Why I have no time for David Bertschi’s complaints

I’ve tried to hold my tongue through David Bertschi’s dramatic performances through the nomination process, but after his conduct at the Ottawa-Orleans nomination on the weekend, enough is enough.

I’m the first person to be up in arms with regards to nomination shenanigans or interference from the centre. I’m a supporter of open nominations – it was a key part of Deborah Coyne’s democratic reform platform during the leadership campaign, and I was glad to see Justin Trudeau adopt a similar position shortly after we released ours.

I think everyone – if they’re being honest with themselves anyway – knew that there would always be an asterix for open nominations when the pledge was reaffirmed by the leader for this nomination cycle. A certain threshold of rules would need to be met by all candidates seeking a nomination, from a commitment to Liberal values (see supporting the right to choose) to a background check, and so on.

For the former leadership candidates seeking a nomination (including from 2006) there were additional rules. I have some insight into this, as I managed Deborah’s leadership campaign. Those carrying leadership debt were required to submit a debt repayment plan and schedule, and report regularly on their progress to the party. They were informed that their greenlighting was provisional, and could be revoked at any time if they didn’t maintain satisfactory progress.

This applied to all leadership candidates carrying leadership debt from recent campaigns, from Coyne and Bertschi and George Takach, to caucus members like Marc Garneau and Hedy Fry. The rules were clear and known to all.

The rules were also clear during the leadership campaign with regards to the amount of debt campaigns were allowed to carry, both in loans and in accounts payable. A financial filing was due regularly to the party for compliance purposes and, if the levels were violated, a range of sanctions were available, up to and including expulsion from the leadership race. Again, the rules were clear and known to all.

And it appears to me that Mr. Bertschi was unable or unwilling to follow rules, whether during the leadership campaign or during the nomination process.

Bertschi withdrew from the leadership campaign in a flourish, after hemorrhaging staff and volunteers, just before he was facing sanction from the party and possible expulsion from the race for violating those debt limits – post-race filings with Elections Canada confirm his non-compliance. This after making a virtue of having promised a debt-free campaign.

Nevertheless, he was provisionally green-lit by the party to seek the nomination in Ottawa-Orleans. Like every other leadership candidate carrying debt, he had to submit and follow a repayment plan. And once again, he couldn’t follow the rules. And so he faced the consequences.

Now, the current underlying all of this, of course, is the party centre’s favoured candidate for Ottawa-Orleans, Andrew Leslie – the former general was acclaimed this weekend following Bertschi’s expulsion.

Let’s be frank. Did the powers that be want Leslie? Obviously. Were they going to use the levers available to them to help make that happen? Most definitely.

Here’s the thing, though: Bertschi made it easy on them. No shenanigans were necessary. By failing to comply with the clearly stated rules, rules which applied to all (and the others managed to comply with), Bertschi made it easy for the party to remove him from the race completely by the book. No shenanigans were necessary, as Bertschi was the author of his own demise.

I might still be able to muster a measure of sympathy for him – being denied a dream you’ve long worked for is incredibly difficult – were it not for the arrogance with which he has conducted himself through this process. Attacking other Liberals, threatening lawsuits, his supporters disrupting meetings, heckling, disrespecting the Canadian flag. Bertschi isn’t about the Liberal Party; he’s about David Bertschi. And I have no time for people like that.

If Bertschi had followed the rules, he would have challenged Leslie this past weekend, and who knows what would have happened. The party’s pick doesn’t always win – see Don Valley North. Superior organization will take the day. Instead, he was the author of his own demise, and seems determined to light the bridge aflame behind him.

Don’t let the door, etc.

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A Coyne (not that one) enters the race and a BCer (not me) comes close

With summer underway the Liberal  Party of Canada leadership race is starting to heat up (yes, I do feel horrible for writing that) with a few recent developments to report.

For one, a Coyne has declared (no, not Andrew). It's Deborah Coyne, who will have to remind the media that she does indeed have a first name, and isn't just "Justin Trudeau's half-sister's mother" as one media outlet akwardly put it this morning. Or just Andrew's cousin.

...she says she’s running because she believes Canadians are fed up with polarizing partisanship and that gives the Liberal party a golden opportunity to re-emerge from its current third-party status as the party of “bold, principled” national leadership on important public policy questions. 

“I’m in this to make sure it’s an ideas-based campaign. I believe I have a vision and a program that will resonate with many Canadians.” 

While the media will make much of the Trudeau family connection, particularly if Justin runs, Coyne is a very accomplished candidate with solid Liberal pedigree. She's a public policy and constitutional law expert and ran for the Liberals in Toronto-Danforth against Jack Layton in 2006. Some of her ideas merit consideration (she's pro-carbon tax) and she's anti-merger with the NDP. 


Glancing at her policy proposals I think her main issue right now is that which all Liberals wrestle with: taking big-picture theory and relating it to Canadians, who are more focused on pocket-book issues that impact their day-to-day lives. Anyway, she's a solid entry into the race.


Meanwhile, in the all but declared category is David Merner, who has been doing the exploratory thing and resigned yesterday as president of the federal party's BC wing to focus on his possible leadership run. Here's the letter he sent to members:

I am writing to let you know that I have decided to step down as President of the Liberal Party of Canada in British Columbia. Our Vice President, Brian Rice, will step in to the Presidency, as provided under our Constitution. 

 I've really enjoyed the opportunity to work with the riding Presidents, Caucus members, party staff, the BC Executive and the National Board. However, I am leaving the Presidency to focus on fund raising and other activities that are essential to participating in the Liberal leadership race as a candidate. 

Wherever I meet experienced Liberals across Canada, I hear "You guys in BC are amazing". That's true. We have outstanding leaders throughout BC. To name only a few members of our Executive, Brian Rice is recognized as a leader on riding development; Ray Larson is known as one of the Party's leading micro-targetting experts; and Mary Pynenburg and Ken Halliday are leading the national Women's Commission and national Seniors' Commission respectively. In sum, the LPCBC Executive is in great hands.

Under Brian's leadership and with a hugely talented membership that is 5,000 strong, I am positive that BC will continue to lead by example in rebuilding our Party. We are moving along the long, steep road to recovery from last year's defeat, thanks to the steps that party members and supporters are taking every day. I look forward to continuing on that journey together.

Merner's organizing has been out in the open for some time, and my understanding is that it was basically crap or get off the pot time as far as his continued role as LPCBC president while planning a leadership run. While I'm a transplanted BCer I've never met the fellow so I've no insight on him to share, although he did recently speak with fellow blogger Impolitical who shares some details today.


Another tire-kicker, former Ottawa-Orleans candidate David Betschi, as in Toronto for a pub last night. I'd planned to attend but was otherwise engaged. He's a lawyer who has also been doing the exploratory thing. One piece of advice: if your policy page is called "Where I Stand" a few more stands would be nice. 


CP reports another declared candidate I've never heard of:

Shane Geschiere, a 32-year-old Manitoba paramedic with no political experience, is the only other person so far to openly declare his intention to enter the race.

And Martha-Hall Findlay continues to gain profile with her stance on supply management (which Coyne appears to share). She really needs to pay off that 2006 debt though; I would have a problem with any candidates still carrying past leadership debt entering this one. (You can donate to her debt here if you're so inclined.)


The Star's Susan Delacourt had a pretty exhaustive list of possible candidates on the weekend.


I suspect we'll see the tire-kickers begin to fade away once the rules for the leadership race are set, probably this fall, particularly around the entry fee and spending cap. Personally, my preference is for an entry fee high enough to keep the field manageable and race serious, and a cap low enough that campaigns can do what they need to do without incurring heavy debt and sucking donations from the central party and riding associations. But more on that in another post.

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