包坚信辞职后谁来接管Scarborough-Rouge River选区？

Scarborough-Rouge River选区资深省议员包坚信于2016年3月宣布辞职，该选区补选将在其辞职后六个月内举行。Bob Mok在本文中对此次补选的主要候选人做了详细的介绍。

Bas Balkissoon，a long-term MPP for Scarborough-Rouge River, resigned in Mar. 2016, and a bi-election will be called six months after his resignation. Bob Mok’s article takes an inside look at the leading candidates for the bi-election.

自由党议员（省议员）包坚信于2016年3月22日在未说明理由的情况下宣布辞职，导致Scarborough-Rouge River选区（成立于1999年）出现席位空缺。后来，包坚信声称其辞职是为了能有更多时间陪伴家人。省府将在六个月内举行省议员补选，以填补包坚信留下的空缺。此次补选结果并不会对自由党多数政府产生任何影响，因此省长并不急于宣布补选。

The provincial riding of Scarborough-Rouge River (established in 1999) seat became open on March 22, 2016 when Liberal backbencher (member of provincial parliament) Bas Balkissoon resigned without giving a reason. Eventually, Balkissoon claimed that he resigned to allow himself to spend more time with his family. The province will have 6 months to hold a by-election to fill the seat. There is no effect on the Majority government regardless of the outcome and the Premier is in no hurry to call the election. 

 

Scarborough-Rouge River选区北起Steeles Avenue，南至Highway 401，西及Midland/Brimley，东抵Pickering Town。该选区人口为13.5万人，其中华裔占到32.7%，为该选区人口最多的族群。

Scarborough-Rouge River riding is bounded by Steeles Avenue in the North, Highway 401 to the South, Midland/Brimley to the West, and Pickering Town line to the East. With a population of 135,000, Chinese Canadians are the largest demographic in the riding, accounting for 32.7 % of the total population.

 

Scarborough-Rouge River选区自成立以来就被自由党把持，在2011年之前的每次选举中自由党候选人都能赢得50%以上的选票。但是在最近两次选举中，前两位主要候选人的得票率仅相差7%。

This riding has been a Liberal Party bastion from day one and used to garner over 50% of electoral votes until 2011. In the last two elections, only a 7% difference existed between the two front runners.

 

身为印度裔的包坚信出生于特立尼达和多巴哥，他曾于1988-1997年担任士嘉堡市议员，在多伦多市合并后他于1998-2005年继续担任市议员一职，2005年他代表自由党出战补选，一举拿下Scarborough-Rouge River选区的议席。

Born in Trinidad and Tobago and of Indian descent, Bas Balkisson won his seat in a by-election in 2005 after serving as a councillor with Scarborough from 1988-1997 and then from 1998-2005 in the amalgamated city of Toronto.
 

 

在2005年补选时，自由党在提名包坚信为候选人时援引了其党章中的相关条款，宣布其他候选人资格作废。自由党的这一举动亦导致赵成俊等其他有意参选的候选人直接被踢出局。在这之后赵成俊转投保守党，并在2014年省选中代表保守党出战Scarborough-Rouge River选区。

As a nominee for Liberal candidacy in the 2005 by-election, Balkissoon was handed the nomination when the party used a clause in its constitution that declared other candidates invalid. This action also excluded other contenders such as Raymond Cho who considered putting his name forward. Raymond Cho has since switched over to the Progressive Conservative Party and participated in the riding's general election in 2014.

 

在最近一次省选中（2014年），该选区的选战可谓旗鼓相当。包坚信以38%的得票胜出，紧随其后的是新民党候选人Neethan Shan（31%），以及保守党候选人赵成俊（28%）。鉴于包坚信的高知名度和丰富的从政经历，在他辞职后新的自由党候选人将任重而道远。

In the last election (2014), the riding was contested with very close results. Balkissoon won with 38% of the votes, followed by Neethan Shan of the NDP (31%) and Raymond Cho of the PC party (28%). With the departure of Balkissoon this time, the new Liberal candidate will have very big shoes to fill in terms of name recognition and political resume.

 

让我们来了解一下该选区的主要候选人。Neethan Shan自2012年以来一直担任安省新民主党主席，在2006年至2010年间曾担任约克区教育局教育委员。2010年，Shan曾参选第42选区Scarborough-Rouge River的市议员，结果败给在多伦多市合并之前就一直代表该选区的赵成俊。

Let us look at the leading candidates for this riding. Neethan Shan is president of the Ontario NDP since 2012, and was a York Region District School Board trustee from 2006 to 2010. He was a council candidate for Ward 42, Scarborough-Rouge River in 2010, losing the race to Raymond Cho who has represented the area since before amalgamation. 

 

在2011年省选中，Shan虽然落败于自由党候选人包坚信，但其得票率紧随其后。2014年，Shan再次代表新民主党出战，但却又一次败给包坚信，不过其得票比保守党候选人赵成俊高出1300多票。最近，Shan不负众望地获得候选人提名，即将出战安省补选，而在此四个月前，他刚刚通过补选当上多伦多公立教育局教育委员。一旦省府宣布补选，Shan将请假参选，如果他在补选中落败未能如愿当上省议员，他将重返教委岗位。

In 2011, Shan finished a close second to Liberal Bas Balkissoon . In the 2014 provincial election, Shan again ran for MPP, and again lost to Balkissoon. Cho contested as a Progressive Conservative, and Shan beat him by more than 1,300 votes. Recently, Shan was acclaimed as a candidate for this upcoming provincial by-election after being elected as a Toronto District School Board by-election only four months prior to this announcement. Once the provincial by-election is called, he will take a leave from the Toronto District School Board. If he is unsuccessful in his bid to become a Provincial member of parliament, he will return to his trustee position.

 

由于Shan是泰米尔裔，预期他将有能力凭借族裔背景吸引该选区内大量泰米尔选民的选票。但巧合的是，自由党候选人（Piragal Thiru）也是泰米尔裔，其很有可能从Shan手中抢走部分选票。

Since Shan is of Tamil origin, his ability to draw votes as a heritage candidate is expected with the significant Tamil population within the riding. Coincidentally, the candidate for the Liberal Party (Piragal Thiru) is also a Tamil and will probably take votes away from Shan's supporters.