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August 31, 2008

Democratic deficit grows for Liberals in Ottawa

Today I received a tip from a couple of sources that describe discord among Liberal EDA board members in Ottawa West Nepean and their leader as the board is complaining that former Ottawa mayor Bob Chiarelli has asked Liberal leader Stephane Dion to forego the nomination process and appoint him as the candidate in that riding to face-off against Conservative Environment Minister John Baird.  This is obviously undemocratic as former Martin Defense Minister David Pratt is known to want the candidacy.

Pratt would make only the second Liberal to make his intentions officially known.  Ottawa University professor Nour El-Khadri also has made it known that he seeks to contest a nomination, however, Chiarelli is trying to enter in through the backdoor, according to sources.

Pratt and El-Khadri aren’t late comers to the work required to win the nomination either.  El-Khadri is believed to have sold about 500 memberships in the riding as far back as April 2007.  A source on Pratt’s team said “selling memberships and fighting a fair contest will not be a problem for…people like David”

Sources on the OWN Liberal executive say that an emergency meeting has been called for September 2nd.  Each of the three men will have to make a case before a special nominating committee as to why they believe they are the best candidate to take on Baird.  The recommendation will then be made to Stephane Dion who has the power to appoint the candidate directly.  This “beauty contest” approach (as one board member put it) is in direct contravention of the OWN Liberal Party constitution and will cause a great deal of grief with supporters of El-Kadri and Pratt.  As the same board member put it, “the fix is in” for Chiarelli.

John Baird fought his own nomination for the Conservative Party candidacy and one may speculate that expediency is being pushed for given an accelerated timetable for an election call that many expect this week.  However, it is unknown why a former Ottawa mayor without experience in the federal government would be favoured over a former Defence Minister.  Pratt fought under Martin’s banner of “fighting the democratic deficit”.  We’ll see if he’s still up for the job against Stephane Dion and Bob Chiarelli.

This entry was authored by Stephen Taylor at 05:12 PM | Tweet this | Add a comment
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  • Hypocricy rules
    Let's put it this way. Dion may be 99 lb, weakling, phisically but he is an intellectual and is approaching politics from a humane, rational point of view. While Harper is a bully by his nature and approach. That he represents the neo-con right wing does not help him either. Yes he is "pretty" just as Sarah Palin is but both have facial espressions that rediate pure evil. Who can you trust better to lead your country into the future. Those who vote Harper and gofd forbid elect him into majority, will be indirectly responsible for the ruin of this once great country. No one will be able to recognise it in few years of Harper majority. All those Reform party plans will come out and be implemented. Scary, isn't it?
  • MaryT
    Re Emmerson, would his riding have more satisfied if he had remained a liberal and sat on his hands for 2 years.
  • MikeW
    David Pratt lost the 2004 election in Nepean-Carleton to Pierre Poilieve, he did not run in the 2006 election.
  • anon
    Sun confirms no nomination meeting

    http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/OttawaAndRegion/200...
  • Be prepared to name names when you use such "sources" or you run the risk of being seen as untrustworthy yourself. Too much innuendo happens in politics - like claims the Palin baby is the daughter's and not the son of the GOP VP nominee. Absolutely reprehensible crap. Such stupidity and maliciousness keeps good people out of politics and thoughtful citizens away from politics.
  • H. R.
    A political party is not an arm of the government, it is a private body. Well, sort of. With more and more stringent fundraising rules it's obvious that the process of assimilating political parties into the government is well under way. Now that you're giving the parties public money and dictating to them where their other funds must come from, it's only a baby step to writing laws specifying the nomination procedures on which the funds may be spent.

    Once you have legislated how parties select candidates then the nationalization will be complete and Canada will finally be a de jure one-party state, instead of the de facto situation which exists now. Voting will be like choosing between LCBO and Brewer's Retail. But don't worry - there will still be plenty of fake issues to argue about and straw men to demolish. Elections will still be extremely ... how shall I say ... diverting.

    After you've swallowed up political parties into leviathan, I expect you'll want to be democratizing Canadian Tire and Wal-Mart. Wait though - better finish democratizing the meat packers first.
  • Liz J
    Anyone recall why Pratt left politics? Was it something controversial?

    Pratt has already said if he doesn't get the nomination he'd support whoever does. Why would a former MP want to get into the divided mess the Liberal party is today is another story. Must be pretty lucrative, more so than the private sector for many.

    It's no surprise to anyone in Ottawa that Chiarelli would seek the Liberal nomination and no surprise if he gets it by the back door. Poor Liberals can't even do the nomination process fairly and they want to govern the country.

    Bet Chiarelli has been planning for this for some time, it wouldn't be considered a snap decision. He'll get the nomination and Baird will win IMO.
  • Moses
    After a year of Mayor Larry, I think a lot of people would be happy to have Chiarelli back in any capacity. Too bad there's no "undo" option in the ballot box
  • LindaL
    Bobby Wonderful: "Harper appointed Emerson" The appointment of Emerson turned out to be something quite beneficial to all Canadians to the extent that Emerson has done some very useful things in his ministerial positions. For example, he was poisted to complete the softwood lumber deal when the election was called. Appointing him allowed him to complete this process. The appointment did not screw some other hard working candidate out of a position. There is a huge difference between running a campaign and running a government.
  • Emerson folded entirely to the American softwood demands and protectionists interests. And then he bullied the Canadian industry into accepting the deal...no statesmanship on that one.
  • LindaL
    If I were in the riding, I would vote for Baird, whom I have met and who I find is a very personable and thoughtful individual. Having said that I find Pratt a more appealing candidate than Chiarelli. To my mind, Chiarelli is a sleezy opportunist. I am uncomfortable with the way he pushed through the Ottawa light rail project -- and left the current council holding the bag. The day after the decision to go with Chiarelli's version of light rail, he holds a "sham" meeting as a pretense that there is serious planning going on to address the future requirements for light rail expansion (focussing on parts of the city that got shafted in his original decision.) None of this will make sense to people outside of Ottawa. Suffice to say, he is a Liberal insider and it shows.
  • Bob
    He's too busy trying to kick sand in rhe face of any 99 ound weakiling he can find. .......
    Mr. Harper is just returning the favour the Liberals under Chrétien did to the Conservatives when Mr. Harper was the leader for only two months. Mr Dion has had close to 30 months to figure it out. This is plenty of time...
  • real conservative
    Communists were always afraid of the rabble, they were only useful when needed to thump somebody. (real conservative)
  • batb
    terry: "He's too busy trying to kick sand in rhe face of any 99 ound weakiling [sic] he can find."

    LOL!!

    The 99-pound weaklings are 99-pound weaklings because of their life choices--because of their political choices. I wouldn't admit it if I were you, terry, that the Liberals are full of political weaklings with no backbone.

    What's Stephen Harper to do? Hoist them on his shoulders and carry them across the Red Sea?
  • Lamb
    Fortier??
  • paulsstuff
    Probably just followed the precedent set by Liberal's. Stronach, Brison, Pettigrew, and, oh yeah, Dion.
  • Bobby Wonderful
    How can you write this nonsense after Harper appointed Emerson to the cabinet?
  • anon
    I have no faith in the people of Ottawa. In the 2004 election in Ottawa-South, its constituents had a choice between CPoC candidate Cutler, a man of integrity, honesty and courage for blowing the whistle on Ad$cam, and David McGuinty, the brother of a promise-breaking premier, who defends his brother's sorry record. Sadly the electorate chose McGuinty - this just weeks after McGuinty announced the biggest tax grab in Ontario's history. What does this tell you about them?
  • terry1
    Democratic deficits and Tories in the same sentence would be the real anchronism. Harper hasn't got a democracy bone in his body. He's too busy trying to kick sand in rhe face of any 99 ound weakiling he can find.
    Harper has nominated many candidates with out riding approval or contests. And since when do laws or constitutions mean anything to tories. The fixed election dates are in your own party platform. Hypocrisy is thy name.
  • Soccermom
    '99 pound weakling' - that's not a nice thing to say about Stephane Dion. True, yes, but not very nice.
  • Bob
    He's too busy trying to kick sand in rhe face of any 99 ound weakiling he can find. .......
    Mr. Harper is just returning the favour the Liberals under Chrétien did to the Conservatives when Mr. Harper was the leader for only two months. Mr Dion has had close to 30 months to figure it out. This is plenty of time.
  • Rob Taylor
    i live in O-W-N and have been hit twice with phone polling obviously from the Chiarelli camp. it is quite funny that the questionnaire asks if you prefer Baird's or Chiarelli's position on a number of issues-(most of which were outside of federal jurisdiction).

    They were unable to clarify the positions when I asked what Chiarelli's position was on issues like taxes, health care, and respect for the public service. As mayor he never met a tax he didn't hike, so he must love the Green Shift.
  • As if those of us in Ottawa haven't had enough of Chiarelli. . .
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Stephen Taylor - email@stephentaylor.ca
Stephen Taylor is a scientist, political analyst and a blogger. Taylor writes here regularly and is the founder of bloggingtories.ca. Taylor has contributed to Macleans, CTV, talk radio and has been a featured speaker on new media at numerous events including the Western Standard Cruise and the Forum for Public Policy. In December 2008, Taylor organized Rally for Canada, a series of rallies held coast-to-coast to protest the proposed coalition government.