OTTAWA -Stephane Dion's decision to appoint a former NDP Cabinet minister as the Liberal candidate in an upcoming Saskatchewan byelection has provoked a lot of tosh about "democratic deficits." The fact is candidates are not chosen by "the people," they are chosen by riding associations that usually consist of about 50 men in tweed jackets with elbow patches and 20 women in flowery frocks.So Profane Dion has decided that along with dumping the locally popular nutcase David Orchard in favour of a demographically superior Indian woman (which natives themselves managed to become upset over, which is a feat) and risking the ire of voters across the country with his "parachute" tactics, he's also going to find a role for David Orchard anyways.
Nonetheless, some supporters of David Orchard, the Saskatchewan farmer and former Progressive Conservative leadership candidate, have organized an "emergency" Liberal membership meeting of the Desnethe-Missinippi-Churchill River riding to protest the appointment of Joan Beatty as candidate in the March byelection. Jimmy Durocher, a past president of the Metis Association of Saskatchewan and an Orchard backer, said in a press release he was not prepared to let Mr. Dion's "Indian Act mentality" go unchallenged.
For Harper, that must feel like having his cake and eating it too. (Snide comments† about Prime Minister Harper's weight are not appreciated at this point).
† Speaking of snide comments, what's with the National Post's snide comments about riding associations. Aren't "50 men in tweed jackets with elbow patches and 20 women in flowery frocks" also described as "70 voters"? Of course, this all is (badly) cribbed by the Yes, Minister quote of Sir Humphrey:
The argument that we must do everything a Minister demands because he has been 'democratically chosen' does not stand up to close inspection. MPs are not chosen by 'the people' - they are chosen by their local constituency parties: thirty-five men in grubby raincoats or thirty-five women in silly hats.
