08 04 23	Mike 99.227.80.53
Just as a clarification, Kevin Modeste isn't running for the NDP.
	08 04 14	Moderate Poltician 69.46.182.97
I think this will stay Liberal unless the conservatives can pull a big name candidate here (i.e Jim Flarety or maybe Ajax Mayor Steve Parish) i think if they get a high profile candidate they may have a chance... theres been alot of speculation that Parish is attempting to run federally but i guess well see in the next few months... the NDP have chosen Kevin Modeste to run again and the greens will probly nominate a unknown candidate like normal... if the greens & NDP can manage to get good candidates then they will pull some votes away from the liberals but its very doubtful.... like i said liberal win
	08 04 04	R.O. 209.91.149.34
Guess Steve Gilchrist did decide to not run here as his website and online pages are both gone. Although I cannot find any news articles saying when this happened or why he decided to do this. But Im not one to speculate. Either way the conservatives will find a new candidate here. Mean this is a durham region riding so I am sure there is interest. But if they cannot find another candidate of some profile or appeal it will stay where it is.
	08 03 28	QM 192.197.82.205
Steve Gilchrist has stepped down as the candidate and left the country entirely, he's not even on the continent anymore. The prospect of facing Mark Holland in an election is just THAT scary! Ajax-Pickering Cons now scrambling to find a replacement among the remains of their organization (and I use the term organization loosely when describing local crew)
	08 03 28	R.O. 209.91.149.148
Binriso?s allegations against conseravtive candidate Steve Gilchrist are way out of line but not surprising. but I don?t think the conservatives would of let him run for the party if they were true. And his time at queens park is useful political experience in my view, the voters here should be glad they get to choose from 2 very experienced and well known politicians.
	08 03 23	binriso 156.34.209.176
Another ex-Harris PC trying to make a comeback. Another ex-Harris PC going to lose. Not to mention this one has somewhat of a criminal past.
	08 01 30	T.V. 209.202.78.177
There is absolutely no conceivable way that Steve Gilchrist will swing 10,000 votes, especially with the Liberals polling at or above their results last election. Holland's an energetic rising star in the Liberal caucus, and the riding is becoming more like Scarborough every election -- a lock for the Liberals.
	08 01 29	R.O. 66.186.79.42
From reading the comments from last election the liberal mp had an easy re-election and Rondo Thomas ran into trouble and maybe wasn’t good fit for this riding. So the next election will be more interesting I suspect. As conservatives have a new candidate former mpp Steve Gilchrist, and as durham area has still been good to Ontario pc’s that wouldn’t be a problem , maybe even more of an advantage look to whitby riding as an example. But Mark Hollands still has considerable support here and it will be a close race , no prediction until much closer to election.
	08 01 21	seasaw 99.225.19.235
This one'll be close but Gilchrist'll take this one. In the past, Holland's ran on Paul Martin's coattails, Dion doesn't have the influence that Martin had. Holland's got good organization, but his attitude along with a not so strong leader'll sink him.
	07 12 17	AP 64.231.255.143
I think that this one will be close. Gilchrist is a strong candidate and could possibly beat holland. everyone considers this a ‘safe’ riding for the liberals but if holland gets to confident and gilchrist is campaign then it may be an upset... i think it will be a conservative win
	07 07 22	Also living in Ajax 69.158.65.174
I think you are going to see people driving great distances to see the debates between Mark Holland and Steve Gilchrist. They could be lively affairs. Holland seems to be muted by his party after his disaster of a trip out to Western Canada and his troubles on the home front. The airport should not be an issue as both candidates are strongly opposed even though it has taken Holland some time to get to that point since his days on Pickering council when he was all for it. Both candidates are going to have to prove to the electorate that they can understand and respond to the needs of the residents of the riding. The NDP have not,as yet,got a candidate, or even and organization and the Green Party seems to be hiding in the grass. The Christian Heritage Party will most likely have a candidate and they will continue to attract a small percentage of the riding which may make a difference in a close battle.
	07 06 15	Sherry 192.197.82.155
It is amazing how people try to re-write history. Both Steve Gilchrist, and his father, Gordon, were charged and convicted of federal and provincial tax evasion while operating a Canadian Tire store in Toronto. His father resigned his seat over the issue at the time. Gilchrist was also the subject of a 10-week investigation into claims that he directed government business to his personal lawyer. There was insufficient evidence to proceed with charges however Gilchrist was not returned to cabinet by Harris over the affair. The allegations surfaced after two prominent developers complained to senior Tories that Gilchrist's personal lawyer, Peter Proszanski, offered to allow them to influence policy for a $25,000 fee. The ensuing probe cracked open a Pandora's box of revelations about Gilchrist, including a conviction in 1984 for tax evasion, a government contract recently secured by Proszanski and an alleged conflict of interest during the minister's first term.
	07 05 28	Durham Guy 74.13.127.245
First of all Mike G. you really do have your facts all wrong. Gilchrist father was accused of tax fraud which turn out to be false. Steve Gilchrist has also lived in Ajax for a long time now. Even when he was the MPP in Scarborough. Steve is also a local TV guy. As someone that lives out here let me tell you Mr. Holland is not as liked as he seems to think he is. This will be a fantastic battle since both are full of themselves and willing to say anything to get elected. But since I do think that Mr. Holland is a tiny bit scummier and has more energy he will win.
	07 04 10	PlaidShirt 65.95.153.154
The previous comment is factually incorrect. http://www.answers.com/topic/steve-gilchrist ‘During this controversy, it was also revealed that Gilchrist and his father had been fined for tax evasion in 1984, after retaining personal profit from damaged merchandise purchased by their Canadian Tire store. The Gilchrists denied any intentional wrongdoing in this matter. Gilchrist denied the allegations, but resigned from cabinet on October 25, 1999 on the grounds that he wished to fight the allegation by the land developers. On December 22, 1999, the Ontario Provincial Police cleared him of any wrongdoing.’
	07 04 04	Mike G. 65.95.234.3
Steve Gilchirst? The Conservatives are putting up Steve Gilchirst. Isn't he the guy that was alleged of tax evasion and tossed out of Harris' cabinet? Holland would win anyway but Gilchrist? I thought the Conservatives were running on being the party of white hats and accountability. That's not going to help their image. In terms of local dynamics, I am in Scarborough but Holland is even well known out here. Anyone I speak to in Ajax or Pickering knows him not just from his time as an MP but also on Council. He is very well liked locally - add with that a new national profile and this seat is very safe indeed. Gilchirst? Why is he even out that riding anyway? Running away from those in Scarborough who know his past I guess.
	07 04 02	A.S. 74.99.222.209
Re the Conservatives being ‘very close’ in 2004: actually, in percentage terms, the Liberal-Conservative margin was virtually identical in 2006 and 2004 (though interestingly, the Tories lost the most ground in places they'd previously done best, like rural Pickering). By the sound of things, CPC is taking this pickup prospect much more seriously now (not that some of the rumoured contenders, like ex-MPP Steve Gilchrist, don't have their own handicaps); and with Jim Flaherty as a neighbour, no wonder. But Mark Holland's gone far and fast in proving himself to be not just another piece of 905 Grit wallpaper, and as someone who can win potentially on his own merits, rather than as part of a sweep or upon the demerits of his opponents--at the very least, it highlights a heady (albeit vulnerable) Hatfield/McCoy star-Liberal/star-Tory dynamic along the Ajax/Whitby border...
	07 03 30	C Hume 217.43.86.231
I know that there will be a great deal of political insight here from many who are involved or near to the process but the one thing we all forget is that what happens at leadership campaigns and on the Hill do not register with the average voter. The vast majority of voters still have no idea who their local MP is and that includes Mark Holland. He may have a profile with Liberal Party members but that would be less than 1% of the voters in the riding. This is much different than the profile a minister carries. People vote based on national campaigns and their leaders. This is in no way a secure seat and with the recent performance of the current government I can see this riding and others in Ontario going to the Conservatives. Should be very interesting to watch but then it always is.
	07 03 28	Pete G. 74.98.252.123
Baring a huge Conservative surge, Mark Holland will win this easily. The thing is, the Conservatives would be very competitive here except for the fact that Holland is one of the strongest constituency MPs around, and now he has an increasingly high-profile role in the Liberal caucus. Also, people will remember Rondo Thomas' disastrous campaign from last time. So unless Janet Ecker or someone extremely high-profile runs for the Conservatives, Liberal hold.
	07 03 26	C Hume 217.44.123.2
This is a much different party than 2004 or even 2006. In Ontario the Liberals are experiencing a decline that will play out in this riding. If there were the same conditions in 2004 then Soetens would have returned to office. Holland does have a profile and certainly was a factor in the leadership convention but that comes with both opportunity and risk. Dion has not done well at establishing leadership and the Liberals will most likely sit longer on the opposition benches. The right candidate in this riding could win this for the Tories and I am sure the Liberals will be watching the nomination closely. This could come down to less than 1000 votes.
	07 03 24	RF 74.120.155.163
The Conservatives only declined here due to their poor candidate in the nutter Rondo Thomas. They were very close in the 2004 election, when they were particularly weak in Ontario. With the Conservatives now reportedly 10 points ahead in Ontario (a swing of about 20%), I think that we can say that this seat will likely go Conservative.
	07 03 24	M. Lunn 74.99.130.109
I wouldn't call this one quite yet. Although Mark Holland is certainly the favoured, the most recent polls in Ontario and particularly the 905 belt could make this riding vulnerable. The reality is a lot will happen between now and the election so even though I think Holland will be re-elected it is a bit early to start calling this one.
	07 03 22	905er 70.48.239.74
Mark Holland has become very well known in the past year. From the major role he played in the leadership to pounding away in the House, it's been hard to miss him. Macleans wrote of him 'With a prosecutorial zeal for parliamentary debate and a key role on Gerard Kennedy's Liberal leadership campaign, Mark Holland transformed himself from just another Ontario Liberal into one of the most talked-about opposition critics on the Hill.' He won by almost 9,000 votes last time, is locally popular and with his added profile will win with even greater ease this time around.
	07 03 21	Red Robin 64.110.238.249
Mark Holland is an first rate MP, and his rise in stature during the leadership campaign as the broker of the deal between Mr. Dion and Mr. Kennedy assures him of a future in the party and even a possible cabinet position. Whatever the outcome in the rest of the GTA, this riding stays Liberal Red. In 2006 Mark won by nearly 10,000 votes due to the sheer absurdity of the Conservative candidate's positions, and failure of the Conservative to show up at debates, but even when the they put forward a respectable candidate as they did in 2004, the riding still went Liberal by over 6,000 votes.