Would-be Liberal candidate David Orchard is speaking out after the federal party short-circuited the nomination process and appointed its own candidate in a northern Saskatchewan riding.

On Thursday, the one-time anti-free trade crusader and former Conservative leadership candidate disputed Liberal MP Ralph Goodale's claim that he was told the Liberals planned to appoint a candidate in Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River.

Last week, Liberal leader Stéphane Dion announced NDP MLA Joan Beatty would be the party's standard-bearer in the March 17 byelection.

Goodale said Wednesday that Orchard knew the party wanted an aboriginal woman to run in the riding. All prospective candidates were told verbally about the possibility of an appointment, he said.

But Orchard told reporters in Saskatoon Thursday that that's not true.

He said he campaigned for months to become the Liberal candidate before Beatty was appointed to the position.

"Mr. Goodale never breathed a word to me about any appointment, in fact, I was assured that there would be no appointment. So I'm simply correcting that matter," he said.

On Saturday, a dissident group of northern Liberals will be holding an emergency meeting to set up a riding association executive.

The group says it's not fair that northerners didn't get to choose their own candidate.

Goodale says Beatty's appointment followed the rules, and Saturday's meeting has nothing to do with the Liberal Party of Canada.