Campaign co-chair for the federal Liberals in Ontario David MacNaughton has made his first blunder. When somebody gives you their authority to do a job, you have to do it right. When he told Liberal Christine Innes she cannot contest the nomination in Trinity-Spadina, it made a mockery of Justin Trudeau’s promise of open nominations. Whether MacNaughton was right or wrong is irrelevant. He moved a party problem into the public view and needlessly embarrassed the party leader.
MacNaughton walked into a party problem that has been simmering for more than 25 years. It was in the 1980s that overt organization of ethnic groups in ridings became the norm for nomination fights in Toronto rather than the exception. Experts at this type of organizational fight at the time were two young organizers named Joe Volpe and Tony Ianno. Tony Ianno subsequently organized his own nomination in Trinity-Spadina, losing to Dan Heap in 1988 and then winning in the Liberal sweep of 1993.
Since losing Trinty-Spadina to Olivia Chow in 2006, Tony Ianno has concentrated on making a living and left the open political activities to his wife—long-time Liberal Party activist Christine Innes. It was Christine who carried the Liberal banner in Trinity-Spadina in 2008 and 2011, losing both times. She has been actively campaigning for another try in the by-election that has to be called in Trinity-Spadina this year.
The problem of taking over ridings with ethnic organization had ended with Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien’s less than democratic solution. He simply imposed a system whereby the party leader had to approve all party candidates. He then proceeded to destroy the validity of his solution by appointing candidates when and where he wanted. It greatly weakened the Liberal Party and there was little strength or enthusiasm left in the ridings when Paul Martin took over the party.
Recognizing the problem, Justin Trudeau endeared himself to activist Liberals by declaring that he would not interfere in open nominations. MacNaughton has now made Trudeau a fool.
The one thing for sure is that MacNaughton does not have the on-the-ground experience in the party to involve himself in the Trinity-Spadina situation. It is a problem that only the party can solve. MacNaughton and the leader have to butt out.
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Copyright 2014 © Peter Lowry
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