Weird mayoral candidate #4

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by Patrick Lejtenyi

With a new war a-blazin', the two mainstream mayoral candidates seem more interested in bashing each other than in discussing the rightness or wrongness of bombing the stuffing out of Afghanistan. Enter Al Cappe, of Montreal's own Communist League, ready to make the war a principal campaign issue.

"I want to stand up and speak out against the war and say it's not in the interests of the people," says the 51-year-old Provigo meat packer. "It will lead to the destruction of Afghanistan and more assaults on people here."

He has other ideas as well, including a "massive" surge in social housing, an end to layoffs, a four-day workweek without loss of pay, and extending employment insurance benefits indefinitely. He also wants to open Montreal's arms to the expected flood of displaced persons.

"We should open the doors to the Afghan refugees who are locked into these killing zones," he says. "We are willing to welcome X number of Afghani refugees as brothers and sisters. I would argue against anyone who says we don't have the resources."

Which is not to say he is in any way pro-Osama. "Of course I oppose the bombing of the World Trade Center. People don't do these kinds of things in the real fight for freedom of the workers."