Byelections called for April 3rd, 2017

[capricorn]

Byelections have been called for 5 ridings:

Calgary-Heritage, Alberta

Calgary Midnapore, Alberta

Markham-Thornhill, Ontario

Ottawa-Vanier, Ontario

Saint-Laurent, Québec

http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=ele&dir=2017&document=index&lang=e

Prime Ministers of all stripes strive to surround themselves with like-minded individuals. Therefore, if party strategists can somehow influence the candidate nomination process they’ll do it.

The riding of Saint-Laurent, previously held by Stéphane Dion, is interesting in that regard. One potential candidate, Alan DeSousa, was barred by the party from running without any explanation; his appeal was rejected.

The nomination process did not go as expected for the Liberal strategists. Their preferred candidate, Yolande James, which they parachuted in, failed to win the nomination.

Quote

 

The Montreal borough mayor banned by the federal Liberal party from seeking to run in a byelection next month in St-Laurent riding says Wednesday night’s upset win by long shot candidate Emmanuella Lambropoulos was more than just a message to the party’s backroom organizers.

“They wanted someone who could be the vehicle for the expression of their outrage and they didn’t find that in (Yolande) James nor in the other candidate,” St. Laurent borough mayor Alan DeSousa told the Montreal Gazette Thursday morning. “People may be stunned and many were stunned last night. But people wanted their voices heard. And this was in St-Laurent, a community that some people thought might be docile and follow the proposals of the higher echelons.

“The message from the Liberals in St-Laurent was that they don’t appreciate having a parachuted candidate dropped into our community.”

DeSousa was referring to former Quebec Liberal cabinet minister Yolande James, who had sought the nomination in the riding considered one of the safest federal Liberal seats in the country and was perceived as the choice of the Liberal party establishment. However a pall was cast over the nomination process after DeSousa, who has been borough mayor of St-Laurent for 16 years, was told by the Liberals’ “green light committee” – without explanation – that his candidacy would not be considered. The party later refused to hear his appeal of that decision.

http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/bombshell-win-in-st-laurent-an-expression-of-local-outrage-desousa

Ottawa-Vanier is also interesting. The riding has always voted Liberal in its 83 year history. Also, they were always men. This time around, a woman (Mona Fortier) is representing  the Liberals. So a woman winning the riding (which I expect she will), would set a precedent.

http://www.1310news.com/2017/02/19/ottawa-vanier-election-set-april-3rd/

If anyone has any comments about the other 4 ridings, I would be interested in reading them.

Edited March 11, 2017 by capricorn

[capricorn]

Just as I suspected.

Quote

Justin Trudeau has often said that open party nominations would allow local members to choose who can become a Liberal candidate, but a recent race shows that the Prime Minister has the final word over who gets on the ballot in some of these hotly contested campaigns.

The Globe and Mail has learned that Mr. Trudeau played a key role in blocking the candidacy of a local power broker ahead of the nomination meeting in the Montreal riding of St-Laurent last week. After an investigation, the Liberal Party’s Green Light committee, which vets candidates in nomination races, rejected Alan DeSousa, the long-time mayor of the borough of St-Laurent.

The matter was then brought to Mr. Trudeau. The Liberal Leader was briefed on the committee’s rationale and approved the decision to block the candidacy, a senior official confirmed.

The official said there was not a single reason that explained the “red-lighting” of Mr. DeSousa’s candidacy. Instead, the Liberal Party and Mr. Trudeau made a subjective assessment in relation to Mr. DeSousa and whether he was the right person to become the face of the party in St-Laurent, the official said.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/trudeau-approved-blocking-of-montreal-candidate-from-liberal-mp-race/article34278156/

As the long term mayor of Saint-Laurent, DeSousa was high profile and his chances of winning the riding were just about assured. But he did not appeal to Trudeau and the Liberal establishment. DeSousa was never advised why he was disqualified.

[capricorn]

Dirty pool was also detected in the riding of Markham-Thornhill.

Quote

One of the candidates competing against a senior Justin Trudeau staffer to win the Liberal nomination in a Toronto-area riding says Tamil-Canadians make up the vast majority of the 1,600 party members she’d signed up during her campaign and who have been declared ineligible to vote in this controversial contest.

Juanita Nathan, a school board trustee who is Tamil-Canadian herself, says this ethnic community is present in large numbers in the riding of Markham-Thornhill. The electoral district is in need of a new Member of Parliament after incumbent John McCallum was named Canada’s next ambassador to China and by-elections for a number of ridings across the country are set for April 3.

The Liberal Party triggered accusations of favouritism in the Markham race by announcing Feb. 20 that the period to register new members for the nomination vote would be retroactively cut off as of Feb. 14.

When confronted, here is what Trudeau said.

Quote

Mr. Trudeau, speaking ahead of a campaign rally for by-election candidates in Calgary, brushed off the controversy plaguing the Toronto-area riding. He said the grassroots will decide the outcome, not party brass.

“In the contested nominations, there’s always an excitement about who’s going to be the next candidate for the Liberal party. And I’m confident that, again, allowing the individuals who are members of the Liberal party to decide who gets to be their representative is the best way forward ... . This is an important part of being an open, transparent political party.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tamil-canadians-shut-out-of-liberal-nomination-vote-in-toronto-area-riding/article34181632/

Pants on fire....

[scribblet]

Total hypocrisy as a candidate must be a 'chosen one' or a preferred candidate to win in a Liberal by-election.   Just more attacks on democracy by Trudeau.

[?Impact]

Are we suggesting that the party accept anyone? The riding association made the final choice, but there still needs to be acceptance by the party or else it is not a party. Whining about nothing.

[capricorn]

1 hour ago, ?Impact said:

Are we suggesting that the party accept anyone? The riding association made the final choice, but there still needs to be acceptance by the party or else it is not a party. Whining about nothing.

Are you suggesting that riding associations can't properly vet candidates? After all, Liberal Riding associations are made up of Liberal members and activists.

Trudeau and his Liberals promised that they would ensure fair and open elections. Have you not visited their website? It's right there under the heading "Open and fair elections"

http://www.liberal.ca/openness-and-transparency/

[?Impact]

Just now, capricorn said:

Are you suggesting that riding associations can't properly vet candidates?

Yes, that is exactly what I am suggesting. The riding associations are different in each riding, there is no standard.

[capricorn]

2 minutes ago, ?Impact said:

Yes, that is exactly what I am suggesting. The riding associations are different in each riding, there is no standard.

Oh, so you have specific knowledge of some 300+ riding associations. Please provide a source for your claim that each riding association is different.

[?Impact]

1 minute ago, capricorn said:

Oh, so you have specific knowledge of some 300+ riding associations. Please provide a source for your claim that each riding association is different.

The riding association is composed of people living in that riding, the people are different by definition.

[capricorn]

47 minutes ago, ?Impact said:

The riding association is composed of people living in that riding, the people are different by definition.

The fact is each political party has rules about riding associations which must conform to the Elections Canada Act.

[?Impact]

1 minute ago, capricorn said:

The fact is each political party has rules about riding associations which must conform to the Elections Canada Act.

Yes, but that has nothing to do with the topic at hand. I have never been a supporter of party politics. If you support party politics however, then live by the rules of the party. If you don't like those rules then run as an independent. What is hard to understand about that?

[scribblet]

I can only imagine the sh.t storm had Harper rigged nominations like this.

[?Impact]

Just now, scribblet said:

I can only imagine the sh.t storm had Harper rigged nominations like this.

What? Harper rigged elections about a billion times worse than this.

[capricorn]

30 minutes ago, ?Impact said:

Yes, but that has nothing to do with the topic at hand.

Oh, in an earlier post you alluded to the role of the riding association in the nomination process and suddenly it's off topic?

[scribblet]

Oh sure I forgot, of course he did..  heck Trudeau actually approved the blocking of a candidate in Montreal.   Guess all of his inner circle owe their seat so what really amountns to rigged nominations.  e.g. Freeland, Joly, Morneau et al    

[capricorn]

Byelection day in 5 ridings. In my riding, the Liberal is a shoe in.

[oakhill]

A bit shocking. That would not have been the story portrayed by the media.

[oakhill]

liberal decline in % vote

ottawa vanier.   -6

saint Laurent.   -2

calgary midnapore. - 6

calgary heritage.   - 4

markham thornhill.  -4

[hot enough]

It's not surprising. However we should try to present this in as neutral, as scientific, as honest a manner as we can. Has all pertinent information been provided?

[Wilber]

Sitting governments always fare poorly in byelections compared to the general election that got them there. The fact they didn't lose any seats could be considered a win.

Edited April 4, 2017 by Wilber

[-1=e^ipi]

Ottawa vanier result is interesting. Historically, it was the CPC in 2nd place, not the NDP.

[oakhill]

Not sure what information wasn't provided merely a statistical depiction of the decline in support.

Extrapolating the results which is hazordous would paint a national picture similar to the recent forum poll showing a Tory lead nationally

[overthere]

The NDP are the ones that should be worried.  Usually the governing party takes a bit of a hit during byelections, and Opposition parties gain.  The NDP slid.  

[Boges]

Nothing really matters until both the NDP and CPC have permanent leaders. 

[oakhill]

Keep telling yourself that ...... there will be blow back from the cronyism on Trudeau and the extreme progressive agenda in my view