TOUGH STRETCH FOR CANDIDATES

It's been a tough stretch for a few former federal election
hopefuls.

Last week, Dana Larsen, the NDP candidate in West Vancouver-Sunshine
Coast-Sea to Sky Country, resigned following questions about the sale
of coca seedlings at the Vancouver Seed Bank he launched in 2006. The
store also sells marijuana, poppy and tobacco seeds.

The 37-year-old author of Hairy Pothead and the Marijuana Stone and
founding editor of Cannabis Culture Magazine admits to enjoying pot
occasionally. In fact a number of YouTube videos show Larsen toking
up.

Apparently this didn't go over well with party officials.

This week, another federal NDP candidate in B.C. dropped out of the
race.

Julian West announced Tuesday he was quitting as the New Democrat in
Saanich-Gulf Islands after it was revealed he indulged in body
painting and went skinny dipping 12 years ago.

The Liberals, perhaps feeling left out by all of this political
cleansing, dumped Lesley Hughes, who was running in the Winnipeg
riding of Kildonan-St. Paul. Hughes wrote that Israeli companies
renting offices at the World Trade Center had advance warning of the
Sept. 11 2001 terrorist attacks and left before the airliners struck
the towers.

Meanwhile, in the Tory camp, the Conservative candidate for a Toronto
riding stepped down after controversial comments made on his blog surfaced.

Chris Reid apparently ranted about abortion, multiculturalism, the
CBC, gay advocacy, concealed weapon bans, and complacent bus
passengers on the Greyhound bus that was the scene of a gruesome beheading.

We can credit the Internet for the early exits of some candidates.
Once information and photos go online, it's there forever and for
everyone to see.

But it could also be that political parties realize the public has no
appetite for politicians who aren't squeaky clean. Voters have become
cynical and that's revealed by low turnout at all electoral levels.

That cynicism could also be why parties are having problems finding
ideal candidates for every riding. It's no wonder some are finding
their blemishes are revealed when placed under the microscope.