Broadcaster and environmental activist David Suzuki is the latest celebrity to weigh in on Victoria’s mayoral contest, throwing his support behind incumbent Mayor Lisa Helps.
Suzuki’s celebrity endorsement is a counterpoint to music producer David Foster’s support of challenger Mike Geoghagen.
Suzuki said that “at this critically important time for our planet” he would not vote for anyone who doesn’t have a climate action plan.
“I’ve seen Lisa’s plan and I’ve seen Lisa in action. Everyone in Victoria who cares about the future of our planet should vote Lisa Helps, for mayor,” said Suzuki, best known for his CBC television program The Nature of Things.
Suzuki’s endorsement is the second one rolled out by the Helps campaign this week, after former city councillor and NDP MP Denise Savoie came out in favour of Helps, saying she admires Helps’ “unwavering focus on constructive and positive action in the face of anger and hate.”
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Geoghagen has been using Los Angeles-based Foster’s video message of support on Facebook and in radio ads.
“You need to vote Mike Geoghagen for mayor. This guy is amazing. It’s good for you. It’s good for me. It’s good for the city of Victoria,” Foster says from behind a piano in the video. “I promise you he will not let you down.”
Geoghagen said he’s not surprised by Suzuki’s endorsement of Helps.
“That’s to be expected. Lisa Helps has modelled herself as a green politician. She’s presented her bike lanes in the context of saving the planet,” Geoghagen said.
Helps noted Suzuki’s endorsement comes on the heels of a report by UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that warned there are only 12 years to complete a conversion from fossil fuels to green energy to prevent a dangerous destabilization of the Earth’s climate.
“I am very worried because this campaign has had very little conversation whatsoever about climate change, sustainability, the environment, and it’s a core value of Victoria,” Helps said.
Geoghagen has picked up other endorsements, including from Langford Mayor Stew Young and former Victoria mayoral candidate Rob Duncan, who has unofficially dropped out of the race in support of Geoghagen.
Geoghagen said the endorsement from Duncan, a housing advocate, is one that should resonate with voters.
“I think the biggest concern that people would have in this election is affordable housing and that’s why I was very pleased to get the endorsement of candidate Rob Duncan,” he said.
“If people are swayed by the people endorsing them, more power to them. Otherwise, I go to the doors and I get my endorsements there,” said Stephen Hammond, NewCouncil.ca mayoral candidate.
Bruce McGuigan’s campaign manager, Pamela Grant, said they’ve deliberately eschewed such endorsements. “We’ve actually had some offers but we’ve decided not to go with endorsements because a lot of them are from outside of Victoria,” she said. “This is about Victoria, so I really don’t care what David Foster thinks about who should be running in Victoria because he doesn’t live here.”
The endorsements so far represent “an odd combination of star-power and local politics,” said Michael Prince, Lansdowne professor of social policy at the University of Victoria.
“But at this stage of the game you want to get your vote out and if this helps boost morale of your ground staff or people doing the phones for you, it’s one little extra thing to add to the conversation.”
