you're the husband of the NDP Minister for Health, who seems to have been teaching in Minnesota for at least the last 3 years.
Based on the information at hand, Sam McCreedy's contribution to the NDP in 2010 would be illegal.
Not that this would bother the NDP, given their past record of election finance fraud and cover-up.
Heck, here's how the unelected premier handled it the last time:
"Manitoba's Finance Minister Greg Selinger, the man responsible for ensuring tax money is spent properly, admits he's known for six years of the scheme by the NDP to defraud the province of hundreds of thousands of dollars. He never went public, although he did insist on a letter from the NDP executive in 2003 exonerating him from blame."
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Also on today's podcast: a blogger reviews the 'Downtown' debate last night; Free Press readers raise a lot of questions why the North End is only to be made safe when the poverty industry complains and Lloyd Axworthy can grab a headline; a Free Press reporter quotes another reporter's wife without realizing it; and in the Crime Courts Public Safety update, the gentrification of the crack epidemic in Winnipeg.
PLUS, the return of Frank the Italian Barber !
Here's the link to hear the Tuesday Podcast:
