From Facebook:
Andrew Escobar sent a message to the members of Deborah Coyne for the Liberal nomination of Don Valley West .
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Subject: A Message from Deborah Coyne
Dear friends,
Since entering the race for the Liberal nomination in Don Valley West, I have visited hundreds of people in all areas of this great riding. Don Valley West reflects so much of what makes Canada great. Our growing diversity, our huge pool of human talent from all over the globe: surely these are our greatest strengths as a nation and they are best defended by a Liberal MP.
It is crucial that Don Valley West return a Liberal to Ottawa in the next federal election.
With this in mind, I have decided that my campaign has run its course. I have withdrawn my candidacy and have decided that Rob Oliphant is the right person to win the next election, serve the diverse communities of Don Valley West, and build on the work of John Godfrey as a distinguished Member of Parliament.
Thank you for your support,
Deborah Coyne
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I have no idea what the situation on the ground was in DVW. Maybe she was way behind in sign-ups, who knows. Still, I can't help but note the timing.
Speaking of timing, I'm reminded of this story from just two weeks ago:
One of the five contenders, constitutional expert Deborah Coyne, alleges that up to 500 newly signed-up members - including the father of Liberal party pollster Michael Marzolini - were not asked to pay the requisite fee. She intends to challenge their right to vote at the nomination meeting.
She says she has found most of the members were signed up by campaign representatives for Rob Oliphant, a United Church minister who is considered the front-runner in the contest. She said she also found some members were signed up by supporters of former Liberal MP Sarmite Bulte, another contender in the race.
The tactic is "bringing the party into disrepute," Coyne said.
"I am drawing a line in the sand, finally, and saying 'This is it' . . . This is a great party and I am sad to see my party coming down to this in a great riding like Don Valley West."
I guess they worked it out. Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers
6 comments:
I stand to be corrected BC, but was not Ms Coyne one of the star candidates people were raving about a couple of months back.
I don't know if she'd quite reached star status, however we define that, but certaintly a very attractive, qualified, desirable, strong candidate. Constitutional scholar, the Trudeau connection, ran twice hard against Layton and fought the good fight. She'd have been a strong MP.
perhaps, she decided to take a pass 'for other reasons.'
Although you would think that Dion would have appointed her because of her gender combined with her high profile. Maybe he didn't like her connections.
I think that Dion is getting 'cold feet' and perhaps this riding association is one that he can't make do his bidding, as this is where some of the real power is in the liberal party - power politics.
"Although you would think that Dion would have appointed her because of her gender combined with her high profile."
Jan,
Deborah was appointed once by Martin to challenge Jack Layton in 2004.
Impossible to favour one female candidate over another. Especially with Sam Bulte throwing her hat into the ring. Note that John Godfrey still has a strong following in Don Valley West and Dion will not do an appointment there without Godfrey's bidding.
jan, there was a lot of interest on the ground in contesting the nomination and, as mushroom said, with another strong female candidate and former MP in the form on Sam Bulte running an appointment wasn't in the cards.
I don't see what advantage Oliphant brings to the riding. I think he will probably lose to the Tory candidate. As with the recent Etobicoke North appointment, I worry that some in the Party are mistaken in believing that huge personal vote margins for long-time Liberal MPs can be transferred to pretty run of the mill candidates.
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