3. Milton Conservative - Tory Letter - Note: to anyone who says we don't have passionate grassroots PC's in the ridings, you haven't met Bill yet. He was so passionate about this issue he decided to jump into the world of blogging. Hat Tip to Bill and best wishes on his new found hobby.
DraftALeader.com organizer Nick Kouvalis is today calling upon John Tory to ensure the Leadership Review process is open, transparent and fair to all.
"Basic democratic principles, such as scrutineers in the polling place, are being ignored by the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario," said Kouvalis. "Negotiations have been taking place over the last several weeks with no progress whatsoever. The Party has said no to scrutineers and no to a third party conducting the vote. They refuse to even entertain other options."
"Emerging Third World democracies invite international monitors to oversee elections," said Kouvalis "We can't even get the Party to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Yes campaign. John Tory and the No campaign have complete access to Party funds, resources, lists and personnel, while denying basic democratic principles to the opposition. MPPs endorsing John Tory should be ashamed of the abuse of democratic process being perpetuated on the members they represent."
In politics, intra-party battles tend to be the most vicious and personal. A contested race for the position of secretary-treasurer of the Ottawa-Vanier Young Liberal Association is typically more bitter than between the Liberals and Tories in a general election. The personalities know each other well, and it is just like a fight inside a family.
As the Ontario PC convention draws nearer, the rhetoric is being ratcheted up and the discourse has sunk to an unprecedented -- and frankly inexcusable -- new low.
Rueben Devlin, a leader in the dump John Tory movement, has been subject to a vicious personal attack on a pro- John Tory blog:
What's interesting about Devlin is that he is the current president and CEO of the Humber River Regional Hospital.
Last month it was revealed that HRRH has the highest patient mortality rate in the Greater Toronto Area and the second-highest rate in the entire country - 36 points higher than the national average.
While other hospitals were releasing their results, Devlin's hospital initially kept their's secret. They had to be forced by the government to release these statistics.
Here's what the Toronto Star had to say about Stonewall Rueben:
"Since the data were released, Humber officials, most notably president Reuben Devlin, have refused to comment on the statistics or to explain how the hospital will address community concerns arising because of the figures.".
But it's not because he's media shy. Nope. He's more than happy to speak to reporters when he's criticizing an election campaign he had no involvement in.
Here's what Devlin had to say to the North Bay Nugget:
"The leader is accountable for everything. The leader selects the people who surround him. The leader signs off on the policies. The leader is the person who makes those final decisions, just like the CEO of a company."
Or, say, just like the CEO of a hospital?
Perhaps, if Rueben is going to insist on giving media interviews, he should start by explaining why patients die more frequently at his hospital than at any other in the GTA.
This is jaw-dropping. If I were to make a ranking of people I thought were most likely to be the victim of a personal attack, Rueben Devlin would be the very last person on the list. He is one of the most outstanding people I have ever known in politics. He's also one of the rare political junkies out there who has a life outside politics. A doctor, he has achieved great success in his profession, rising to become the head of a major Toronto hospital. Because his livelihood does not depend on where the next political consulting fee cheque comes from, he has always been able to keep the highest standard of integrity and speaks his mind, hence his vocal opposition to Tory (one of the few to do it openly early on.) This is the thanks he gets?
Some local Tory delegates prefer leadership review
Written by Paul Synnott
Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory can't count on a full slate of Leeds-Grenville delegates backing his bid to avoid a leadership review next month.
Local provincial Tories on Saturday elected a 16-member slate of adult delegates to the provincial party's annual meeting in London Feb. 22-24, as well as two youth delegates.
And while the local party establishment had expressed confidence the week before that the riding would be solidly behind the embattled leader, at least some of the delegates chosen at Saturday's provincial riding association meeting said they supported a leadership review.
Still, the newly minted delegates, many of whom were reluctant to comment at length to the media, also stressed a "Yes" vote to a leadership review would not necessarily mean an eventual "No" vote to Tory's leadership.
All delegates are allowed to vote according to their conscience.
The riding association held its annual general meeting Saturday morning at Blurry's Restaurant in downtown Brockville, which included the selection of delegates to attend the meeting in London, where members are being asked to vote on a leadership review.
Some 30 people braved the snowstorm to attend the meeting.
Tory, who is facing opposition from some party members in the wake of last year's poor election results, has admitted that promising funding to faith-based schools in that campaign was a mistake and has accepted blame for organizational problems in the campaign.
Group urges PC delegates to reject leadership review
KAREN HOWLETT
January 22, 2008
TORONTO -- Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory got a much-needed boost yesterday in his fight to keep his job, with a group of 54 party members rallying behind him and urging others to support their cause.
The group, including caucus members, candidates who were unsuccessful in the October provincial election and local riding association presidents all in the Ottawa area, released a joint letter urging fellow party members to vote no to a leadership review at next month's annual convention.
"John is a man of high integrity, strong work ethic and he is someone who respects all corners of our Ontario Conservative Party," the letter says.
Shortly after, a group seeking to oust Mr. Tory issued its own statement containing the names of 50 candidates it said could run for leader of the party. The list includes three senior cabinet ministers in the Harper government, all of whom jumped to federal politics from the Ontario Legislature: Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Environment Minister John Baird and Health Minister Tony Clement. The list also includes the Ontario party's 26 caucus members as well as former cabinet members in the province such as Janet Ecker, who served as finance minister under former premier Ernie Eves.
Rueben Devlin, a former party president who is heading the PC Grassroots Campaign, said yesterday that neither he nor others in his group spoke to Mr. Flaherty or anyone else before including their names on the list. He said the point of the list is to show that there are alternatives to Mr. Tory.
Tue, January 22, 2008
Experts say second-guessing of John Tory's leadership is standard after an electoral defeat.
By CHIP MARTIN, SUN MEDIA
As its intensity increased yesterday, two political scientists agreed the infighting among Ontario Progressive Conservatives over the party leadership is politics as usual after any electoral defeat.
Paul Nesbitt-Larking and Peter Woolstencroft agreed one loss, as suffered by John Tory, may trigger calls for a leader's ouster, but it usually takes two defeats to bring about change.
To feel comfortable keeping his job, they said, Tory should hope for 66 per cent to 70 per cent opposition to a leadership review a month from now.
"Unless it's been a disaster, they should give a leader two elections," said Nesbitt-Larking, a politics professor at Huron University College, University of Western Ontario.
No matter the resume, the track record, the work ethic or commitment, if the party isn’t behind him Tory has to go.
After his dismissal performance in the last election, Tory should have realized that people would be calling for his head – and he should have offered it.
He himself said that he had not paid enough attention to the grassroots of the party and the electorate when he bulldozed ahead with faith-based school funding.
A leadership contest is an excellent way of getting in contact with the grassroots. It also puts all of the cards on the table.
Mon, January 21, 2008
Conservative Delia Reiche says it's the cost of losing the election: 'The big guy takes the fall.'
By NORMAN DE BONO, SUN MEDIA
Progressive Conservative delegates in Elgin-Middlesex-London want a new provincial leader.
Delegates elected this weekend at an all-candidates meeting will support a review of John Tory's leadership and made it clear at the meeting they want a new person at the top, said Delia Reiche, the riding's past-president.
"It is a matter of responsibility and accountability at losing the last election," she said. "The big guy takes the fall."
Sixteen delegates were elected with eight alternates; the delegates will vote at the party's February policy conference in London.
"Anytime we lose an election, we need to reflect and look at what went wrong and what we need to do to improve the next time," said Reiche.
Here is the list of upcoming meetings this week. If you require any assistance attending the meeting or have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact nick@draftaleader.com
Building on the success of ridings like London-West and others around the Province, the YES campaign again made significant gains in the key battleground riding of Elgin-Middlesex-London yesterday. While there are 107 ridings throughout Ontario, those surrounding the convention location of London are considered crucial by both sides of the Leadership Review question.
Rueben Devlin on CBC Politics with Don Newman discussing the YES campaign.
Threats, lies alleged in Tory leadership rift
Written by Paul Synnott
Sat, January 19, 2008
By CHIP MARTIN, SUN MEDIA
The ground war leading to a do-or-die leadership review for John Tory in London is turning nastier, with fresh allegations of strong-arm tactics to keep him as Ontario PC boss.
The mud-slinging is so bad, one party activist likens the fallout to "a civil war."
Delegates to the Progressive Conservative convention next month will vote on whether they want to hold a leadership contest, a party requirement after a general election loss.
The wheels fell off the PC election campaign under Tory last fall, the party failing to knock off the ruling Liberals and Tory failing to win a seat.
Now, the Southwestern Ontario chairperson of the party's youth wing says he and other executive members were warned shortly after the election their political futures would be jeopardized if they didn't sign a "unanimous" letter of support to Tory.
"I signed the letter to Mr. Tory at the risk of being removed from the board," said 18-year-old Andrew Lawton, a London university student.
Lawton said the threat came from Andrew Brander, president of the party's youth wing.
Statement from Andrew Lawton, Southwestern Ontario District Chair, Ontario PC Youth Association
London, Ontario 17 January, 2008
The following statement was emailed to DraftALeader.com the evening of January 17th. I would like to congratulate Mr. Lawton for his demonstration of leadership and honesty. It is our hope that his example will encourage others within the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
Delegate cries foul as oust Tory campaign heats up
Written by Paul Synnott
Thu, January 17, 2008
By CHIP MARTIN, SUN MEDIA
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The campaign to oust John Tory as leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives got a boost -- and more controversy -- this week in London.
Nineteen of the 21 delegates from the London West PC riding association selected to attend the party convention Feb. 22-24 in London favour a vote on Tory's leadership.
That has heartened a leader of the provincewide Draftaleader campaign, who predicts more London-region ridings will follow suit.
But it was also dismissed by a pro-Tory former candidate.
"It was a bit suspect," said Allison Graham, who went down to defeat on Tory's coattails in London West in the October provincial election.
She claimed the London West delegation selection process was orchestrated and due to "irregularities."
But others were crowing about the result.
"We feel really good," said Nick Kouvalis, a Windsorite who said the region is a key battleground in the move to unseat Tory, whose performance in last fall's provincial election campaign is being blamed in some quarters within the party for the return of Dalton McGuinty's Liberals.
Kouvalis predicts a similar sentiment will be expressed at delegate selection meetings this month in the Elgin- Middlesex-London, London-North-Centre and London- Fanshawe ridings.
"London is so important because it's an urban centre," Kouvalis said. Tory supporters have said he's strong in urban Ontario, which the party has to capture to dislodge McGuinty.
Note: Speaking of "irregularities", Ms. Graham forgot to mention the 20 NO supporters who left the meeting when asked to sign an affidavit verifying they had been a member for more than 10 days. When the Party failed to provide a membership list with renewal dates, the riding executive passed a motion requiring the affadavit. Regardless of the attempted spin by pro-Tory supporters, the grassroots were afforded the opportunity to speak loud and clear Tuesday evening - and they did!
Delegate process lagging as Tory digs in to stay leader
Written by Paul Synnott
KAREN HOWLETT
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
January 17, 2008 at 5:32 AM EST
TORONTO — The Ontario Progressive Conservative Party is scrambling to organize delegate-selection meetings in time for next month's annual convention, when John Tory's leadership will be put to a vote.
Meetings in all 107 ridings must be held by Feb. 1 and today is the deadline for giving party members 15 days written notice on when meetings will be held in their ridings.
But as the battle heats up between Mr. Tory's supporters and leaders of a campaign seeking to oust him, with both sides trying to line up delegates, riding associations are way behind calling meetings.
As of yesterday, only 30 meetings had been held and another 64 were scheduled, according to the party's website.
The party executive passed a resolution on the weekend, giving it the power to call meetings where riding associations "have taken no action." Party president Blair McCreadie said 16 meetings were added to the website yesterday and he acknowledged the party expects it will have to call a handful of meetings itself.
Mr. Tory's 3½ -year leadership will be put to a vote at the party's annual convention in London from Feb. 22-24. He has vowed to fight to keep his job following the party's defeat in the Oct. 10 provincial election and has solid support from among the 550 ex-officio delegates - current and former MPPs, former candidates and other party officials.
But he is under new pressure from the party rank and file after the launch of the Grassroots PC campaign, the first organized effort to replace him. The group is seeking support among the 1,712 convention delegates now being elected - 16 from each riding.
"This is really a battle between the grassroots and the party establishment," said Nick Kouvalis, a party activist and founder of the draftaleader.com website.
With a leadership convention set for February, some Ontario Tories are beginning to noisily wonder whether it's time for a new leader.
Janet Neilson - January 15, 2008
After three years of leadership from a man who had promised the Ontario PC Party four years, not eight, in the political wilderness, almost no gains were made over a Liberal government famous for breaking its 2003 election promises, and John Tory himself lost his seat. Before the final numbers had been reported, politicos across the province could hear the sinister scrape of metal on metal as knives across the province were unsheathed.
In spite of the fact that Tory had three years to prepare his party for the election and the anger following the party's colossal defeat, for some time after the vote it seemed as though no concerted effort to keep or oust him as leader would arise.
All that changed with the launching of DraftaLeader.com, a website calling Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario members to vote "Yes" to having a leadership race at the party's convention in February. One has to wonder if Tory winced as the first knife hit home.
In what was portrayed by both sides as a key test of strength, the London-West Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario riding association elected a total of 19 YES and 2 No delegates for the party's Leadership Review convention. Ex-Officio delegates also declaring their support for the YES campaign include Riding Association President Jim Chahbar and ex-MPP Bob Wood.
"London-West was a spirited fight," said DraftALeader.com organizer Nick Kouvalis, "but at
the end of the day, the grassroots voice spoke loud and clear here this evening. Despite problems with membership lists and countless points of order the vote was overwhelmingly YES! The goal of giving the grassroots back their voice was accomplished tonight." Kouvalis extended a special vote of thanks to Bob Wood, ex-MPP for London-West. "Bob understands that leadership does matter and that's why he's been working diligently to promote an open and honest debate amongst the membership."
"London-West represents a key battleground in the fight for delegate support" said Southwest YES Campaign Regional organizer David Dillon. "With the convention being held in London, these delegates don't have to worry about things like travel and lodging expenses, which makes it certain they will attend. Half the battle is electing delegates, the remainder is ensuring that they attend."
With the completion of London-West, all eyes are now on the meeting in Elgin-Middlesex-London to be held on the 19th of January. London-North-Centre and London-Fanshawe follow with meetings on the 29th and 30th of January respectively. Members seeking information on upcoming meetings or the convention are encouraged to visit DraftALeader.com.
John Tory has secured the support of a significant majority of his caucus heading into a do-or-die leadership review.
A poll of Tory MPPs by Sun Media found at least two-thirds of the 26-member caucus are enthusiastic in their endorsement of Tory, including interim party leader Bob Runciman and former leadership contender Frank Klees.
"I'm a John Tory guy; John's my main man," PC MPP Ted Chudleigh said.
Only one MPP, Oshawa's Jerry Ouellette, told Sun Media he will remain neutral in the leadership review.
Ouellette said he's not encouraging people to vote either way.
"I'm not taking an active role in pushing for a review," Ouellette said.
Several MPPs, including potential leadership successors Tim Hudak and Christine Elliott, did not respond to Sun Media requests for their position on the leadership review.
Note: the headline for this article could just have easily been "Tory loses unanimous support of Caucus". Three MPPs are identified as either neutral or unknown, how many more are in this category? How many MPPs did the Sun actually contact and include in their poll? A one third shift in support demonstrates that at least some MPPs are listening to the grassroots.
The whole Tory story
Written by Paul Synnott
The provincial Conservatives are pondering whether or not to allow current leader John Tory to remain as head of the party. The process of redefining the Conservatives brought Tory to Simcoe on Friday.
The biggest mistake the Tories could make is to cling to the prevailing wisdom that a single issue championed by Tory - public funding for religious schools - doomed the party in October's election.
It may or may not be fair to assign most of the blame to Tory as leader, but the party would be well advised to examine its entire platform and not just the religious schools pledge that backfired so badly.
There was more to the Conservatives' loss than one issue. Faith-based schools funding just happened to be the one that got the most attention.
The Conservatives under Tory managed to attract the 30 per cent support in the election that they are pretty well guaranteed. The only problem is they couldn't garner much more.
The Tories need to ask themselves not just whether the faith-based funding drove voters from their party, but also why the rest of their platform didn't draw more support.
Don't forget, these guys were promising to eliminate the hated health tax introduced by Dalton McGuinty's Liberals, which became the source for many of the attacks on the Premier as a promise-breaker.
The Conservatives were also pledging to raise spending on health. No matter how many ways the party wants to spin it, voters just weren't buying it.
An interesting thing happened on the way to a February Ontario Conservative convention this week - and in the interest of openness, it's rather compelling.
Bart Maves, the former Niagara Falls MPP and unsuccessful Conservative candidate in the last provincial election, is one of the people behind a move to have John Tory replaced as leader.
"Virtually everyone I've talked to says John should go," Maves told The Review. He and former party president Rueben Devlin are behind the move.
"John's a great guy. He's a very good speaker. There were too many failings over the last eight months ... I don't think we can win with him right now," Maves said.
And in politics, it is about winning. People don't put their name forward to run for public office with the intention of losing.
It's that simple.
What's remarkable is the openness in the movement to oust Tory.
No whisper campaign. No backstabbing. No anonymous faxes or ghost e-mails.
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