Quebec Liberals having hard time attracting volunteers
Last Updated: Wednesday, December 7, 2005 | 9:08 PM ET
CBC News
Charles Ghoreyeb, a longtime party organizer, said election volunteers used to flock to the Liberals. Now, he says, he has a hard time convincing them to join.
"The people I used to talk to once, I now talk to three or four times. The people I used to take out for a quick coffee, now we're taking them out, having lunch with them."
Paul Berman, Liberal campaign organizer in Jean Chretien's former riding of Shawinigan, said infighting between the ex-prime minister's loyalists and Paul Martin supporters devastated the volunteer base in the riding.
He said the Gomery inquiry probing the sponsorship scandal made it worse. Martin also ruffled some feathers when he banned some organizers from the party following Gomery's report. They include Michel Beliveau, who was secretary of the Shawinigan Liberals.
Beliveau's banishment didn't go over well with those who think he did nothing wrong.
"A lot of people are annoyed," said Berman "As a matter of fact, I am missing about 16 people from my board out of 30."
Berman said there are too few board members and almost no volunteers. He needs 250 campaign workers and only 25 have signed up so far.
But pollster Christian Bourque said there could be good news for the Liberals. He said two-thirds of Quebec voters have put Gomery behind them and may be open to what the Liberals have to say.
"Last time, people were ashamed of going out to vote Liberal in 2004," said Bourque "If the issue the campaign structures itself around is national unity, if these people are motivated to go back to the polls, this will help the Liberals."
