Friday, March 10, 2006

Young Libs called to principal's office

It appears that after diligent reporting by TDH Strategies (Mar, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8) and a little national attention (Mar. 5) from Paul Wells a positive resolution may be coming to the controversy that has mired the Young Liberal campus club at UBC.

Sean Holman at Public Eye Online has posted a letter from LPC(BC) Jamie Elmhirst. It seems Jamie is responding to the publicity and disgust with the YL tactics by having the LPCBC take over administration of campus club membership lists, and is promising more changes are in the works.

It’s an encouraging sign, but I’m going to keep watching with a wary eye, as I’m not completely sold. For one, Jamie is a graduate of the UViC/UBC YL mafia that perfected these kinds of tactics that he’s now pledging to clean up. I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt though.

But what I find distributing is the tone that runs through his letter, particularly in these excerpts here:

On a personal note, I find the situation at UBC a disappointment; both the manner in which the meeting was called and the playing out of this issue in various blogs and in the media is an embarrassment to our party and to the Young Liberals of BC. I do not consider anyone involved having entirely clean hands.

… Hopefully we will cease to see the playing out of personal rivalries on blogs and in the media in a way that is embarrassing to far more people than just those directly involved.

I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that if the blogs hadn’t shone a light onto this shady affair nothing would have happened, and Jamie would not have felt compelled to act. It would have been business a usual.

If the party had been able to respond to this situation effectively when it happened, instead of trying to cover it up, it wouldn’t have gotten a public black eye. What IS an embarrassment to the Young Liberals of BC, Jamie, is the YL leadership that allowed this situation to happen.

Attacking the whistleblower is pathetic. Want some simple advice on how to avoid negative press from someone with a little communications experience? It’s simple. Don’t do stupid things. I know TDH Strategies and Paul Wells won’t be backing down in the future, and I hope no one else will either. Democracy requires openness and transparency.

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Totally agree with you on this one... it discusts me that Jamie would even attack blogs and the media.

As grass-root Liberals, it is our job to make sure that our organization is run in a fair and just manner.

This BS about disgracing the Party - that's not our fault; that was Coco's fault.

Jamie is part of that group that isn't used to being held accountable by his own organization. The LPCBC has been run like a mafia for the last who-knows-how-long...

Good on ya, BCer in Toronto for keeping up with this story and demanding fairness! Keep on it. Let's keep Elmhirst accountable.

Anonymous said...

P.S. Think Elmhirst is getting in lots of shit these days from head office for not handling the ordeal? Perhaps this is why he is actually reacting...

S.K. said...

Yeah, It would have been more embarrassing if They had been de-listed as a club by the university for denying memberships.

I've been trying for about two weeks to becaome a member in Ontario. The LPC(O) web site has and internal error for anyone who tries to become a member and the local riding president hasn't gotten back to me even through other riding assn. presidents. Hmm???

Jeff said...

I wouldn't be surprised if there was some heat from Ottawa. I would hope there was some heat from Ottawa. I think TDH mentioned LPC is planning to investigate the question of phantom campus clubs.

On joining the LPCO I had a hard time too. I filled out the web form to be sent a hard copy form on the LPCO web site last fall, but after never getting one or hearing anything I e-mailed the LPCO membership chair directly, and she e-mail me a form. This was just before the campsign. I know they cashed my cheque, but I've recieved no confirmation or information from them or from my riding association. So I guess I'm a member, they took my money, but who really knows?

S.K. said...

Draft Frechette for Leadership

Does Anyone running for leadership have as many qualifications as this woman?

Louise Fréchette is the first Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. A national of Canada, she assumed her duties on 2 March 1998, after having been appointed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan.The post of Deputy Secretary-General was established by the General Assembly at the end of 1997 as part of the reform of the United Nations, to help manage Secretariat operations and to ensure coherence of activities and programmes. The purpose was also to elevate the Organization’s profile and leadership in the economic and social spheres. The Deputy Secretary-General assists the Secretary-General in the full range of his responsibilities and also may represent the United Nations at conferences and official functions. She chairs the Steering Committee on Reform and Management Policy and the Advisory Board of the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships (UNFIP), which handles relations with the foundation set up by Ted Turner in support of the United Nations.

Before joining the United Nations, Ms. Fréchette was the Deputy Minister of National Defence of Canada from 1995 to 1998. Prior to that, she was Associate Deputy Minister in her country’s Department of Finance. She served as Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations from 1992 to 1995. Ms. Fréchette began her career in 1971 in Canada’s Department of External Affairs. She was part of her country’s delegation to the General Assembly in 1972, and then served as Second Secretary at the Canadian Embassy in Athens until 1975. From 1975 to 1977, Ms. Fréchette worked in the European Affairs Division in Canada’s Department of External Affairs.

Returning to Europe, she served as First Secretary at the Canadian Mission to the United Nations in Geneva from 1978 to 1982. During that period, she participated in a session of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Madrid from November 1980 to July 1981.After serving as Deputy Director of the Trade Policy Division in the Department of External Affairs from 1982 to 1983, Ms. Fréchette became Director of the European Summit Division from 1983 to 1985. She received her first ambassadorship in 1985, serving as Canada’s ambassador to Argentina with concurrent accreditation to Uruguay and Paraguay.Ms. Fréchette was named Assistant Deputy Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean in the Department of External Affairs and international trade in October 1988. In that capacity, she directed a review of Canada’s relations with the region, which led to Canada’s entry into the Organization of American States (OAS). In January 1991 she became Assistant Deputy Minister for Economic Policy and Trade Competitiveness.

Ms. Fréchette received a Bachelor of Arts degree from College Basile Moreau. She earned a degree in history from the University of Montreal in 1970 and a post-graduate diploma in economic studies at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium in 1978. She has received honorary doctorate degrees from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Kyung Hee University in Seoul, University of Ottawa, University of Toronto, and Laval University, Québec. In 1998, she was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada.Born in Montreal on 16 July 1946, Ms. Fréchette is single. She speaks French, English and Spanish.
* *** * [Updated 24 August 2000]

posted by s.b. at 12:25 PM

Anonymous said...

I know that here in Manitoba that we only have 2 legitmate campus clubs. The unversity of winnipeg and university of brandon, even the Uof M club has been dormant since the last leadership. However thanks to Reg Alcock and his ex-staffer former YLCM presdient and now Young Liberal of Canada president Richard Diamond we have well over a dozen registered clubs with fake memberships.

I think it's time that blogs start to put a little pressure on Diamond and the YLC leadership to make sure that the campus clubs issue is cleaned up, or less we risk turning the next leadership into a joke.

Any suggestions on how to best go about holding these people to account?

CoteGauche said...

s.b.

I have had the same problems as you with the LPCBC. My local riding association (Vancouver South) has a webform to request a membership form, but when you fill it in and hit submit nothing happens at all. No confirmation that your request was recieved, the form doesn't clear, no "thank you your membership application is in the mail", no phone call from the riding association - nothing.

CoteGauche said...

more: I can only guess the reason they are not responding to new membership request is that they do not want independent members, only members that are committed specific delegates.

Budd Campbell said...

Blogs, Blogs, Blogs.

What did people do before there were blogs? Probably they read real books and at least tried to act responsibly and intelligently.

As for the campus Liberals, who really cares? The only thing that really matters here is that Coco Lefoka and Jamie Elmhirst are REAL players in the party, ... why Coco even appeared in the TV commercials posing as a "streeter"!