Thomas Lukaszuk, an Alberta PC candidate, says he was assaulted in Edmonton yesterday. However, the 67 year old man he is accusing has a very different version of events:
[Homeowner] Al Michalchuk said he asked several times for Lukaszuk to get off his property, which sported a Wildrose campaign sign, but the politician wouldn't leave.Michalchuk said the doorbell rang around 4 p.m. He told Lukaszuk to get off the property four or five times but the candidate wouldn't leave. That's when the homeowner grabbed him by the shoulder, turned him around and gave him a little nudge.
Still, Lukaszuk would not leave.
"I said, 'Look, I know exactly what I can do,'" Michalchuk said. "'I can use as much force as necessary to get you off my property. Would you like some help in leaving my property?'"
Twenty minutes after they left, the cops showed up. In total, Michalchuk said he gave him four or five "nice little nudges."
"I just gave him a nice little nudge and asked him again to get off our property."
Despite the pushing, Michalchuk claims Lukaszuk kept asking him why he didn't like the politician.
"I said, 'I don't have to give you a damn reason why I don't want you on my property,'" he said.
Michalchuk was further quoted as saying, "I'm 67 years old; I've got severe asthma; I'm in the final stages of liver failure; I don't know how much longer I've got to live. I couldn't punch my way out of a wet paper bag."
Update: Ezra Levant's Twitter posts are well worth a read. (h/t 'syncrodox') Ezra has initiated a new Twitter hashtag: #doorbellgate (h/t 'fiddle')
Update 2: Homeowner Michalchuk says he has security video footage of the entire event.
Update 3: Sunday evening video segment from CTV
Update 4: Review of the security video footage via report from Global Edmonton. SDA commenter 'FACLC' has provided some very interesting analysis of the video.
Gee, if some old geezer tells you to f- off, maybe instead of "trying to defuse the situation" you should just get the hell off the guy's porch?
Man, whadda maroon!
Now if the old geezer had booted him in the nads (like he should have) that 'may' be construed as assault.
I think the best way to 'defuse' the situation would be to get the hell off the dudes property, but then again, I'm not a PC Cabinet Minister so what the hell do I know.
This is the same PC Cabinet Minister that told an Edmonton area school board that their funding would be in jeopardy if they didn't stop criticizing the Ruling Party.
I find the geezer to be more believable.
Tom sounds like a total wuss. Who would bother calling the cops over this? The PC's are unbelievable.
Seeing as the P.C.'s dont believe in property rights, it's easy to see why he would'nt leave. He (Lukasic)claims he tries to persuade people to his benifet. When you are asked repeatedly to leave...Leave. Now the MSM are trying to blow it up to show the scaryness of conservatives. Good on Al.
Go WildRose.
When you consider that Lukaszuk is so sure he is wiser than everyone else that he wants to take away the parents right to educate their child in they way they choose and has already taken away Albertan's right to property ownership is it surprising he would call the cops on anyone who asks him to leave?
PCs not gone soon enough!
I wonder what law they'll dream up to prevent this?
"if it saves the hurt feelings of one nancy boy"
In defense of Michalchuk, the geezer's story doesn't make sense. Why would a candidate hang around a residence when the owner is obviously hostile to his politics? To what purpose?
"doesn't make sense. Why would a candidate hang around a residence"
PCs don't have to make sense rabbit. They believe they own the province.
Between Stephen Carter and Lukaszuk I am not sure which one is more annoying. But this is great "help help I am being oppressed" unless there is a witness to this or major wounds Lukaszuk is looking for what.
Older Wildrose supporter pushes annoying pcandidatete nothing to see here move along.
Maybe the rat queen can stop by and give him united nations sensitivity training.
Meanwhile in south Edmonton I got six 4 bye 4 signs up on peoples fences. Go Wildrose
Every candidate has had the experience of being told off on somebody's doorstep. Every one. Every other candidate said a polite thank you and left. Not Mr. Lucaszuk.
The PCs are DESPERATE to change the message away from their performance/freefall. To anything. This is one more contrived stunt, and my money says it backfires on them...again.
If I got beat up by a senior citisen I wouldn't be bragging about it. What's next, I went onto a Wildrose supporters property and their cat scrathed me. Suck it up princess.
Whoops. I meant "In defense of Lucaszuk".
Yeah - saw the Twitter dust up between Levant, Cosh and this PC MLA doofus. Again, what kind of idiot leader allows her caucus to use twitter during elections?
The money fact here is that this PC MLA knew the homeowner and had been warned before he was trespassing - maybe the WRP lawn sign was a clue. So he foolishly pushes his luck and is physically removed from private property by an owner that had previously warned him of trespass - so he calls the cops and CBC whining about violence yadda yadda.
No respect for private property rights, no respect for self defense or citizen's arrest, thinks the heavy handed fist of the state is warranted in the pettiest of personal altercations - yep this one has all the instincts/reflexes of a Librano - but he is pedalling himself as a Tory - and that represents what has happened to the Alberta PCs on a microcosm
This is a dead issue as far as aim concerned no video evidence no case for either side unless there are witnesses for both sides this is bunk .
It is a non issue ,I do find it funny that global and CBC are giving lucazic plenty of airtime ....to make the case for the pee sees ...lol. Once again they choose the side against property rights ...common sence tells me this is a non issue , no it won't help either party . Just a silly non event between two nobodies.
"He told Lukaszuk to get off the property four or five times"
If true, then Lukaszuk is too clueless to take out the garbage, never mind be an MLA.
Lukaszuk's political instincts must have deserted him. The more publicity this incident gets the worse for him and his party.
What a maroon! I wonder if party brass are telling him, "Shuttup you damn fool!"
You can almost count on this poor guy getting charged with assault. Just think how much money he is going to have to spend to defend himself on his own damn property.
Ahh the joys of living in communist Canada - "You are free to do as we say" (that should be the gov't new slogan).
That young cabinet minister looks pretty healthy... If'n it was me, I'd not tell a soul, I got my slats kicked by an senior citizen. Course thats just me.
Being as how it's Sunday, I wonder if any PC candidates are out snatching little kids Easter baskets?
That's the next logical campaign move...right?
"global and CBC are giving lucazic plenty of airtime"
See, they have conservatives on all the time! What bias?
Occam
Yep this reflects more to LIBRANO behaviour.
Bad political move here....Lucaszuk shoulda just walked on by or left pronto.
Even then calling the cops turned a non-event into a scandal. Harassing seniors is not the way to win friends.....
Senior abuse....
Dear Wildrose Party, please consider enacting a stand your ground act before you have to defend your upcoming majority, that'll teach a d-bag candidate like Lukaszuk, to attempt a repeat of this incident.
Lukaszuk is obviously pandering to the Liberal sense of no property rights, no free speech, and the need to call the cops on anyone who disagrees with them.
I wouldn't be surprised if he launches an AHRC complaint now to really screw up the ol' timer.
Out you SOB, you’re in the wrong province.
I watched this on the CTV local at 11 pm. Lukaszuk was referred to as a "campaigner" by CTV, not even identified as a sitting Minister. He's Education Minister in Redford's Cabinet.
Useful phone numbers
On further reflection...
Lucaszuk was "standing his ground on somebody else' ground.
LIBRANO doctrine only allows you to run away...and he didn't.
Michalchuk erred by not using a cane.....
Ok guys, relax, we'll take it from here. No need to go gather your own facts or go about forming your own opinions. That's our job.
Completely unrelated ... remember this scene from Gran Torino? :-)
There are few metaphors in this story. Too bad they are not accessible in Manitoba and Ontario, where many refuse to acknowledge that PC is an outdated brand, standing mostly for political correctness.
I'll go with the homeowner's version based on what I know of the character of the two men. I have no evidence that Mr.Michalchuk is anything but an honest taxpaying citizen,while there is plenty of evidence around that the Politician Lukaszuk, bends or distorts the truth often, to suit his purposes.
Lukaszuk looks young and fit,and if he had any character at all, would have left the guy's property immediately on request,without saying a word.
So we're to believe an out-of-shape 67 year old guy dieing of liver failure beats up a young fit politician half his age?
To me, Lukaszuk looks like a typical neutered male trying to use the power of the State through the Police.
The public in general has a dim view of politicians, when one refuses to leave private property and gets the boot from a senior citizen it will simply reinforce that view.
In the bubble world of politics this doofus must feel voters will sympathise with him.
Just more evidence of how out of touch he is, if he had a clue he would have tried to keep it quiet.
CBC not allowing comments on the story. How fitting!
How politically correct of the Ceeb.
There are more than a few interesting comments on the Edmonton Journal story of this incident. It seems like most people are just sick & tired of being visited or called by politicians of any political stripe.
I was also amused to see a few Leftard commenters who STILL don't understand that the PCs are NOT a conservative party. Like a junkyard dog hearing a noise, they immediately snap whenever they see/hear the "C" word and then associate Redford's PCs with Stephen Harper. Their all encompassing ignorance with breathtaking.
Stan
The thing is PC campaign manager Stephen Carter was pushing this story on twitter. They believe this will give them some kind of an advantage.
I'm waiting for a tweet about the Health Minister mixing it up with the Easter Bunny for making little kids fat.
What is most disgusting is the shameless political ploy at the expense of a pensioner in his last stages of life.
The old man was stalked and used, if I’m not mistaken this was the second visit in a week by this Liberal troll. The first visit was the hunt, the second was the staged kill with a convenient witness along for the ride.
Robert W. (Vancouver) >
I agree, the lefties just don’t get it, the PC’s are NOT conservatives anymore – That is why we are getting rid of them faster than that old Federal Liberal Party that used to be around.
Szuk vs Chuk. Sounds tribal to me.
Looks like Stephen Carter just libeled Al Michalchuk. By choosing not to include the world "allegedly", Carter just violated the age old principle of "innocent until proven guilty".
I hope that Albertans are paying close attention to how the PCs are treating the citizens of their province, especially senior citizens.
Section 41 of the Criminal Code covers this. The only question is did Lukaszuk commit an assult by resisting?
"41. (1) Every one who is in peaceable possession of a dwelling-house or real property, and every one lawfully assisting him or acting under his authority, is justified in using force to prevent any person from trespassing on the dwelling-house or real property, or to remove a trespasser therefrom, if he uses no more force than is necessary.
Marginal note:Assault by trespasser
(2) A trespasser who resists an attempt by a person who is in peaceable possession of a dwelling-house or real property, or a person lawfully assisting him or acting under his authority to prevent his entry or to remove him, shall be deemed to commit an assault without justification or provocation."
Who is Stephen Carter and why hasn't he been fired yet?
This guy reminds me of Super Dave Osborn. Taking up bungee jumping and to test his bungee cord he throws a weight off a bridge. Plan works well until he realizes he tied the weight to his own ankle.
Dear Wild Rose Party:
Once you've finished the Politically Correct party at the polls this monnth, please pass a budget cutting the deficit to zero.
Start your cuts with the AHRC, then go cut the numbers and remuneration of civil servants back to "par" with the taxpayers that support them. Break the civil service monopoly on service delivery by opening up services to competitive privet businness bids, paying careful attention to the teachers' union.
Once done, please export the brand to BC. Thank you.
Robert B, Penticton
re. Robert W. @1:03 -
Stephen Carter@carter_AB
Minister Lukaszuk was assaulted while door knocking in Edm Castledowns. He is shaken but not injured. (Emphasis mine.)
He reminds me of James Bond. Well, thank goodness the poor dear was not harmed. I only hope the PTSD is not too debilitating. At least now the nice policemen will protect him from that terrible 67 year old brute with the liver failure.
Incidentally, there's a name for that haircut. It's called "the D*u(hebag".
Arrgh - type in haste, repent at leisure.
month not "monnth"
private not "privet"
business not "businness"
On a good day, I can type 60 mistakes per minute.
The law of trespass is clear....when you are told to leave someones property you must do so immediately. If you don't, the owner can use reasonable force to remove you.
Lukaszyk is a media whore and a preening clown. There isn't a camera or microphone on the planet he won't stand in front of....and let's not forget that during a province-wide telephone town hall meeting Lukaszuk was asked by a constituent represented by Wildrose Party MLA Rob Anderson why Airdrie had not received two desperately needed portables to ease the overcrowding in its schools. Lukaszuk (who was hand-picked by Ms Redford for this cabinet post) replied, “You know what? I’m really itching to say it, so I will, even though I know I shouldn’t, but the first thing you can do is, actually, in Airdrie call your MLA and ask him not to oppose me in the Legislature” on infrastructure funding."
Lukaszuk is a shake down artist.
[deleted. tone down the rhetoric. ED]
The dying senior says that Lukaszuk has been to his house “several times before, and asked to leave”.
Lukaszuk “doesn’t remember”.
Hmmm, doesn’t remember is not even close too “I’ve never been here before”.
It seems like someone may be afraid that other witnesses may come forward to collaborate the old man’s story that he’s been to his house before.
This sick Liberal has been stalking this old man for awhile now and should be charged with harassment and a hate crime.
it sounds like Lukaszuk has been taking leasons from the JayDubs, they seem to ignore private property rite as well
What Doc and Knight 99 said!!!