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Oh, this is just too precious! Stevie Spiteful already losing his micro-management touch?
A battle is shaping up inside Tory ranks ahead of the party’s national convention next month, once again pitting members of the old Canadian Alliance party against former Progressive Conservatives in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, the Canadian Press has learned.
The matter has even prompted Defence Minister Peter MacKay, one of the founding fathers of the Conservative party, to speak out in a letter to fellow Conservatives.
At issue is the “deal-breaker” policy that brought the two parties together in 2003 — the concept that all riding associations would be treated equally during a leadership and policy conventions no matter how many members they had.
The rule was important to Progressive Conservatives because it would keep a check on the power of large western Canadian associations that could easily swamp a leadership vote.
But now several riding associations, including Immigration Minister Jason Kenney’s and Ontario MP Scott Reid’s, want to alter the rules to move the party toward a system closer to that of “one member, one vote.” Both Kenney and Reid were former Canadian Alliance members.
MacKay, who has fought aggressively at previous conventions against such amendments to the party’s constitution, is calling on riding presidents to keep the proposals from even making it to the convention floor.
Uh oh! Petey MacKay is speaking out of turn again! I think I’m beginning to understand why Robocop Fantino was given a newly created post of ‘associate defense minister’. Now who’s babysitting who? After all, I think it’s pretty much a no brainer which side Stevie Spiteful is on in this little debacle.
Seems the Quebec factions ain’t too happy neither. They fear they’ll be extinct. Let’s tune in, shall we?
“Quebecers see it has them being forced out of the party,” said Peter White, a longtime party member and riding association president in the Quebec riding of Brome-Mississquoi.
“I think it would be terrible, it would be a disaster.”
White also calls the moves shortsighted, saying the numbers of members in a particular riding association goes up and down over different periods of time.
Bernard Cote, riding association president in a Montreal-area riding, said he was alarmed by the resolutions.
“We want to ensure that we’ll be able to elect a leader who is representative of all the regions of the country, and that’s why we insist on the rule of the equality of the ridings,” Cote said.
Uh, I got a newsflash for you folks, as long as Stevie Spiteful is leading the cons, ya ain’t gonna get too far in La belle province. Get a leader the Quebecois may somewhat respect, and then talk poutine.
Notice how the punditry which tends to be cheerleading for the Harpercons these days, all a crowin’ about the power center being from Ontario and the west instead of from Ontario and Quebec? They’re all a celebratin’, basically tellin’ Quebec to kiss the west’s ass basically. Wonder if they realized that Western ReformaTories are a tellin’ the eastern Cons the same thing?
Yeesh! Parliament hasn’t started sittin’ yet and Stevie Spiteful’s micromanaging is starting to lose its’ lustre. Do we dare chuckle?
Oh my, oh my. I wonder whether the MSM will cover this with the same breathless punditry that they are using on the Liberal leadership issues. Any bets?
The best case scenario, in some ways, would have the Cons splitting up again into Reform and PC. Ontario would more likely to fall into the PC camp. The Harpie problem would be basically solved.
Ontario would not fall into the PC camp if you noticed who is the official opposition federally. Also, take note that our progressive conservative Ontario party are neocons which are closer to reform.
I sense a potentially important opportunity here.
Although I have to say, I have very little sympathy for Tories who are only now griping about jumping into bed with Reform eight years and four elections ago.
ck Reply:
May 20th, 2011 at 9:16 AM
Sixth Estate, I have to agree with you. Kinda like Karma coming back to bite Petey McKay in the ass for that whole David Orchard debacle. Somewhere, David Orchard must be in a hysterical fit of giggles.
True about Ontario, the Mike Harris Cons are closer to Reform and I believe Timmy Hudak is a Mike Harris protege, if you will.
I also seem to recall that Reform in its’ early days did run candidates in western Ontario, as did CRAPpers along with Prog Cons.
That whole gang make Brian Mulroney look like a raging socialist.