Dogs
Trudeau Inspires Provencher Liberals By Marianne Curtis Despite the frigid temperatures a couple hundred excited Liberal supporters in Provencher came to Ile des Chênes to meet Federal leadership hopeful Justin Trudeau. On February 1, Trudeau made a brief stop in the community to gain national support as he makes a bid for the coveted position of Liberal leader. Trudeau admitted that Provencher will be a tough riding to claim, especially if current MP Vic Toews seeks re-election. In the last federal election, Toews dominated overall by claiming 70 percent of the votes. Liberal candidate Terry Hayward claimed seven percent of the votes. “To create a wave of growth we have to draw together in a common goal. Our current government has lost focus. They’ve forgotten they were elected to represent the people. Help us make it right,” Trudeau continued. “MPs are no longer the spokespersons for their constituents in Ottawa. Instead, they’ve become the spokesmen for Ottawa in their constituencies. Trudeau noted that with only 35 seats in the House of Commons every riding in the 2015 election will be a tough one for the Liberals. “We have to reconnect with every part of this country. That is why I am in Provencher; that’s why I went to Lethbridge Alberta, Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Oliver, in the Okanagan. Every single riding is worth exactly the same. We need to listen and engage with everyone,” Trudeau continued. “The government has broken the bond of trust. If politicians can show they
Disappearing By Marianne Curtis Over the past several months, by some estimates, roughly 50 dogs have gone missing in southeastern Manitoba sparking fears there is a dog napping network at work. And while the RCMP insist there is no evidence to support this claim, locals are becoming increasingly convinced the animals are being used as “bait” dogs to train other dogs to fight. Based on our research, the Dawson Trail Dispatch discovered over two dozen large breed dogs have gone missing since the beginning of December. A number of trends appeared, like several dogs from different homes in the same community all went missing the same day. Other communities such as Anola and Oakbank have seen an additional two dozen dogs disappear in the same time frame.
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Liberal leadership hopeful Justin Trudeau made a stop in Ile des Chênes to gain the support of voters in Provencher. Photo by Marianne Curtis
trust in Canadians then Canadians will once again trust their politicians.” Trudeau recognized that turning Provencher into a Liberal seat could be a challenge, however, he is confident that supporters will choose the best candidate for the job. “I am here today and I will be here to support any candidate that supporters pick as their representative,” Trudeau promised. “The challenge is the same across the country. Every riding is going to be tough but we have to trust the local Liberals to pick the best candidate.” While it is too early for candidates to step forward and announce their intent to seek the nomination as candidate, Terry Hayward is already planning ahead. “We can take Provencher back from the Conservatives,” he stated. “And this is the leader that we want.” Provencher was last under Liberal colours when David Iftody won the seat in 1993 and 1997 until 2000 when he was defeated by the then Canadian Alliance candidate, Vic Toews.
For more stories see
Missing Dogs Special Feature pages 12-13