Charity bout on, then off

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Within hours after an article in the Ottawa Sun hit the street announcing that Reform Party MP Darrel Stinson would take on Métis law student Richard Mirasty in a boxing match for charity, the whole deal came apart.

Stinson, 53, is "more than a bit enraged" by the way Sun columnist Earl McRae presented the challenge from Mirasty to readers across the country. Mirasty is also dismayed that an event he entered into with good intentions has taken on an ugly tone.

The first-year University of Ottawa law student left a message on McRae's answering machine saying he'd be willing to step into the ring and trade punches with the combative Reform Party MP. Stinson has earned himself a permanent spot in Ottawa's hall of infamy after he challenged a government member to a fist fight on the floor of the House of Commons last year. His more recent comments about Progressive Conservative leader Jean Charest put him back into the news in Ottawa in recent weeks, prompting McRae to write a column published Dec. 8 in which he called, with his tongue in his cheek, for someone in staid old Ottawa to stand up to the pugnacious Okanagan-Shuswap MP.

Mirasty told Windspeaker he discussed the original column with his wife who jokingly dared him to respond to McRae's call for a champion.

"When she went upstairs, I made the call," he said, adding he felt a battle between a Reform Party member and a Métis law student would be a natural fund raiser for charity.

McRae, according to Mirasty, called back several times to make sure he was serious. Then the columnist contacted the Reform Party member with the challenge and Stinson agreed - as long as it was for charity. The next day, Stinson read McRae's account of the exchange and saw comments attributed to Mirasty that he felt turned the entire affair sour. In the article which announced the fight for charity was on, Mirasty was quoted as saying he felt it would be a good match-up because he was Métis and Stinson belonged to a party that "has a racist, redneck reputation."

"That's not the way it was sold to me at all," Stinson said of his conversation with McRae. "We talked at length and we were joking about it. I'll do anything for charity. It seemed to me that out of all this heat I've taken maybe some good could come out of it. But this gentleman (McRae) has dropped me right into the old outhouse with his wording."

Mirasty, 42, is also upset with the Sun columnist.

"I cringed when I saw the article," he said. "It was depicted as a grudge match between two racists. That was not what was intended. In no way did I say Mr. Stinson or the Reform Party is racist."

A westerner, born in Saskatchewan and, until recently, an Edmonton resident, Mirasty said there are some aspects of the Reform point of view with which he agrees.

"They believe in family values, balancing the budget. I agree with them on those issues. I don't agree with their Aboriginal policy, but I guess that's because I'm Aboriginal. What I said to Mr. McRae was that the Reform Party has an image of being racist and it's unfair. I thought Mr. Stinson was being a good sport. I saw this as a chance to show the human side, the charitable side of him and his party," Mirasty said. "Instead, I'm being used as a killer and I'm really uncomfortable with it."

The Reformer said he doesn't feel he can go through with the fight now that the race issue has been raised.

"I'm sorry about that, but I'm going to try and let it die. This article strikes a low blow. I was willing to do this for charity but it's gone beyond that," he said. "I've tried to stomp out what this article basically implies ever since I got into politics. I don't believe in racism."

The quotes attributed to Mirasty could be interpreted as racist remarks on his part. That's something that alarms the law student.

"I'm not about to start something like that," he said. "If I did [newly appointed Métis Senator] Thelma Chalifoux would lynch me with a sash. This was suppsed to be a way to raise some money for charity in time for Christmas, originally, but Mr. Stinson said he wouldn't be available until February so we put it off until St. Valentines day. It was intended to be a charitable event and it was never my intention to turn it into a racial thing."

Earl McRae did not return a call seeking his comments.