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The knives are starting to some out...
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Unhappy Ontario PCs push to oust Tory
The Canadian Press
January 7, 2008 at 11:49 AM EST
TORONTO — Disgruntled Conservatives who want to oust leader John Tory are being deliberately shut out of the party's annual meeting next month, the group's leader said Monday.
The party members have stepped up their bid to trigger a leadership review in the face of the party's disastrous Oct. 10 election campaign, considered by some to be the party's worst ever.
Rueben Devlin, the party's former president and one of the group's leaders, said many members have joined the grassroots group because they feel they are being deliberately shut out of the delegate selection process for the party's annual meeting in February.
The party is supposed to give 15 days notice of delegate selection meetings in each riding, but some party veterans have had trouble finding out about their meetings while others say their names have been left off the local riding association list.
“To try and keep this a secret, to keep lists a secret, does not speak to your belief in neutrality,†Mr. Devlin said. “Democracy is not only about supporting those people who support you. It's about supporting those people who disagree with you.â€
The party's annual meeting and vote on holding a leadership review will be completely driven by Mr. Tory, so delegate selection meetings are the only opportunity some members have to express their concerns, Mr. Devlin said.
Mr. Tory has faced criticism from some Conservatives since the party's loss in October, but Mr. Devlin's efforts mark the first concerted effort to dump Mr. Tory in advance of the Feb. 22 annual meeting.
The Conservative election campaign was “disorganized, unfocused and weak†and Mr. Tory has to take responsibility for the loss, Mr. Devlin said.
“The leader is accountable for everything,†he said. “The leader selects the people who surround him. The leader signs off on the policies. The leader is the person who makes those final decisions, just like the CEO of a company.â€
Mr. Tory's staunch support for the party's unpopular proposal to fund all religious schools was just one of the mistakes made in the election, Mr. Devlin said. Mr. Tory went into the election thinking he was “going to win by default,†said a position paper released by Mr. Devlin's group.
Using the same language the Conservatives often use to attack the Liberals, the group said, “Voters saw that John was willing to say and do anything to get elected.â€
“Overconfident in his own judgment, John Tory woefully underestimated the effectiveness of the Ontario Liberals and we all paid a very costly political price,†the paper said.
The group's website — www.grassrootspc.ca — urges members to “send a clear message to our leader†by voting in favour of a leadership review at next month's annual meeting.
While the group said they respect Mr. Tory “and appreciate his service to the party,†they don't believe he's the right person to lead the party into the next election.
Mr. Tory has been travelling the province talking to party members and has vowed to stay on as leader.
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Unhappy Ontario PCs push to oust Tory
The Canadian Press
January 7, 2008 at 11:49 AM EST
TORONTO — Disgruntled Conservatives who want to oust leader John Tory are being deliberately shut out of the party's annual meeting next month, the group's leader said Monday.
The party members have stepped up their bid to trigger a leadership review in the face of the party's disastrous Oct. 10 election campaign, considered by some to be the party's worst ever.
Rueben Devlin, the party's former president and one of the group's leaders, said many members have joined the grassroots group because they feel they are being deliberately shut out of the delegate selection process for the party's annual meeting in February.
The party is supposed to give 15 days notice of delegate selection meetings in each riding, but some party veterans have had trouble finding out about their meetings while others say their names have been left off the local riding association list.
“To try and keep this a secret, to keep lists a secret, does not speak to your belief in neutrality,†Mr. Devlin said. “Democracy is not only about supporting those people who support you. It's about supporting those people who disagree with you.â€
The party's annual meeting and vote on holding a leadership review will be completely driven by Mr. Tory, so delegate selection meetings are the only opportunity some members have to express their concerns, Mr. Devlin said.
Mr. Tory has faced criticism from some Conservatives since the party's loss in October, but Mr. Devlin's efforts mark the first concerted effort to dump Mr. Tory in advance of the Feb. 22 annual meeting.
The Conservative election campaign was “disorganized, unfocused and weak†and Mr. Tory has to take responsibility for the loss, Mr. Devlin said.
“The leader is accountable for everything,†he said. “The leader selects the people who surround him. The leader signs off on the policies. The leader is the person who makes those final decisions, just like the CEO of a company.â€
Mr. Tory's staunch support for the party's unpopular proposal to fund all religious schools was just one of the mistakes made in the election, Mr. Devlin said. Mr. Tory went into the election thinking he was “going to win by default,†said a position paper released by Mr. Devlin's group.
Using the same language the Conservatives often use to attack the Liberals, the group said, “Voters saw that John was willing to say and do anything to get elected.â€
“Overconfident in his own judgment, John Tory woefully underestimated the effectiveness of the Ontario Liberals and we all paid a very costly political price,†the paper said.
The group's website — www.grassrootspc.ca — urges members to “send a clear message to our leader†by voting in favour of a leadership review at next month's annual meeting.
While the group said they respect Mr. Tory “and appreciate his service to the party,†they don't believe he's the right person to lead the party into the next election.
Mr. Tory has been travelling the province talking to party members and has vowed to stay on as leader.
