It looks like Ontario PC Leader Patrick Brown is in more hot water about a riding nomination for the upcoming provincial election.
Apparently, two candidates who have been working to obtain the PC nomination for the riding of Flamborough-Glanbrook have been told that Brown won’t accept their nomination if they win because he wants to appoint a star candidate for the riding.
COMMENTARY: Could Ontario have a snap election this fall?
Speculation is that Brown wants Hamilton Coun. Donna Skelly to carry the PC banner, but neither Skelly nor Brown have confirmed or denied to this point.
This is another in a growing list of ridings that questions how candidates are chosen, and with good reason.
The nomination process currently requires candidates to sell party memberships to qualify.
Usually, whoever sells the most memberships and raises money for the party, gets the nomination.
But the party leader can circumvent the whole process and simply appoint a candidate, which makes the exercise more autocratic than democratic.
The PCs aren’t the only party with nomination woes.
The NDP have had their share of candidate squabbles and a Liberal riding association in Northern Ontario is headed to court in a few weeks to answer for some nomination hanky-panky.
No wonder more and more people are disenchanted with politics.
You want more people to vote?
Clean up the shady nomination process and let citizens decide who their elected representatives should be.
Bill Kelly is the host of Bill Kelly Show on AM 900 CHML and a commentator for Global News.
Comments