NDG Candidates fail to excite at debate

Candidates vying to become NDG’s representative in the National Assembly convened last week, giving residents the opportunity to ask questions and hear about their policies.
There has been a serious lack of posters in the riding; there are a few Green Party posters peppered through the streets and a slightly higher volume of slightly larger Liberal posters.
So it was nice to get a good look at the other candidates that night. It’s too bad the Marxist-Leninist and the independent candidate were no-shows. So here’s what we had:
Matthew Conway is running for L’Action Démocratique du Québec. During his opening statement to the audience, he read directly from his notes, which were printed in a large font and stapled together neatly. He would read something in French, then go back and repeat the statement in English. Stumbling on one sentence he said, “I strongly believe the ADQ is the party that represents Quebecers,” before stumbling into the next. He seemed really nervous and reminded me of a schoolboy who had been forced to make a public speech in front of his peers.
You could tell he gained the crowd’s approval on at least two instances. When he said, “I want to say that social housing for me isn’t something that’s left or right. It’s not a question of political stance, it’s a question of respecting our fellow man,” members of the audience nodded favourably.
He also seemed to hit a sympathetic note when he addressed the issue of public transportation. “It’s impossible to get the 103 at Villa metro. There are lineups four-deep. It’s the same thing with the 105. We have to come up with a comprehensive plan in order to make this better.”
Peter “Green” McQueen is representing the Green Party. He had briefing notes, but wasn’t married to them, which could have enabled a pleasant rapport with the crowd. But he was addressing the crowd in the Justin Trudeau-style of bilingualism. You know, that annoying Franglais where every word is a surprise because you never know if it’s going to be English or French. Also distracting was that, with his hair pulled back into a tight bun, it seemed as though he had styled himself as a scrawnier, redheaded Steven Seagal.
He was obviously popular with the audience though. When community members asked questions, they could choose any two candidates to answer. He was almost always chosen.
He also said he wants to see some improvement in public transportation. With the Turcotte “inevitably” being torn down, “here in the west end what we need is an electric railway to the airport,” he said.
Shortly after, he talked about bus routes being affected by an onramp that would be built to access McGill’s super hospital, slated to be built next to Vend