Recycling is generally considered to be a worthwhile endeavour. It's application in politics though, can often produce unintended results.

The following letter from Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby Barrett was first posted on the Together with Tory website with a date of December 29th. Yesterday it was reposted in the Together with Tory "Latest News" section as a reprint of a Letter to the Editor of the Simcoe Reviewer newspaper (the published version removed the last line of the letter). Yesterday evening we fielded a phone call and subsequent email from a YES supporter who had just received this same letter in the mail, sent from Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario Headquarters on PCPO stationary. While YES supporters volunteer their time and money in support of a Leadership review, it appears that John Tory and the complete party machine continue to spend your donations as they see fit, to assist his effort to remain as party leader.

Letter from Toby Barrett, MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk

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Since John Tory supporters are so determined to recycle this letter in support of his remaining as Party Leader, we felt it was necessary to respond.

As MPP (Haldimand-Norfolk) and PC member, I have received two anonymous letters bad-mouthing John Tory and management of the election.

As we have stated on this site before, we condemn the anonymous letter that was sent out to PC members in the Province. In point of fact, the receipt of the first letter was part of the reason for this site, as we did not wish the arguments for a YES vote to be hijacked by some anonymous whisper campaign. As the creators of DraftALeader.com, Nick Kouvalis and myself have been proud to have our names associated with those supporting a YES vote at the leadership review. Our reward, along with other prominent YES supporters, has been to be subjected to a campaign of libel, slander, threatening and insulting emails along with an internet smear campaign that remains one of the most odious ever seen in recent Canadian political campaigns. Some might say that that is the price of politics. If it is, it might help explain why politicians, politics and it's practice are regularly held in such disdain by the general public.

As a right-wing Progressive Conservative representing part of the rural south, I know John Tory can win us the next election. Locally, he helped get us 61 per cent of the vote.

I congratulate Toby Barrett on his decisive win in the last Provincial election. Personally, I think Mr. Barrett is minimizing his own popularity and name recognition in Haldimand-Norfolk. Not to be forgotten is the years of tireless work conducted in his riding by volunteers of both the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and the federal Conservative Party of Canada. Regardless of both of those points, the fact remains that the popular vote of the party declined even lower than the disastrous election of 2003 and if not for re-distribution, our seat count would have also declined. John Tory, as Leader of the party, failed to win his own seat.

I vote no with respect to a leadership review -- a review that would do little but please the Toronto media and Dalton McGuinty as they watch us spend our time fighting amongst ourselves.

As I'm not a member of the Toronto media or a Dalton McGuinty Liberal, I can't speak to how they would view a leadership contest. On the other hand, as a YES supporter, along with hundreds of elected and Ex-Officio delegates, I take issue with Mr. Barrett's assertion a leadership review would "do little".

First and foremost, the leadership review vote represents an opportunity for party members to exercise their fundamental democratic right of a free vote. After watching the policy process that produced back to back majorities disintegrate over the last four years, many members value that vote more than ever.

A recurring theme of John Tory supporters over the last several weeks has been that a leadership race must be avoided at all costs as it would be nothing more than a "divisive and costly" exercise. It might surprise Mr. Barrett and other Tory supporters to discover that there are thousands of PC Party members who have a distinctly different opinion. A contested leadership race can help the party reinvigorate itself in terms of membership, policy and yes, even money. At the end of the 2004 contest, membership in the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario stood at over 50,000. What is it today?

I hope to see you in London. In contrast to divisive anonymous communications you may have received from others, I affix my name.

DraftALeader.com, along with the members of Grassrootspc.ca, would like to congratulate and acknowledge Mr. Barrett for his open and public support of John Tory, hoping that he would do likewise for all the YES supporters across this province that are neither divisive nor anonymous.