Local Liberals make their plans for possible spring election

The tea leaves suggest that Canadians may be going to the polls this spring, the minority government of Stephen Harper apparently waiting to see if the opposition has the desire to take the nation back to a vote.

If events locally are any indication, the opposition parties may have spread the word to the faithful that they are ready to force a confidence vote and take us all back to the voting booth.

Local Liberals selected a Prince Rupert resident as their flag carrier for any possible election call, Corinna Morhart was acclaimed as the nominee for Skeena Bulkley Valley, after Maarke Piket withdrew from the race last month, thinking that a possible election may conflict with a family wedding.

That was a definite step forward for family values, but certainly a sign that the Liberal chances may not be as solid as head office might like to think. The lack of other candidates for the nomination might be construed as a worrisome thing for Liberals.

Normally a Liberal nomination would attract a diverse group of possible candidates, each hoping to cash in on a national wave of Liberal votes. In fact, in many ridings across Canada, a Liberal nomination meeting attracts many looking for that guaranteed trip to Ottawa.

To only have one stand, is possibly a sign of a party that is not resonating with local residents at the moment. Regardless of the optics though, Ms. Morhart will now prepare to take the Liberal message to the riding and attempt to wrest the seat from NDP incumbent Nathan Cullen.

The Daily News profiled the candidate and her background as the campaign trail begins to show some early signs of life. It's a tad ironic that the Daily News provides more information about the Liberal candidate than the party's own website does at the moment.

The least the party could do for their candidate, would be to put Ms. Morhart's name on their list of candidates, it would be a good first step on the way to the anticipated election.


BATTLE LINES NOW DRAWN FOR ANTICIPATED ELECTION
Parties are picking their candidates in local riding as an election looms
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Pages one and three

As Members of Parliament return to the House of Commons this week, local political constituencies continue to sort themselves out in preparation for an election call.

Skeena-Bulkley Valley Liberals have selected Prince Rupert resident Corinna Morhart as their candidate by acclamation. The only other candidate, Maarke Picket, withdrew from the Liberal race last month.

“I am interested in hearing from people all over, from Bella Bella to the Yukon border, from the Queen Charlotte Islands to Fraser Lake,” said Morhart.

“We need to be heard in Ottawa and I am committed to serving this riding with honesty, hard work and integrity. I want to represent you in Ottawa, to bring a strong voice for our issues and concerns in this riding to the table.”

The nomination meeting was held in Terrace on April 11 in order to have a candidate in place in tie for a federal election that is widely expected for late May or early June. The Liberal Party of Canada is moving quickly to have candidates ready.

Piket and the riding executive will provide support and assistance to Morhart’s campaign team as they work together on an election readiness strategy that they hope will build the Liberal presence in the riding.

Local Liberals believe that Stephane Dion’s message of a richer, fairer, and greener Canada will resonate with local voters who are concerned about the direction that Stephen Harper’s Conservatives would lead the country.

Morhart has deep roots in the region having been born and raised in Terrace. She currently lives in Prince Rupert as she completes her Bachelor in Social Work at UNBC.

Morhart has three grown children and almost one year old grand daughter.

Her mother, Gerry Rhyason (nee Edgar) I Tsimshian from Lax Kw’alaams and her father, James Morhart currently resides in Terrace.

“It is with my family’s link to this are for 5,000 years, that I am committed and dedicated to go to Ottawa for positive changes in our region,” she said.

Piket withdrew her name when it became apparent that an election may clash with a family wedding on June 2.

Meanwhile, the Christian Heritage Party of Skeena-Bulkley Valley elected Rod Taylor to represent their party.

In his candidate’s speech, Taylor spoke on the topic of “Using Both Hands” a reference to the importance of a complete commitment to the building of families, communities and nations. Taylor emphasized the importance of defending moral principles while working to restore truth and justice in society. Taylor thanked party members for their support for his campaign to restore family values and social justice and he encouraged supporters to press on.

Two-time incumbent Skeena-Bulkley Valley NDP MP Nathan Cullen has said he will also run again in the upcoming election.

Local Liberals onboard the Dion Express

With talk of a federal election coming our way sooner than later, local Liberals are stepping up to stand in line behind the new leader Stephane Dion. Many of the locals claim that the new leader exemplifies many of the qualities of the people of this riding, dedicated to the environment and a person who thinks carefully about the issues before he acts.

Across the northwest they put current MP Nathan Cullen on notice that he’s in Ottawa on borrowed votes and they fully expect that those votes will return to the Liberals under their new leader.

Local party members will no doubt start jockeying for position for the local nomination meeting to come, if as they expect there is a Liberal renaissance in the Northwest then gaining the nomination for Skeena-Bulkley Valley may very well be the ticket to Parliament Hill. It will be interesting to see who they settle on when the time comes to select a candidate; nothing brings out the numbers more than a solid chance at being part of a national government.

The Liberal love in was catalogued for us in the Wednesday edition of the Daily News.

City’s Liberals expect great things from leader Dion

By James Vassallo
The Daily News
Wednesday, December 13, 2006

The selection of Stephane Dion as Liberal leader is good news for the region, say local Liberals.
Dion, who was supported widely by delegates from Skeena-Bulkley Valley at the recent leadership convention, is a strong environmentalist and nationalist who spent eight years successfully bringing different levels of Canadian society together as intergovernmental affairs minister.

“For the riding, I think it’s very, very positive,” said Rhoda Witherly, who attended the convention as a Dion delegate. “He has a very clear view of what kinds of things he wants to see done. He thinks very carefully about issues before he leaps forward on them, and he’s very committed on the environmental side.

“Because our whole riding has such a base in resource extraction ... that’s really positive for us — it means when we do have developments go ahead, they’re going to go ahead on a real sound environmental basis and I think the rules will be very clear from the outset.”

As Northerners, it’s Dion’s practicality and straightforwardness that may resonate with voters. For those in Skeena-Bulkley Valley, rarely ones to vote for a party that may form government, it may be his outsider status that appeals.

“If Skeena riding tends to be contrarian, Dion would be contrarian,” said Gordon Stamp-Vincent, Skeena-Bulkley Valley Liberal candidate in the last election.

“He was certainly not the favourite child for coming to the fore as leader of the Liberal party.
“But I think people see a genuine integrity and ethics that they didn’t always see and that was what drew me right off the bat. He’s what I call a quintessential Canadian — soft-spoken and polite, but firm. I think that’s really refreshing.”

The election of Dion as party leader is also a return of the party into the to the hands of grassroots members, he said.

“I think the Liberals were punished, and I was the front man here,” said Stamp-Vincent. “It was a message that was delivered and heard I think loud and clear by members of the Liberal party."

“You saw that with two kind-of Liberal establishment favourites (front-runners Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae) not making it — the grassroots membership spoke and said ‘no, it’s time for a change.’”

What Dion also brings is a balanced approach, not only focusing on the traditional liberal pillars of social and fiscal responsibility but placing those in the context of an environmental foundation.
“We have to decide if we want to put in a government that is actually going to have the environment on its agenda,” said Bruce Martindale, Skeena-Bulkley Valley Liberal Riding Association president. “As a riding, we have an opportunity to participate and put somebody into government who will be part of this solution, and it’s a long-term solution. We’re talking about changing the way Canada does business in the world.”

The approach contrasts sharply with both the only-business Conservatives and the only-social New Democrats, he said.

“It’s going to be very difficult for primary industry towns and small communities to be environmentally responsible given the economic constraints and lack of funding,” said Martindale. “Those are the kinds of things that Dion is already speaking about. In our area and the rural areas, we need to have different solutions than in urban areas. It’s going to have to happen at the household level for that to happen.

“Has my MP been talking about that? Not that I’m aware of. Can he do anything about it? I guess when he’s in opposition and there’s a Liberal government, he can support them.”
The party locally says it is putting Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen on notice that the votes he ‘borrowed’ last election won’t be left to him next time.

“Nathan contacted the Liberals and asked them to loan him their votes (last election) because the Liberals couldn’t win this riding,” said Maatje Piket, organization chair Skeena-Bulkley Valley Liberal riding association. “It’s too easy for him and his party to criticize the Liberal record when they actually have no record of their own. There is much to be proud of in the Liberal record and no government is without its flaws.

“Me personally, I’ll say that we intend to earn those votes back with interest.”
Dion, a long-time academic who taught at the University of Montreal, served as a minister for nine years under Jean Chretien and Paul Martin. As intergovernmental affairs minister, he helped broker the Kelowna Accord and the national child care agreement with the provinces. During his short period as environment minister his plans were widely lauded, including most recently by Green Party leader Elizabeth May.

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Rafe's recipe for disunity

While Stephane Dion basks in the afterglow of his Liberal leadership victory, and received his convention bounce to the top of the popularity polls this past week, he best should keep a finger to the wind.

A cold political breeze blows from Vancouver, as long time observer of all things political in British Columbia, Rafe Mair, wades into the debate over whether we are closer or further apart to a splintering of the national fabric.

Mair, who has long been outspoken on the demands of Quebec and the reactions of the remainder of Canada, has put together a "Rafe's Notes" of sorts on Liberalsm, Quebec and the art of appeasement. He suggests that with the newly minted leader destined for possibly greater things, then the steps will be in motion to see the national unity "wheels come off" and providing an inexorable drift to a national split-up.

His thoughts for the Tyee, will no doubt prove to be thought provoking and have already spurred on a healthy debate in the comments section of the Tyee page that the opinion piece appeared on. Read the article and then scroll down the page, it's a fascinating trip into the abyss that the national unity question always seems to provide.

Dion’s first mandate: Find out when Hockey Night in Canada Starts!

The Liberals selected a new national leader on Saturday night, in a cliff hanger of a convention which went four ballots before deciding that it was Stephane Dion, not Michael Ignatieff, not Bob Rae who better exemplified all that they believe is good about Liberalism.

Making for a remarkable come from behind (some say come from nowhere) victory and a new direction for the Liberal party of Canada. Dion’s selection marks a victory for the grass root, door to door form of politics. The big machines of Ignatieff and Rae laid to waste by the convention’s end.

Dion who ran on a platform built on sustainability and environmental concerns, seemed to build his base as the week leading up to the convention progressed. He suddenly found himself as everybody’s second choice, the candidate they would flock to once their obligation to those that brought them to the dance were fulfilled.

In the end, it proved to be the template for success, Dion watched as many of his fellow candidates would migrate to Bob Rae, but in the end the delegates chose not to follow. Gerard Kennedy who trailed Dion by only two votes on the first ballot saw Dion’s lead increase as the voting progressed; he then quickly assessed the lay of the convention land and went to the Dion side, which did seem to be the logical spot to land.

Unlike the other candidates, who went to Rae for the photo op and campaign buttons, Kennedy actually seemed to deliver the bulk of his supporters into the Dion camp. With that large a group in play, the migrating Liberals sensed the swing and selected the professor from Quebec, a staunch federalist and champion of the environment, keeper of the two themes that Liberals it seems hold quite close to their hearts these days.

As the convention dramatics played out the talking heads and pundits of television sensed the movement, the Ignatieff campaign was stalling and the buzz was building about the doggedly determined Dion and his positive campaign. The last hour of the televised event must have been the longest and most excruciating hour of Ignatieff’s life, the organizers for whatever reason chose to drag on the theatrics to try and reach the 6:00 hour.

When the in house DJ wasn’t playing the worst music selection known to man, the organizers were busy trotting out John Turner and Jean Chretien for overly long speeches, they then put on a lengthy video presentation of past Liberal Prime Ministers. While all of this played out the television cameras were focused in on Ignatieff’s face, a visage that all but had conceded defeat, showing signs of having received the word and the word was not good.

Finally a mercy rule was invoked, the music stopped, the lights came up and results were in hand. They announced Dion as the winner, Ignatieff seconded the motion and the streamers would begin to fall. The pundits weighed in as how Dion was not beholden to any machine, took no counsel from the party insiders and was very much his own man. David Herle all but conceding that Dion would rarely take his counsel while in the Martin cabinet, and well as things turned out there, perhaps proves that Dion’s a wiser man than he’s been give credit for thus far.

Considering the mess the Liberals had become in the last couple of years, stepping away from the backroom organizers and operators can only be good news for the party, since ignoring the advice of that party machine is probably a darn fine way to rebuild and renew.

Too bad he couldn’t have had a bit of control on the convention timetable though, for the second night in a row a Dion speech ended up cut off in mid sentence. Friday night because he had gone over the convention time limits, Saturday night because the convention organizers left his speech to late into the night, bordering up on the start of Hockey Night in Canada the CBC bailed at 6:30.

Dion should send them a thank you card for their wise programming intuition, while it’s unfortunate that the wide audience of the CBC was denied his parting thoughts, imagine the outrage if he kept Don Cherry from the Saturday night pulpit? Deny Canadians hockey for a political speech and all that good karma would have gone up like so many greenhouse gases…

There will be lots of time between now and the next election for Dion to get his message out to the nation, hopefully with a more judicious use of time.

Everybody loves a man (and woman) in uniform

I had the chance to visit the Liberal Party of Canada’s website yesterday, all part of my self assigned tasks of being a good blogger, always on the lookout for interesting items to pass along to the occasional browser of this portal.

While I was busy logging onto the Gritland site, up popped their very informative homepage, complete with a banner picture of a polar bear, a truly great Canadian vision if ever there was one. Nothing says the true north strong and free like a huge honking Bear looking around the vast expanse, no doubt ready to chow down on some unsuspecting seal (Take that McCartney).

As I continued exploring the wonders of the Liberals heading to convention, I would occasionally gravitate back to the home page and started to notice that those banner pages were changing every time I revisited. A truly neat trick for sure, as any number of great Canadian images can be sent out the interested visitor.

There was Lester Pearson (a Liberal saint), a fisherman (how did those cod and salmon policies work out anyways), a farmer (farm policies over the years were always a crowd pleaser), as well as the obligatory vision of assorted landscapes and wildlife including the Beaver (now that's Canada!).

Click again and look there's Bill Graham with Al Gore they're locked deep into some kind of earnest discussion on climate change we bet (this must be the see we know the right people picture I guess).

And hey, what's this, there are the Canadian Forces! They make for a sturdy looking group of men and women standing at attention offering up their salutes. Maybe honouring a visiting general, maybe as a tribute to Canada as the flag is raised, or maybe as the troops heard word of the latest Liberal policy initiative. Click again and there’s another troop of soldiers doing good deeds in some far off land on behalf of Canada. If you didn’t know better you would have thought that you had stumbled across a George W. Bush website, such is the amount of military content.

Now I share in the Liberal parties pride in our Canadian Forces, they have done a marvelous job under rather stressful times, especially considereing how under equipped and under manned they have been over the years. Especially when you think back to those halcyon Liberal years, you remember those, when the Forces were relegated to the back of the procurement lines while the Liberals were busy buying sponsorship ads in Quebec, funding many other questionable other projects and generally getting caught up in a variety of boondoggles, that well, frankly boggled the mind.

To my memory, at the time of the Liberal reign of the seventies, eighties, nineties and even into the millennium the Armed Forces never quite seemed to be a high priority to the government of the day, whatever the day. There are countless tales of cancelled helicopter projects, ancient equipment that constantly would break down and rarely was replaced and too few troops, for too many tasks. The Forces at times seemed to be the living breathing example of an inconvenient truth (What the hell if they can use Al Gore, so can I) of having a nation that at times needs to decide to re-equip its militarily, a decision that in the past they more often than not chose not to make.

It’s almost unseemly as they try to piggy back on the hard work of the troops now, considering their lukewarm endorsement of them over the years. We trust that with this newfound interest in our military forces, that this week’s Liberal convention will lay out a detailed plan of attack as to how to rebuild, re-equip and give the Forces the long over due respect they truly deserve.

If they can find the time to bask in the glow of their work of today, they can get down to the job of making sure they have the tools to do the jobs that provide for the photo ops!

To Be the King, or the Kingmaker

By this time next week the Federal Liberal Party of Canada will have a new leader, a successor to the iconic history of Laurier and Mackenzie King, Pearson and Trudeau, declaring a new leader who will be hoping like hell that he doesn’t suffer the same fate of a Turner or Martin.

As the final week of politicking wraps up and the Liberals head to their destiny in Montreal, there still is no consensus as to which candidate would make the next great leader of what was once the National Governing Party.

The two front runners still haven’t really captured the lightning in a bottle that screams out that they are The One to lead the party back to power. In fact, there are still as many questions about Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae as there are delegates to the convention. Neither has led a particularly electrifying campaign, Ignatieff dogged by mis-steps along the way considered by many a tire kicker who will be more than happy to return to academic life should his bid fail this weekend. Rae still carries the baggage of past campaigns while working on behalf of his former cause the NDP. From his days as Premier of a recession wracked Ontario (not exactly his fault, but as they say when you’re the captain when the iceberg hits you’re the guy they remember) to his caustic comments about Liberalism while an NDP MP in the House of Commons, the main body of Liberals still view his entry with suspicion.

There are a number of other Liberals along the way who have throw their hat in the ring, for the most part they have become minor players who will find their fifteen minutes of fame come and gone by about 5 pm on Friday night.

An outside lane goes to Gerard Kennedy who left Ontario Politics for the greater stage, his campaign has been a rather quiet affair thus far. Some suggest he's the only candidate to offer change which for a party in renewal is a good thing.

As late as today, he's the only candidate to categorically come out against the Harper initiative of the nation within a nation motion of last week, which at least gives him a talking point at the convention. Tapped by the Royal Liberal finger of Justin Trudeau as the best option, he has been getting a bit of favourable press in the Ontario media, but not much national exposure. He's considered a third or fourth place candidate as the convention opens, but seems to lack any growth potential.

And then there is Stephane Dion, the former Environment Minister who has been running a steady if less flashy campaign, yet if the Liberals were to look for a candidate that at least seems to exemplify some of the better points of their party, he should be getting a fair amount of consideration this weekend.

With his record in Environment he at least tried to walk the walk as they say, if the Liberals are really as apoplectic over Rona Ambrose’s tenure at the ministry as they suggest and dismayed by the Harper government’s direction on that topic then Dion should surely be their candidate. He has a long and well documented list of policies and thoughts on the issue, far more than the rest of the candidate pool in this campaign.

For those Liberals that still believe in the Trudeau vision of a Canada which includes Quebec as part of the federal system, he probably best exemplifies that policy as well. As father of the Chrétien government’s Clarity Act, he was the point man in the province about demanding a fair and legitimate question regarding that provinces intention towards Confederation. He didn’t win himself a great number of fans with the political elites of Quebec, who don’t like it when someone challenges their divine right to unilaterally decide for the people what is best. But in a new era of Federal Politics where all parties seem in a rush to declare Quebec a nation within a nation, it might be worth a listen to hear what Dion has to say about the issue.

He has long counseled against the concept of devolving powers and in effect stared down the blackmailing intentions of the separatist movement. In what is the Holy Grail of Liberalism in Canada, the state of the Unity of the country, Dion has perhaps the clearest vision than the other candidates.

The drawbacks to his candidacy are there as well though, he is from Quebec and the Liberals do seem to be a party that relies on that fountain far too much for political leaders. His command of English is not as strong as it could be, but considering the amount of years that the nation was led by Jean Chrétien’s mangling of the Queen’s English, the Dion syntax is closer to Prince Phillip than Philippe. His 10 years of experience offer up a double edged sword for his candidacy. While experience is always a welcome thing especially in the area of federal governance, he could just as easily get tainted by the sins of the past Chrétien and Martin mis-steps. Though when you consider how under utilized he was by the Martin forces, he could perhaps use that to his advantage, as a bit of distance isn’t always a bad thing.

In a campaign that has been down right divisive at times as the two front runners fixated on how to scupper the other’s campaigns, Dion has stayed on the message of renewal, whether it be the environment or the political process he’s quietly gone about his business traveling from coast to coast to get his message out.

This last week has seen a flurry of information about the candidates making the rounds whether it’s the Times Colonist waxing poetically about Bob Rae’s conversion to the cause, to Ignatieff exhaling as he received a gift from Stephan Harper over the unity file, the scenario has been set for the final week of the campaign. The two perceived front runners continue to jockey for position. Yet perhaps the best endorsement of any candidate came from long time political observer Lawrence Martin who seemed to capture the Dion candidacy so completely, that they posted his article onto the candidate’s website.

When you finish the Martin article you have to wonder if the two front runners really reflect what the Liberal party really believes in, that is of course if the Liberal party could recognize that anymore to begin with.

If they want to have a refresher course, we offer up this link (CKNW Audio Vault, Friday November 24, 10-11 am) to the Bill Good show of last week. Stephane Dion appeared on that program for an hour, answering questions and explaining his beliefs. It might be worth a listen for the delegates as they head to Montreal, a reminder of their core values and a reflection of the spectrum that they once inhabited.

If they’re looking for the Liberal at the Liberal convention this weekend, they need not go too much further down the list than to Dion’s name. The more they look, the more they may like what they see and hear and that will be of concern to Rae and Ignatieff. It may be too late for Dion to mount a challenge to the two front runners, but if enough of the other candidates come to his campaign it could make for a most interesting weekend in Montreal.

By the time they count the final ballots Dion will be in a pretty good place, he may have enough votes to take a late ballot victory or, he’ll be in a position to put one of the other two over the top. He may be the King or he may be the King maker, either way he stands to be poised to return to the inner circles of power in the Liberal party. If nothing else the Liberals will have somebody who understands what the name stands for, something that could be of value as they try to explain why Canadians should come back to the Big Red Machine.

As Martin said in his blurb, Dion is frequently under rated, the Rae and Ignatieff camps may wish to make note of that, if someone is going to come up from the middle it’s the candidate with the most political experience of the bunch. The delegates should remember that sometimes the best candidate for the job, isn’t necessarily the one that has been at the top of the list. Sometimes you have to look a little deeper into the resume pile before you make your decision.

In what is shaping up to be a very close and dramatic campaign, the last act of the melodrama may go to the most under rated person on the stage, under rated, but perhaps the most deserving of the bunch.

Wedded to a culture of opposition and protest

Now how’s that for a fine; "glad I’m not one of them anymore statement!"

It’s as if to prove his bona fides as a Liberal candidate, that Bob Rae the former NDP premier of Ontario and born anew Liberal has written a book, scheduled to come out on October 31 (no better day to release a book than Halloween, let your minds run on that one) that recounts his conversion to Liberal philosophy after twenty some years of Socialist screeds.

Suggesting that his old gang is too quick to the knee jerk reactions, Rae says he found a home with the Liberals because they’re optimistic, build on hope and are inclusive. And the fact they regularly hold power probably doesn’t hurt either, but he was too suave to mention that part.

As part of a pre release blitz, Rae has been dropping thoughts ranging from Teddy Roosevelt to Ella Fitzgerald, to explain his new beliefs and how they will aid him in becoming a solid Liberal leader and worthwhile alternative to Stephen Harper. The sneak previews are currently available in the most recent print edition of Maclean’s magazine.

But before he gets ready for the book tours and signings, the book flogging candidate will have to overtake current front runner Michael Ignatieff to win the Liberal leadership competition.

Rae presently considered a solid second, has been chipping away at the Ignatieff support over the last month, and turning up the heat on the academic over a number of his recent statements, including his former writings regarding terror and what the West may need to do to battle the scourge of our times.

Say what you will about them, but if nothing else the Liberals are the party of the writing class, from Ignatieff to Rae, Dion to Dryden, the leading and mid pack candidates seem to have a penchant for the written word.

It lends to a comparison of a Conservative camp, which sometimes gives you the impression they rarely read a book let alone find time to write one. Though rumour has it that Prime Minister Harper is still working on the draft for his epic examination of the national sport, hockey.

As for the NDP, well they just like to review them.

And even before Rae’s Canada in the Balance hits the bookshelves, they are roasting the man and his thoughts. From Judy Wasylycia-Leis comes this blurb that won’t be making it to a dust jacket or advertising campaign any time soon.

"Mr. Rae is absolutely wrong and appears to be willing to say anything to impress his new friends,”

It’s too bad that Indigo/Chapters book guru Heather Reisman and her husband Gerry Schwartz recently and dramatically left the Liberal party. If they were still part of the Grit Machine, no doubt the Rae chronicles most likely would have been featured prominently at your local Chapters or Coles with a fancy and extravagent campaign.

Now we suspect that it will be somewhere in the back of the store on a side aisle where we will find wee Bob’s book. Perhaps the folks at Chapters/indigo know something, even before release the book is listed at 24% off!

Should he stumble at the finish line in Montreal on nomination day, we wonder if the the bargain bins can be far behind!