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The east-end Toronto riding of Scarborough Southwest is one of three ridings up for grabs in byelections slated for Monday, April 13.

Scarborough Southwest came into play after its longtime MP and former Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair was appointed as High Commissioner of Canada to the U.K.

Replacing Blair is Doly Begum who is – shockers! – yet another floor crosser. Prior to running for the federal Liberals, Begum was an Ontario NDP MPP.

But switching sides has suddenly become very fashionable these days. We wish we knew what Prime Minister Mark Carney promised Begum. Indeed, we asked her that question at an all-candidates meeting last week only to receive the silent treatment. Then again, maybe Begum simply wants power for the sake of power?

Still, it’s clear that identity politics is at play in Scarborough Southwest. Begum is originally from Bangladesh, and our sources tell us that this slice of Scarborough is rapidly becoming “Bangladeshi Brampton” thanks to mass-immigration.

Still, it is somewhat funny that the previous MP, Bill Blair, had great electoral success in Scarborough Southwest, winning four straight elections. It’s funny because it doesn’t get more white bread than Bill Blair. All of which perhaps proves that the Liberals could run a housecat in a riding like Scarbough Southwest and Tabby would probably be victorious.

By the way, here’s a fun fact for you: Blair never actually resided in this riding, parts of which are, in a word, sketchy. Blair preferred living in uber-upscale Forest Hill in west-end Toronto. And given that Blair is an ex-Toronto Police Chief, he presumably still has a permit to handgun. But even when packing a heater, the mean streets of Scarborough can prove scary.

Unbelievable…

In any event, we dropped by Scarborough Southwest with our big, beautiful billboard truck to carry out person-on-the street interviews. While we did find some Conservative supporters, we never spotted a single Conservative lawn sign. Not one. Rather, bright red Doly Begum signs were everywhere, suggesting this riding will continue to remain as a Liberal stronghold come Monday.

But it does not compute. Most residents said the two most important issues in Scarborough Southwest are affordability and crime. And yet, under Liberal rule for more than a decade, Canada has become less and less affordable as crime has skyrocketed. Yet the Liberals seemingly get rewarded for mismanagement, not voted out of office.

Again: we don’t get it…

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