by KRISTIAN GRAVENOR

• The switchboard staff at Election Notebook managed to patch a call through to Marijuana Party leader and LaSalle candidate Boris St-Maurice just before he boarded a plane for a last-push western tour. "Our budget consists of a FedEx bill of about two to three thousand dollars, plane tickets and a few thousand for posters and flyers," most of which he confesses comes from his own pocket. But support is widespread: the party is fielding 71 candidates across the country and is represented in all but one Montreal island riding. They're particularly big in Ottawa and Winnipeg for some reason. But would St-Maurice participate in a minority government? Not likely. "None of the big parties have anything that's palatable."

He credits them nonetheless for addressing his leafy issue: "I am happy that every party has a position on pot out there. This is something we've contributed to immensely by putting it on the table, but none of them have any position worth considering."

This is St-Maurice's second campaign, and he says it's easier because he's learned to pace himself. He's still kicking some ass in his attempts to fully legalize marijuana, which he believes would lower consumption, increase government revenues and lower crime, and he's enjoying spreading the word on the hustings. "I like the adrenaline rush. It's an extreme sport - I used to skateboard and rock climb, and now politics is my latest source of adrenaline."

• Found on the Net:

1. Local hip hoppers Loco Locass are closely linked to the separatist political parties and have a

buzzing discussion forum at www.locolocass.net. One revelation: many posters prefer the NDP's Jack Layton over the uncharismatic Gilles Duceppe. One discussion thread poll on the band's site had, as of the afternoon of Monday, June 21, the Bloc barely outscoring the NDP by 25-19.

2. Somebody on www.frankmagazine.ca criticizes La Presse for running such headlines as "Layton prêt à travailler avec n'importe qui" (Layton ready to work with anyone), "Rapprochement NPD - PLC" (NDP and Liberals to work together), and others, many of which seem to be majorly exaggerated statements.

3. Various election blogs are mulling over whether polls mean anything anymore, as one report cites that only one in five Canadians who are called by pollsters agree to answer their questions. This has led to debate over whether such lonelyhearts constitute a political cross-section of Canadian voters.

• If you think you've seen enough of the ubiquitous "Steedman on Wheels" campaign posters around town, ethical investor, Santropole Roulant volunteer and NDP candidate for Westmount-Ville-Marie Eric Steedman says the overabundance of signs is due to the media not giving much time to his party. "It's an uphill battle to get the media to highlight the NDP as much as we deserve," he says. Steedman, 36, a bike-loving St-Urbain resident, also thinks that Layton is better than his debate performance suggests. "I was slightly disappointed in his performance in the French debate. I think maybe he's getting bad advice."

Steedman recommends his riding's voters take a long look at incumbent Liberal MP Lucienne Robillard's record before ticking her box. "One of her appointments (immigration judge Yves Bourbonnais) has been indicted for 98 counts of fraud, taking bribes and forgery of passports. This is worse than patronage and it puts immigrants' lives at risk."

• Downtown schoolteacher and Brossard NDP candidate Nadia Alexan is a passionate defender of leftist causes, but has noticed that it's not easy to meet and greet in malls. She was miffed when security guards hustled her out of the Place Portobello mall last week. "I am very upset because we have no public space. Every access of our lives is commercialized," she says. She found a more tolerant mall nearby, where she buttonholes passersby with her rapidfire criticisms of the Liberals and their rich-friendly tax and medical policies, which she describes as "shameful."

• Election Notebook takes time now to reminisce about the nuttiest moments of this campaign: Stephen Harper's bizarre allegation that Paul Martin supports child pornography; and Gilles Duceppe going to the wall for Bombardier, saying he'd have no part in any government that wouldn't fund the airplane-skidoo firm, and still not receiving permission to tour the plant.