Day 29: Tuesday afternoon in the pub with Michael

Michael Ignatieff is making the unusual move of campaigning in a by-election which he has no chance of winning.  Tuesday, after addressing the Vancouver Board of Trade, Ignatieff will visit New Westminster-Coquitlam.

Party leaders usually avoid hitching themselves to losing by-elections.  Jack Layton, so far, has visited the riding.  This makes sense as he is trying to regain Dawn Black’s seat.  Layton has also visited Hochelaga, where the NDP has been trying to capitalize on some of the Bloc’s nomination discord.  Layton will likely head out to Nova Scotia as the NDP was a decent second in 2008 there and now has the support of a friendly provincial government.

Ignatieff is visiting a riding where his party won only 11-percent of the votes.  A better bet for the Liberals, who could be shut out and may only finish second in one of the four ridings, might be Hochelaga where his party at least broke 20-percent or Montmagny-L’Islet-Kamouraska-Rivire-du-Loup where they won 15-percent.  Even visiting Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley, where Liberals won only 8-percent in 2008, might be a better move for the Liberal leader as there is at least significant room for growth there.