Liberals once again bragging that they will circumvent democracy.

[a_majoor]

Another indication of what passes for Liberal party "Renewal". Looks a lot like the old model:

http://splatto.net/blog/?p=310

Steph Dion’s Plan To Get Women Into Politics

Posted in Politics - Canadian, Liberal Party at 5:47 pm by matt

Stephane Dion is promising to use racial and sexual profiling in the selection (read: appointment) of Liberal candidates in electoral ridings. William Demers says it well over at ALW:

“Why hire someone based on what they’re worth, when you can hire them based on the colour of their skin or the genitals they were born with?”

The Liberal Party claims to be the “party of the women”, yet despite 40-50% of convention delegates being female, Martha Hall-Findlay couldn’t even get the support of a pathetic 200 votes at the convention. What a farce. Why doesn’t the party do more to encourage women to run instead of appointing them dictator-style at the grassroots level?

This is something all parties need to work on together, the Conservative Party too, but at least they don’t claim to be the party of women by casting them off as an oppressed victim. The Conservatives are about equality, unity, and family strength. The Liberal Party is about the direction the wind is currently blowing. They are not about women, despite the pitiful attempt of the Pink Book to convince otherwise.

Stephane Dion, the lack of women in Canadian politics is a problem I’ve written about before, and instead of addressing the issue you’re looking to try to cover it up and pretend the problems not there. If I were a woman, I would be absolutely insulted that you think I would need your help to get into politics or anywhere else for that matter

 

[Brad Sallows]

It's their party, and their nomination process (or lack thereof).  If they push aside popular candidates with greater merit, they may find - as they have in the recent past - they suffer blowback from their own riding associations in addition to the voting public.  Or not.

If there were evidence of systemic discrimination, they might have a point.  When a woman is only one of eight candidates on the opening ballot, and is not the most experienced nor necessarily the best-prepared candidate, her command of votes doesn't measure anything except others' perception of her merits.  On the contrary, if there were no systemic bias against her but there was a sympathy vote, a lacklustre showing could be fairly regarded as worse.

The interesting measurement would be: fraction of women who win the LPC slot across all federal ridings, versus fraction of women among all who stood for LPC candidacy.  If the same or a greater fraction of women are making it onto ballots than those who originally stand, there's not in my view any great reason to complain - those who don't come out shouldn't expect to play.  It could be rather like those who want to see more representatives in the combat arms (or CF as a whole) of whatever group with which they self-identify, but don't care to sign up.

 

[a_majoor]

Another view:

http://www.dustmybroom.com/?p=5214

An interesting letter in The Toronto Star questioning Liberal Leader Stephane Dion’s pledge to appoint female candidates to run in selected ridings across Canada:

New Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion proposes to appoint female Liberal candidates in one-third of Canada’s 308 ridings. This is a condescending insult to women and to the local Liberal riding associations. Of bigger concern, however, is the danger it poses to Canada’s democratic process.

Dion was elected leader on the final ballot of the Liberal convention by just more than 2,000 delegates after beating Gerard Kennedy by only two votes in an earlier ballot.

Does anybody — even within the power-obsessed Liberal party — think it is right for one person selected by only 2,000 Canadians to have a monopoly over who should compete to represent 10 million people?

 

[Journeyman]

Does anybody — even within the power-obsessed Liberal party — think it is right for one person selected by only 2,000 Canadians to have a monopoly over who should compete to represent 10 million people?

I think Dion should be given every opportunity to piss off the maximum number of voting Canadians before the next election.

Giddyup Stéphane; don't listen to those nay-sayers!

 

[youravatar]

I think Dion should be given every opportunity to piss off the maximum number of voting Canadians before the next election.

Giddyup Stéphane; don't listen to those nay-sayers!

It costs 5 Bucks to vote for the leader of the alberta primier.