The Liberal Green Light Committee needs a new light bulb
How did Blair Wilson ever pass the tests all nominees must undergo before being allowed to stand for the Liberal Party as a candidate for a riding? Some of the news being reported about Blair Wilson's resignation today makes me wonder if that part of the process is going to undergo some intense, and perhaps uncomfortable, scrutiny.
Curiously, though this incident on balance is just more bad news for Stephane Dion, in one way, it might work in his favour.
One of the interesting elements in the Blair Wilson story (see the allegations against Blair Wilson and Blair Wilson's resignation) is this tidbit:
B.C. Liberal organizer Mark Marissen, who also serves as co-chair of the Liberal's national campaign team, confirmed Sunday that he had received documents connected to the reported allegations.
"I passed them to what is called the green-light committee which is our body which deals with candidate approvals and all that sort of thing during elections,'' Marissen told The Canadian Press.
Marissen said the documents marked the first time he had been informed of the allegations.
The Green Light Committee is created at the provincial or territorial level to check nominees in each riding:
- A Green Light Committee will be set up for each Provincial or Territorial Association where contested nominations are expected;
- The Provincial or Territorial co-chairs should select a committee of 4 to 8 members (2 of which should be lawyers) with at least half being female members and members representing the broad Canadian demographic (i.e. First Nations, multicultural, persons with disability);
- Green Light Committee reports directly to the provincial or territorial co-chairs;
- Final Composition of the Green Light Committee will be approved by the National Co-chairs.
But as an incumbent, Blair Wilson would only have submitted a short form that listed anything that changed since he was first checked out. Essentially the Green Light Committee doesn't get involved with incumbents. Indeed, if within a province or territory there are no contested nominations (all incumbents are running again and they are all acclaimed by their riding associations) the formation of a Green Light Committee is optional.
So I'm not sure that the Green Light Committee can do much about Blair Wilson now.
Maybe Mark Marissen is wondering just what the heck the British Columbia Liberal Party Green Light Committee was doing when Blair Wilson slipped through. Maybe Marissen is waving the documentation that has been around for anyone to find, and wants an explanation of how this was allowed to happen.
It's Farhan Chak all over again. At least Farhan Chak didn't get himself elected and then put into the shadow cabinet. The Blair Wilson situation is a major embarrassment for the Liberal Party organization, more than for Stephane Dion personally. At some point, Stephane Dion has to trust that the people on the ground are doing their jobs, and that the MPs that come to Ottawa to represent constituents meet the minimum standard of ethical conduct and have a reasonably clean past.
Farhan Chak made it through that net, but was caught by people outside of the Liberal Party before there was an election. Blair Wilson made it through as well, but got himself elected. In both cases, however, Stephane Dion was deeply embarrassed. Under most circumstances these sorts of incidents can be shrugged off after a short time, but coupled with Stephane Dion's other ongoing problems, these things are amplified in effect. Efforts by Stephane Dion to reshape his public image from a hapless sad sack are set back each time something like this happens.
So I wonder if Mark Marissen is less interested in dealing with Blair Wilson, who is likely on a set path to a conclusion that can no longer be avoided, and instead is looking to have a frank discussion with the people running the Liberal Party at the provincial and riding levels and to shake them out of their complacency, using Blair Wilson as a prop.
With the Council of Presidents, a meeting of all 308 Liberal Party riding association presidents coming up in December, the Blair Wilson story might be a very uncomfortable topic of discussion.
Curiously, though, that could work in Stephane Dion's favour. If there was any thought to stage a concerted effort to dislodge Stephane Dion while at the council meeting, those considering such a move against Stephane Dion's unpopular leadership might find it difficult to enlist other fence-sitting presidents. The Blair Wilson and Farhan Chak incidents might give Stephane Dion the leverage he needs to silence his more vocal critics, reminding everyone at the meeting that not all the problems that have beset his leadership are his fault, and that the Liberal Party as a whole has to accept some responsibility.
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Arch-Liberal and Dion confidante, Jason Cherniak, posted on his blog this explanation, apologia and attack on CPC Van Loan over corporate "sponsors" listed on a Liberal MPs brochure. His excuse? A 14-YEAR OLD PRODUCED THE BROCHURE ... LIBERALS USE CHILD LABOUR FOR THEIR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS ...!!!!
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Van Loan manufactured mud
Bonnie Crombie is the Liberal candidate in Mississauga-Streetsville. Last Friday, she held a successful event with over 500 people. The 14-year old who produced the brochures advertising the event mistakenly referred to "sponsors" in the distribution. I have spoken to Ms. Crombie and she informed me that all services are being invoiced and paid for as in any normal business transaction. There were no corporate "sponsors".
Posted by: Observant at October 29, 2007 11:40 AM
Isn't the GAP recalling all those clothes made by child labor in India. Will the liberals recall all products and information created by using child labor. Jason might just have given us another reason not to trust liberals, or is it that no one over the age of 14 can believe liberals.
Posted by: Mary T at October 29, 2007 12:29 PM
Why have the Lie-berals stalled on raising the age of consent from 14 to 16?
Posted by: Bruce Randall at October 29, 2007 01:09 PM
National Newswatch has a link to a Vancouver Sun article May 2006 wherein Blair Wilson muses about running for the Liberal Leadership.
"he wouldn't rule out taking a crack at the top job, as long as he receives support from senior party members."
It appears he had the required attributes for the Liberal Party; wealth, power and naked ambition.
Posted by: muttsrus at October 29, 2007 02:07 PM
Looks like their green lignt committee is as phony as their Green Kyoto crap.
Posted by: Mary T at October 29, 2007 02:47 PM
More about Bonnie Crombie's event. When I first saw it advertised I got the impression that tax receipts would be issued for what was essentially a sale of food and entertainment and, thus, not a donation to the party. Crombie insists that there were no donations of food or anything else.
When I buy a lottery ticket for, say, the Heart and Stroke folks, I know up front that no tax receipts can be issud. CRA has ruled that way, even though about 50% of the ticket cost may be a real donation, there will still be no receipts for any amount."May be" because, in theory, if not enough tickets are sold, the donation part would vanish. Also, CRA makes the rules whether they are fair or not. Are things different for political donations? If not, then what the heck is going on?
Posted by: Mississauga Tom at October 29, 2007 04:00 PM
Liberals: Marlene Jennings and Mark Marrisen and Citoyen Dion, et al: dumb and dumber and dumbest than a bag of hammers.
Liberals: The party of AdScam, laboured and brought forth the "Blairwitch" project.
Ivison: "At the moment, the Liberals are behaving like the crack suicide squad from Monty Python's Life of Brian, who attack by impaling themselves on their own swords."
"Similarly, Mr. Dion must take the heat for this fixation of the "in and out" scam. It was raised in the House again yesterday, to the great glee of Government House Leader Peter Van Loan, who rose to answer in the Prime Minister's absence.
Liberal MP Marlene Jennings said Mr. Wilson had done the right thing by stepping aside and called for a number of ministers "implicated" in the election saga to do likewise. Hardly able to contain himself, Mr. Van Loan pointed out that the "Blairwitch" project had been well-known to the Liberal party, who only forced Mr. Wilson to resign when it became front-page news.
He then proceeded to read all the allegations into the public record, pointing out that their stark nature was a far cry from the confusing muddle of accusations levelled against various Conservatives. By this point, it was all over for Liberals, who were forced to defend the position of their leader and their member."
Liberals picked wrong wedge
John Ivison, National Post
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/columnists/story.html?id=25ab1f0c-90e2-48ee-b84a-cbbd3c172046&p=2
Posted by: maz2 at October 30, 2007 05:05 AM
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Posted by: aswkin at July 17, 2008 10:01 AM
 
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