Conservative Party's plan to acclaim incumbent MPs draws criticism
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 | 8:52 PM ET
CBC News
The federal Conservative Party is moving ahead with reforms to its process of nominating candidates for elections that will mean incumbent MPs won't have to fight for nominations in their ridings.
The proposal would declare incumbent MPs acclaimed as candidates in the next election unless two-thirds of members in their ridings ask for an open nomination contest.
The party is sending ballots on the issue to its members. Only those with a Conservative Party membership as of March 10 can vote.
The idea is to respect the wishes of members as well as free up MPs so they can direct their time and effort to bolstering the minority government in Ottawa, according to Gord Elliot of the party's national council.
"We need to accommodate both the desire of. … some of the members to have a nomination and also the need to have our MPs in Ottawa," Elliot said Tuesday in Calgary.
"We've not lived through this environment of now three continuous minority governments, and because it's a minority government …there's many votes [going] on [and] votes of confidence.
"The MPs need to be in Ottawa for the bulk of the time in order to manage the situation there, to be able to vote on the legislation."
But critics say the scheme is unfair and the two-thirds majority threshold is too high.
"This is setting a very bad precedent," said Lori Williams, a political scientist with Calgary's Mount Royal College. "It looks. … undemocratic if not anti-democratic, intended to shut down grassroots participation, rather than to encourage it."
Donna Kennedy-Glans, who wants to challenge Rob Anders for the Conservative nomination in Calgary West, said the decision gives him an unfair advantage.
"He's been in power for 12 years," she said. "We don't vote in politicians for life, and that seems to be the gig here in Calgary West."
