Catch 22 member Sheenagh McMahon, who attended last week’s all-candidates debate in Orléans, said their goal is to ensure the Conservatives will not form a majority government. The 51-year-old mom from Ottawa Centre made national news early this month when she interrupted a press conference hosted by two cabinet ministers.
“Catch 22 did an analysis of the whole country and looked at the poll results from the last election and decided where the Conservatives have won by a small margin,” said McMahon, an undecided voter. Ottawa-Orléans is among 56 ridings targeted by Catch 22.
“We are not really talking the Conservatives here – we are talking Stephen Harper.”
McMahon challenged Conservative MP Royal Galipeau at the end the debate April 21, criticizing him for “refusing to show up at (past) all-candidates meetings.”
Galipeau said he was not aware of the campaign group or their efforts.
“There’s a lot of people that hope that I don’t get elected. This is their democratic right. This is an election and if they don’t want us to get elected, they should work very hard for our defeat,” he said. “I have won and I have lost. I have accepted both results.”
The group works with a network of 1,300 volunteers
“There are a lot of reasons for using the word Catch 22: There are 22 ridings that we thought were close enough to get back from the Conservative government – it also happens to be the name of a really famous novel,” McMahon continued, referring to Joseph Heller’s classic novel.
