Sympathy for Dennis Mills

There isn’t another candidate whom has become more a victim of protest politics this election than Dennis Mills, the Liberal incumbent from Toronto-Danforth. Everytime Dennis turns around it seems like it’s either Olivia Chow yelling at him from across the street, or Jack Layton’s horde of protesters (er, campaigners) dogging Mills on the campaign trail.

The latest attack on Mills? Advocates of same-sex marriage picketed his campaign office protesting the incumbent’s view supporting traditional marriage and taking a stance which is familiar to Stephen Harper: to allow Parliament decide the issue rather than the Supreme Court. Previously, Layton covertly organized a protest of a Mills announcement concerning Liberal contributions to the Toronto waterfront.

Mills is a backbench Liberal MP that is now in the fight of his life in his own riding versus the leader of the NDP. Perhaps his most publicized contribution to his constituents was the organization of SARSfest in Toronto, drawing about 500,000 fans to the largest outdoor concert in world history, featuring the Rolling Stones and AC/DC.