The Illustrated Guide To Tory Turmoil

OTTAWA - A former MP says he and many other Conservatives in his Manitoba riding are upset with how the party handled finding his replacement, calling the nomination process there undemocratic

[...]

Mark said in an interview that he purposely announced he was leaving a year early, so that the party would have time to hold a competitive nomination process.

Instead, only a single nomination contestant — Robert Sopuck — was ever recognized by the party, despite other local Tories wanting to run.

Mark said he complained about irregularities in the process to his Manitoba caucus colleagues at least twice.

"After spending over 13 years in the riding, not allowing the membership base to have a say in who should replace me is just not right, and not one of (my fellow MPs). . .would utter one single response," he said.

Inky is hardly the first to complain, though. Every since they came to power in 2006, the Tories have been wrestling where their Reform Party instincts in regards to local democracy.

For example, most of the Calgary West riding association quit after CPoC Central quelled their attempts to replace Rob Anders with someone less embarrassing.

Gilles Rancourt complained about the "Party Brass in Ottawa" stifling his bid for the federal nomination in London-Fanshawe, and eventually left the CPoC.

And then there was The Blue Network, a short-lived reform movement within the CPoC that worked towards restoring "grassroots democracy" to the party. It went nowhere.

Opposition to Lisa Raitt's parachute candidacy among Halton Tories was legendary. Local Tories even whomped up an anonymous website urging her defeat in '08. She won anyway.

Ken Epp refused to endorse Tim Uppal in 2008 when he was parachuted into Epps old (Edmonton) riding. Uppal won the seat regardless.

But perhaps most tragically, nine directors of The Mississauga East-Cooksville Conservative Party executive quit when smoking hot Melissa Bhagat was selected by the Tory braintrust in Ottawa to run in that riding. She lost.

That's all I can remember; I'm not sure the protests against Julian Fantino count because I'm not sure the opposition comes from local Conservatives. But here's a link anyhow.

PS. I think this is the only website on the planet that still has this particular picture of Ms. Bhaghat. I believe she had it pulled from the original source after she was nominated.

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, Redux

The situation over Melissa Bhaghat, putative CPoC candidate in Mississauga East-Cooksville, continues to churn. A number of the Tory electoral district association BOD (10 of 29) have quit, arguing that Melissa's appointment and acclamation has violated the party's populist roots:

"I won't be a party to that kind of corruption," said Charles Conn, one of 10 people who recently resigned in protest from the electoral district association board of directors for Mississauga East-Cooksville.

As I reported three weeks ago, in addition to process issues, the local Torys are unhappy that Melissa is an ex-Liberal:

Inflicting us with a Party-selected candidate who has been rejected by the Liberals, both provincially in Brampton Centre and federally in Brampton Springdale, and who was not welcomed by the PC's provincially, is an invitation to disaster.

[...]

MEC members deserve a better candidate than a Liberal reject, from Brampton.

Now, in addition to these complaints, Charles Conn and his fellows have added another pair:

Conn and some other ex-directors also expressed their suspicions that Bhagat might have been preferred by the party because she is a woman and belongs to a minority.

Hoo Hah! And what a woman at that! But the Mississauga Torys apparently want to run under the slogan: "Lily white & unsullied by the touch of female flesh!"

Tory Turmoil In Mississauga!

The Mississauga East-Cooksville Conservative Party executive have a problem. Bi-lingual, well-travelled, tv host Melissa Bhagat is willing to run for them, but they're not sure they want her:

February 22, 2008 12:28 PM - Nine directors of the Mississauga East-Cooksville Conservative Party executive have resigned in protest over the hasty process used by party leaders to select their riding's candidate in the next federal election.

One of the nine party Rebs, Charles W. Conn, has gone public with his issues re Ms. Bhagat, and frankly they seem to run a bit deeper than mere process:

Inflicting us with a Party-selected candidate who has been rejected by the Liberals, both provincially in Brampton Centre and federally in Brampton Springdale, and who was not welcomed by the PC's provincially, is an invitation to disaster. Doing so, so soon after the Tory rape of Mississauga South in the recent provo election, where the PC's inflicted Liberal-reject Peterson on the EDA, will confirm that the Tory brand stands for top-down dictatorship and callous contempt for members and citizens in Mississauga. It will also ensure continued victories for Liberals in Mississauga for years to come.

MEC members deserve a better candidate than a Liberal reject, from Brampton.

Whoa there, Charles! Grab some couth!

Reminds me of this, except that since here its an ex-Lib rather than an ex-Tory, I find it easier to see the humorous aspect.