When Tom Met Rob And Lisa

From here.

Lisa Raitt Flees Twitter!!!

Protects tweets from public!

Just speculating, but does this have anything to do with her getting caught tweeting about enjoying the gay coffee at Satanbucks just days after John Baird reaffirmed Tim's as der coffee of der volk? Maybe. The Tories have been on high-Diva alert ever since the Jaffir/Guergis thing imploded.

Lisa Raitt On Twitter

h/t

Raitt Punished?

Here comes Bill Clinton's speaking fee, as well as a couple more million from the Marquee Tourism Events Program to:

...allow the CNE to bring world-class soccer teams from Portugal and Scotland to Toronto during the event; add marquee names to existing entertainment programming; present an international speaker series; increase its marketing efforts in Canada and the United States; and initiate a two-year project to introduce on-the-ground transportation for visitors, which will be completed in time for the 2010 CNE.

A interesting note: the CTV, Globe, and Macleans' stories from last week all mention that Canada's natural resources minister Lisa Raitt would be confirming the funding, but in the end it was Tony Clement that got to hand out the over sized cheque (or whatever):

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 17, 2009) - The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Industry, today announced the Government of Canada investment of $3.75 million over two years to support the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) as part of the Marquee Tourism Events Program.

Is Harper continuing to use Marquee Tourism Events Program funding announcements to punish/reward members of Team Tory? After all, Lisa Raitt and her Sexxxy Isotope show have been in the news again recently, and not in a good way.

Lisa Raitt Debacle: A Product Of CPoC's Nomination Process?

Given Ms. Raitt's current predicament, it is perhaps a good time to note just how much controversy her appointment as Tory candidate for Halton originally generated. Members of the Halton Conservative riding association complained vociferously about this "star candidate" being parachuted in when at least three other association members had announced their intention to run. In fact, during the election itself a website sprang up urging disgruntled Torys to cast their vote for someone other than Ms. Raitt. At the time this might have sounded like sour grapes, but given recent developments, the words of Charles Conn, Reform Party candidate for the riding of Mississauga West back in 1993, now seem prescient:

...[i]nvestigators might possibly find it useful to also probe Toronto city councillors and mayor Miller about Ms. Raitt's tenure at THC.

(Note: THC=Toronto Harbour Commission, precurser to the TPA=Toronto Port Authority)

And, just this morning, former MP Joe Hueglin weighed in, blaming the current debacle on the CPoC's penchant for "top down governance":

Though there were several candidates who had been cleared to stand for nomination, though there were requests the Nomination Meeting be held from the EDA it was not.

Rather than this Lisa Riatt was named as candidate through application of the Conservative Party of Canada Candidate Nomination Rules and Procedures Section 8 b., APPENDIX B...

[...]

Some would consider the decision made by the hierarchs as an error based not only on current misadventures but on questions as to whether she would have passed the test to be able to stand for nomination due to questions raised concerning her conduct in the position from which she has taken a leave of absence.

I notice that the TPA scandal continues to percolate, and threatens to draw in Transport Minister John Baird. Looks like some of these Tory rebs from days gone by might have had a point about ignoring the wisdom of the CPoC grass-roots.

Girls On The Run! TPA On Chow On Raitt!

Olivia Chow is adding to current Minister of Natural Resources Lisa Raitt's troubles this afternoon by pointing to a purportedly confidential letter written by four directors of the Toronto Port Authority, where Ms. Raitt used to be CEO, to Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Minister John Baird on March 30, 2009. In the letter, such wrongs as mis-managing TPA finances and cronyism are alleged.

Keeping the old pot boiling, the TPA has fired back with a news release:

Many of the items referred to in the Letter are both picayune and stale, having been already widely reported in the Toronto and Ottawa media and often undermined in this earlier coverage. Once you discard the half- truths and defamation in their Letter, one is left with little more than a transparent attack by a subset of the Board, two of whom are seeing their terms expire in ten weeks' time. Their retirement present to the rest of us is to "burn down the house" on their way out the door, as they now recognize that they will not be reappointed to the Board for a second term.

The TPA is right in that allegations of impropriety have been levelled against Raitt and the TPA since at least 2006 (by Chow particularly). Also notable, of the TPA Board's current makeup:


Mr. Jeremy Adams: 1/14/09 - 1/14/12
Mr. Chris Henley: 8/23/06 - 8/22/09
Mr. David Gurin: 12/4/08 - 12/4/11
Ms. Michele McCarthy: 7/14/04 - 7/13/10 (two terms)
Mr. Mark McQueen: 8/23/07 - 8/22/10
Mr. Sean Morley: 12/19/08 - 12/18/10
Mr. Douglas Reid: 8/23/06 - 8/22/09
Mr. Craig Rix: 2/2/08 - 2/1/11
Mr. Colin Watson: 8/23/06 - 8/23/11 (two terms)

...three--Adams, Morley, and Rix--are Conservative Party members on either the federal or Ontario level.

He's Thinking: Why Do I Get Stuck With All The Shitty Jobs?

A government aide leaves CTV's Ottawa bureau after picking up the 'secret' documents.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't cheer too hard at Ms. Raitt's troubles. Centrist, non-knuckle dragging, sophisticated blond women are what the Tories need more of.

Halton Tories Out To Sabotage Tory Candidate!

I've written extensively about Lisa Raitt's difficulties re earning the loyalty of Conservative Party insiders in Halton, where the CPoC hierarchy parachuted her in as a "star" candidate.

Well, some of these CPoC rebs have started their own blog urging local voters to vote neither for Lisa nor incumbent Garth Turner. Their latest message to the people of Halton:

The Truth: We still have pipelines into the party, and the local numbers indicate that Halton is truly in play.

If it wasn't a close race, why would we care? Lisa Raitt would lose and the back room boys in Ottawa would learn a lesson. But Lisa Raitt is definitely in contention, and we're concerned that the people in Ottawa will start to think that they know better than local riding associations. For the long term health of our party, we need the back room brokers to trust us on the ground.

Don't vote for Garth Turner, the man who sold his riding out.

Don't vote for Lisa Raitt, the woman who was handed this riding by people who think they own it.

Now, Steve Janke has written a lot of nonsense about the blog authors being NDP supporters involved in an elaborate conspiracy, but my own sources among disgruntled Halton Tories believe that this is a sincere attempt to thwart the party machine. We'll see if it works.

Lisa Raitt To Be Unveiled!!

Sometimes, the paranoid stories turn out to be true. For example, it looks like one-time Reform Party candidate Charles Conn got it right when he claimed that Harper Central Command was getting set to appoint Toronto Harbour Commission CEO Lisa Raitt as the Tory candidate in Halton. John Ivison writes

...the Conservatives have high hopes for Lisa Raitt, president and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority, who they will unveil this week as the candidate to take on the floor-crosser, Garth Turner, in Halton.

Lisa Raitt will be "unveiled", and Halton's Conservative riding association will be barred from choosing their own representative. Furthermore, similar betrayals of the party grass-roots, according to Conn, are playing out in at least a dozen riding associations across the country.


Big deal, you might say, the Libs do it all the time. Well, yes, but nobody ever accused the Libs of being a grass-roots party. Do the Stephen Harper Tories intend to forfeit that title?

Tory Reb Speaks, Claims Over A Dozen Tory Riding Associations Being Suppressed By CPoC HQ!

Charles Conn ran for the Reform Party in the riding of Mississauga West back in 1993, losing to Carolyn Parrish. More recently, he has been a persistent critic of the CPoC's commitment to its party grass roots when it comes to the matter of nominating candidates. I have chronicled his complaints against the process which produced Melissa Bhaghat here, and is in the process of anointing Lisa Raitt, here.

Mr. Conn's recent letter to FreeDominon on the Raitt situation raised a number of issues for me. For example, one FreeD denizen responded to Mr. Conn as follows:

The National Councillors of the CPC are simply acting on the authority given to them in the
"new" party's constitution.

5.3 Electoral district associations shall comply with such requirements as to their governance, financial management and reporting, as may be implemented by National Council by by-law or otherwise.

The term "or otherwise," pretty much covers anything Don Plett or Doug Finley and company might want to do. If conservative members don't like their constitution they should either work to change it or rip up their membership and quit supporting the party.

(Note: CPoC Constitution and other backing documents can be found here)

I wanted some response from Mr. Conn to this comment.

Secondly, Mr. Conn had written:

National Councillors know full well what's going on....

[...]...they can read the media accounts that relate the destruction being wrought, not just in southern Ontario, but also in Quebec, the Maritimes, Manitoba, Alberta and B.C. just in the last year. And probably three time as much damage is being done in ridings lacking the juice to fight back or get media attention.

And I wondered where some of these other riding associations might be.

So I emailed Mr. Conn! The following is an annotated version of our exchange, which he has allowed me to publish here.

On the first point, and to summarize, Mr. Conn believes that, since the Rob Anders affair (wherein Mr. Anders won his riding nomination by means contrary to Conservative Party rules) , the CPoC consititution has been altered so as to kneecap decision-making on the part of local riding associations. He notes that, before changes made in July 2007, the Constitution contained the following clause:

2. e. The CNC shall: i. conduct a fair and effective recruitment, nomination and selection process etc. etc. etc.

...which post July 2007 has been changed to

2. i. The CNC shall administer a candidate nomination and selection process etc. etc. etc.

Mr. Conn writes:

This was just one of the many changes made to the Rules and Procedures following the Anders case in Calgary. They were designed by PoliOps, accepted by National Council and effectively render riding associations otiose.

Just to throw in another, particulary nasty example:

8.b. National Council may alter, abridge or suspend any of the Rules as it sees fit.

...which is also from the "Candidate Nomination Rules and Procedures", July 2007 version.

On the second point (in which ridings specifically is Tory HQ trampling over the rights of local riding associations), Mr Conn wrote to me as follows:

Vancouver Quadra (both parties), Calgary West, Wild Rose, an "Eastern Townships" riding (unnamed) in which David Marler, a Knowlton lawyer, was told he wasn't wanted as a candidate after months of informal campaigning. The party preferred Mark Quinlan, aide to Christian Paradis, secretary of state for agriculture, Casey case in Nova Scotia. A hasty search of my files couldn't locate the Manitoba case and since I'm leaving on vacation in a couple of days, would ask you to excuse that one omission.

It looks like most of the instances of "parachuting" are occurring in southern Ontario, but, my speculative bet is we're only seeing reports of about one-third.

Six cases is one third of 18. So, even assuming a little exaggeration on the part of Mr. Conn, we are talking about over a dozen ridings where CPoC HQ is stomping all over the rights of its Membership.

(Note: anyone with an idea of which Manitoba riding Mr. Conn might be talking about, please let me know).

By the way, CharlesConn is not exactly your standard issue Tory. His views on homosexual rights, for example, have been strongly influenced by his observations of gay pets and livestock.

The Tories Most Babealicious!

The Tories may be doomed in the GTA, but they sure know how to pick ultra-hot candidates! Today at BCLSB we ask: which of their doomed female candidates is the ultra-hottest?

Will she or won't she? Unconfirmed rumour has it that Lisa Raitt will be parachuted into the riding of Halton to face off against Garth Turner. Our willowy blonde has legal training and is currently CEO of the Toronto Port Authority, where she goes by the title of Harbour Master. Clearly, she knows how to deal with mere men. She hasn't got a prayer against Garth, however, who is not a mere man.

Bilingual, well travelled, experienced on television, and a 5' 8" monument to female pulchritude carved from soft, chewy, caramel candy, Melissa Bhaghat has chosen to fly the Tory flag in Mississauga East-Cooksville. Given that her opponent, Albina Guarnieri, has won the riding since 1988 and is also hot ( in a blond sex-bomb kind of way), I give sweet Melissa very little chance. But its too bad they couldn't both win.

PS. to Melissa's credit, she isn't afraid to be seen with ugly people.

Tory Turmoil In Halton!

With the economy teetering on the edge of recession, government finances in the red, raunchy deli meats flooding the store-shelves of the nation, and even staunch Tories criticizing Stephen Harper's apparent decision to turn his back on his own promise of fixed election dates, the last thing the CPoC needs on the brink of an (alleged) election call is dissatisfied rumblings from the grass roots.

But that appears to be what they're getting!

Charles Conn-- a one man fount of dissension and one of the guys who tried to derail the nomination of the talented and voluptuous Melissa Bhagatt--is now reporting dirty goings on in the riding of Halton! Take it away Charles!

Halton riding has a consistent and active membership of around 550 and a significant amount of money in the bank. It has always had a healthy riding association ­ active in many community events and experienced at winning elections. There have been at least three very well-qualified members who have announced their intention to seek the candidacy for the same two years. All the requirements for holding a candidate selection process have been in place. It is axiomatic that the longer a candidate has to work the riding the more likely he/she is to have a positive influence on the outcome of an election.

However, PoliOps has decided to appoint Lisa Raitt as the Tory candidate in Halton.

Lisa Raitt at least lives in the riding. She is the CEO of the Toronto Harbour Commission. Formerly, she was chief counsel for the THC and was responsible for extracting the $35M penalty from Toronto City Council for their holdup of the Island Airport. Clearly a "Star" candidate!

As an aside, Mr. Conn casts a harsh eye of Ms. Raitt's time at the harbour commision, and suggests that "[i]nvestigators might possibly find it useful to also probe Toronto city councillors and mayor Miller about Ms. Raitt's tenure at THC". (Note: a quick GoogleNews search for "Raitt" and "Toronto Harbour Comission" yields nothing even slightly scandalous. Oh well!)

However, most interesting is Mr. Conn's account of how PoliOps plans to execute its screw-over of the CPoC grassroots. Apparently, Lisa Raitt was presented to the riding BOD early this year as the de facto candidate, but because of the controversy stirred up by L'affaire Bhaghat (partly by me, I'm proud to say!), PoliOps was forced to back off for the time being. However:

The membership in Halton will not be allowed to choose their own candidate. Whenever the writ is dropped for the next federal election, the cover of the call to arms will be used to sneak in Lisa Raitt as the official Party Representative.
[...]
Talk about abusing the membership!

Personally, I find it instructive to observe Tories abusing their Members. But whatever. Conn concludes by alleging that similar take-overs are going on all across the country:

National Councillors know full well what's going on....
[...]
...they can read the media accounts that relate the destruction being wrought, not just in southern Ontario, but also in Quebec, the Maritimes, Manitoba, Alberta and B.C. just in the last year. And probably three time as much damage is being done in ridings lacking the juice to fight back or get media attention.

Has the CPoC abandoned its grass-roots in the raw pursuit of power?